Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has extended condolences and pledged solidarity with Venezuela after a pair of powerful earthquakes struck the country, killing at least 32 people, injuring more than 700 and prompting a national state of emergency as rescue teams continue digging through widespread destruction.

The disaster unfolded late Wednesday when two strong quakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5, struck in quick succession along Venezuela’s northern Caribbean coast.

The second tremor hit roughly 40 seconds after the first, amplifying structural stress across already weakened buildings and infrastructure.

The shallow depth of the earthquakes intensified the impact, turning routine urban centers into scenes of collapse and chaos, with reports of damaged roads, disrupted communications and widespread power outages.

Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced a national state of emergency as emergency crews were deployed across affected regions, particularly in Yaracuy state and nearby coastal areas.

Early figures placed the death toll at 32, with more than 700 injured, though officials warned those numbers remain fluid as search-and-rescue operations continue in heavily damaged urban zones.

In a message posted on social media platform X, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed sorrow over the loss of life and sent wishes for recovery to those injured. He stressed that Türkiye shares the grief of the Venezuelan people and reaffirmed that Ankara stands ready to support its “friends in difficult days,” framing the response as both humanitarian and diplomatic solidarity.

The epicenter of the quakes was reported in Venezuela’s Yaracuy region, near San Felipe and Moron, areas that sit roughly west of Caracas.

The seismic activity, occurring at shallow depths estimated between 10 and 22 kilometers, is considered unusually destructive for the region, with experts noting that shallow quakes tend to transmit stronger surface shaking and cause greater building failure.

Beyond the immediate casualties, the earthquakes disrupted critical infrastructure across multiple states.

Transportation networks, including sections of airport operations and urban transit systems, were temporarily halted or restricted.

Hospitals in affected areas were overwhelmed by incoming casualties, while emergency responders worked through aftershocks and unstable structures in search of survivors.

Authorities in Caracas and surrounding regions have warned that aftershocks are expected to continue, complicating rescue operations and recovery efforts.

International assistance has begun to mobilize, with several governments signaling readiness to provide humanitarian aid, search-and-rescue teams and emergency supplies as damage assessments expand.

The disaster marks one of the most severe seismic events Venezuela has experienced in decades, a country that lies near active tectonic boundaries but rarely sees earthquakes of this magnitude in rapid succession.

Scientists say the close timing of the two major quakes likely contributed to the scale of structural collapse, as buildings weakened by the first shock were hit again before stabilizing.

The crisis also underscores growing diplomatic engagement between Ankara and Caracas.

Türkiye and Venezuela have expanded ties in recent years across trade, energy and mining sectors, with high-level talks held in Istanbul earlier in June between Erdoğan and Venezuela’s leadership.

Those discussions focused on strengthening economic cooperation, adding context to Ankara’s swift humanitarian response.

Türkiye has increasingly positioned itself as a rapid responder in global disasters, often deploying search-and-rescue teams through its AFAD disaster agency.

The country’s own experience with major earthquakes in recent years has shaped its emphasis on international humanitarian outreach.

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Speaking at the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Wednesday in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the region would eventually have peace, and it would be “despite Israel, Israel’s provocations.”

He criticized the “massacre” network that has turned terrorism and occupation into state policy and has done everything over the past 10 days to sabotage the U.S.-Iran deal.

Erdoğan champions the Palestinian cause and led Türkiye to cut off ties with Israel after a new round of Palestine-Israel conflict broke out in 2023. Türkiye sees Israel as the main adversary in the region due to the latter’s expansionist policies, which brought conflicts to the levels of genocide in Gaza and spilled over into Syria and Lebanon. Ankara has accused the Netanyahu administration of pursuing a “promised land” ideal, especially in light of the U.S.-Israel-Iran war. Israel was not a party to the recent U.S.-Iran deal to end the conflict and continued attacks in neighboring Lebanon.

The president said they managed to keep the country out of the “ring of fire” during the U.S.-Israel-Iran war. “We did not give in to Israel’s attempts to stir up new conflicts in our region,” he said.

Erdoğan emphasized that one of the riskiest conflicts since World War II had been successfully managed thanks to their policies and coordination with allies. He stated that throughout this difficult process, all institutions, especially the foreign affairs and security bureaucracy, had displayed great effort and dedication.

Explaining that they had contributed to the negotiation process between the U.S. and Iran with great care, “sometimes through back-channel diplomacy, sometimes by taking a direct stance, and at other times by intervening before disagreements escalated,” Erdoğan said: “We are now in a period that requires even greater sensitivity. We know that Israel cannot tolerate even the slightest possibility of peace. Looking at the statements they have made over the past 10 days, one can see that what stands before us is not statecraft but rather a group of radicals who have lost all sense of reason. The situation is so grave that everyone is accusing one another of killing too few people and shedding too little blood. Both the government and the opposition are constantly trying to outdo each other in advocating genocide. A frenzied crowd, competing with one another in recklessness, never wants the guns in our region to fall silent. This network of slaughter, which views its national security as dependent on the instability of everyone else, including its neighbors, and which has turned terrorism and occupation into state policy, has been doing everything in its power over the past 10 days to sabotage the agreement reached through the tremendous efforts of all parties. They will continue every kind of mischief until they achieve their goals. If peace comes to our region, it will come despite Israel. If stability is established in our region, it will be despite Israel’s provocations. No matter what this network of slaughter does, it will not be able to prevent peace, tranquility, justice, stability and prosperity from prevailing in our region, Allah willing,” he said.

“As Türkiye, we will not refrain from doing whatever falls upon us to ensure that even the slightest opportunity for peace is utilized. In the coming period, we will continue to provide every possible support to efforts aimed at achieving a lasting resolution to the Iran crisis,” Erdoğan added.

‘Chaotic’ opposition

As he praised the government’s actions for peace diplomacy, Erdoğan had an equal share of criticism for the opposition, namely the Republican People’s Party (CHP). Though he said Ankara did not care about the infighting in the fragmented CHP, he devoted a substantial part of his speech to criticize the party and warn it not to prevent Parliament from functioning.

“Chaos and turmoil reign in the opposition as our People’s Alliance stands united,” Erdoğan said.

The CHP is engaged in a bitter row over who will lead the party after Özgür Özel was relieved of duty as leader in May over a court verdict affirming that his victory in a 2023 intra-party vote was dubious, over allegations of vote-buying to defeat then incumbent Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Kılıçdaroğlu was reinstated to his office, while Özel continues to call for another election in the party. Since the court ruled for “absolute nullification” of the Özel administration and Kılıçdaroğlu’s return, the party has been de facto divided in two. The Özel camp refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the Kılıçdaroğlu administration. Özel was relegated to the post of parliamentary group chair of the CHP and insisted on holding parliamentary group meetings of the party for two weeks in a row, while Kılıçdaroğlu appears to be bowing to the pressure and instead prefers to hold party meetings at the CHP’s headquarters.

Erdoğan said the CHP was involved in “mud-wrestling” and tried to “drag them to mud as well.” Özel insists on portraying what is happening in the CHP as “an intervention” by the judiciary and the government to divide the party, and his supporters squarely blame Kılıçdaroğlu for betraying the party by accepting the job to lead the CHP.

The president said the CHP took its fight to Parliament, recalling how supporters of Özel occupied the parliamentary hall allocated for the CHP to prevent Kılıçdaroğlu supporters from entering. “They turned their backs on the one they fervently applauded. The folk hero of yesterday is now the public enemy,” he said, referring to the Özel camp’s criticism of Kılıçdaroğlu, who unsuccessfully ran against Erdoğan in the 2023 presidential elections.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that he is likely to hold a one-on-one meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during the NATO summit scheduled to take place in Ankara on July 7-8.

Speaking to reporters after a parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Erdoğan said a bilateral meeting with Trump was “highly likely” on the sidelines of the summit.

President Trump confirmed last week that he plans to attend the gathering in the Turkish capital, telling reporters during an event for the newly commissioned Air Force One aircraft, “I will be going to Türkiye soon.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said Trump would attend the Ankara summit, describing it as one of the most significant meetings in the alliance’s history.

The visit would mark Trump’s first official trip to Türkiye since beginning his second term in office.

Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for insufficient defense spending and has called for a more balanced distribution of security burdens within the alliance. His administration has argued that Europe should take a leading role in defending the continent while the United States reduces some of its long-standing military commitments.

Those debates are expected to feature prominently in Ankara.

The July 7-8 summit will be NATO’s 36th leaders’ meeting and the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye after the 2004 Istanbul summit.

Preparations are being made for the needs of the at least 6,000 people who will attend the summit.

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Turkish authorities have detained 237 people in operations carried out across 42 provinces over the past two weeks as part of an investigation targeting the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

According to the ministry, the operations were coordinated by public prosecutors and units of the National Police, including intelligence, counterterrorism and anti-smuggling departments. 128 of the suspects were arrested pending trial, while 61 were released under judicial control measures.

Legal proceedings for the remaining suspects are ongoing.

Authorities said that the suspects were active in various branches of the movement, including its financial, student and secretive networks and had maintained communication through pay phones. Some were also accused of providing financial support to the terrorist group.

The FETÖ orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 were wounded. The group is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, especially in the military, police and judiciary.

In a separate operation in the central province of Kayseri, police detained a former police chief who had been sentenced to eight years, one month and 15 days in prison for “membership in a terrorist organization,” authorities said.

The suspect, identified only by the initials M.A., was taken into custody during a raid on a residence and transferred to prison following legal procedures.

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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay an official visit to Canada on June 25-26 for talks aimed at deepening bilateral relations, expanding economic cooperation and discussing key regional and global security issues, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Fidan is scheduled to begin his visit in Toronto on Thursday with a tour of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, one of Canada’s largest nuclear energy facilities. Turkish officials said the visit is intended to provide firsthand insight into Canada’s capabilities and expertise in the nuclear energy sector as Ankara seeks to expand its own energy portfolio.

The foreign minister will also attend a meeting with business leaders, academics and representatives of civil society organizations to discuss opportunities for economic cooperation and investment between the two countries.

On Friday, Fidan will travel to Ottawa for talks with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand. The meeting is expected to focus on strengthening political dialogue, boosting trade and investment, and elevating Türkiye-Canada relations to the level of a strategic partnership.

Turkish officials said Fidan will emphasize the importance of increasing high-level contacts and reciprocal visits, while calling for efforts to remove barriers to trade and accelerate negotiations on a long-discussed free trade agreement.

Bilateral trade between Türkiye and Canada reached approximately $2.7 billion (TL 125.54 billion) in 2025, with Turkish exports totaling $1.57 billion and imports from Canada standing at $1.16 billion. Turkish officials have said there is significant potential for further growth in trade and investment ties.

Energy cooperation is also expected to feature prominently in the discussions. Fidan is expected to highlight opportunities for collaboration in nuclear energy and other energy sectors, while advocating closer cooperation in the defense industry and stronger military ties between the NATO allies.

Regional security issues are also expected to be on the agenda. Sources said Fidan will stress the need to remain vigilant against attempts to undermine the recent understanding reached between the United States and Iran. He is also expected to underline the importance of restoring unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as vital for global trade and energy supplies.

The Turkish foreign minister is expected to reiterate Ankara’s support for diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and call for increased international pressure on Israel over its policies in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

Relations between Türkiye and Canada have expanded in recent years, particularly in defense and nuclear energy cooperation. Canada is home to an estimated 130,000 Turkish citizens, while direct air connectivity has increased following Turkish Airlines’ decision to raise its weekly flights to Canada from 12 to 21 earlier this year.

Fidan has maintained regular consultations with his Canadian counterpart. Most recently, Canadian Minister Anita Anand visited Türkiye on March 17, 2026.

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A Turkish court has ordered the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul’s Adalar district and several senior municipal officials as part of a corruption investigation alleging that municipal authorities solicited payments from institutions and individuals in exchange for permits and administrative approvals.

The investigation, conducted by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, centers on allegations that officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)-run Adalar Municipality demanded money in return for occupancy permits and other municipal procedures.

According to the Sabah newspaper report, municipal officials allegedly collected nearly TL 3 million ($65,000) from representatives of a Greek Orthodox foundation on Büyükada, despite the institution’s legal exemption from such fees.

Prosecutors allege that Deputy Mayor Hüseyin Yılmaz pressured foundation representative Vasil Poridis to make payments related to an occupancy permit, arguing that the municipality needed funds. Wiretap records included in the case file allegedly show discussions between Yılmaz and Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat regarding the collection of the payments.

The investigation claims that the payments were made in several installments. One intercepted conversation dated Jan. 26, 2026, allegedly references the receipt of TL 1.68 million in cash. Prosecutors say additional payments were later requested.

Authorities also allege that municipal officials monitored the permit process and linked its progress to the collection of funds. The prosecutor’s assessment states that an institution legally exempt from municipal fees was allegedly compelled to make payments under the guise of permit charges, providing financial benefit to senior municipal officials.

The case file further alleges that municipal authorities examined similar permit-related matters involving other religious institutions in the district, including the historic Halki Seminary on Heybeliada.

Last week, police detained 42 suspects, including Akpolat and Deputy Mayors Hüseyin Yılmaz and Fırat Durak. The operation targeted 90 locations across four provinces.

Following questioning, 39 suspects were referred to court while three were released. The court later ordered the arrest of 35 suspects, including Akpolat and the two deputy mayors. Four others were released under judicial supervision pending trial.

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