Politics
Türkiye remembers victims of 1993 massacre by PKK
As Türkiye seeks to end PKK terrorism once and for all, memories of a vicious massacre committed by the terrorist group 33 years ago remain fresh.
On Sunday, families of victims, local officials and representatives of political parties convened in the Başbağlar village of the Erzincan province on the anniversary of the incident where 33 civilians were killed by PKK.
The massacre was allegedly an act of retaliation by the PKK over the July 2, 1993, deaths of people in a riot in nearby Sivas. The mob arson targeting Madımak Hotel, where several intellectuals and members of the Alevi community gathered for an event, was one of the darkest episodes of the decade marked by shady murders and PKK attacks.
“It is appropriate not to separate Başbağlar and Madımak and deem it as one pain of the nation,” Mustafa Şen, deputy chair of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), said at the commemoration ceremony in the village. The AK Party and its ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), oversee the “terror-free Türkiye” initiative nowadays. The initiative aims for the dissolution of the PKK. The PKK announced it would join the initiative and declared its dissolution last year. Parliament is expected to implement new laws offering leniency in sentencing of PKK members once the full disarmament is confirmed.
On Sunday, mourners visited a monument for victims and laid flowers as a large crowd waving Turkish flags watched. A minute of silence was observed for victims before the participants recited prayers. Officials then read out messages of condolences by politicians and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Speaking at the ceremony, Erzincan Governor Hamza Aydoğdu said that the massacre was etched into the memory of the nation. Aydoğdu said the seeds of strife were sown years ago. “On July 5, 1993, Türkiye witnessed something beyond description. Thirty-three people were lost and they left behind unfinished prayers, incomplete dreams, quiet houses and sad orphans behind. Yet, those left behind stood strong,” he said.
Şen cited the terror-free Türkiye initiative in a speech at the ceremony and said they were willing to do everything to ensure that terrorism would never come back. “It has not been easy. What we are supposed to do is not to discriminate between the suffering of people, not to politicize the incidents and not to have political efforts feeding upon terrorism,” he said. Veli Ağbaba, a lawmaker for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said Başbağlar was the “common pain” of the country. “Those who died in Madımak and Başbağlar were our brothers and sisters. Their murderers are no different than each other. Those massacres aimed to divide people but the nation did not allow it to happen,” he hailed.
Ali Akpınar, mukhtar of the village, said their suffering still continued but they convened at the ceremony not to vent out rage but to highlight the truth, to “keep the revered memory of our martyrs, to continue our pursuit of justice.”
The victims of the Başbağlar massacre were shot execution-style by a group of terrorists who stormed the village on July 5, 1993, three days after the Madımak riot killed 37 people in the central city of Sivas. Villagers would later testify that the assailants told them at the time that it was in retaliation for the Sivas massacre.
Today, it is viewed as a plot by the “deep state” to pit Sunnis against Alevis. Başbağlar was a Sunni-majority village.
Both attacks were proceeded by the slaughter of 33 unarmed conscripts in the eastern city of Bingöl by the PKK on May 24, 1993, just a few months after the death of Eşref Bitlis, a gendarmerie general who was killed in a suspicious helicopter crash.
Once at the heart of a debate on the rights of minorities, Halki seminary in Istanbul’s Heybeliada may soon welcome new students.
Hopes are growing that the long-closed seminary on the island off Türkiye’s most populated city could reopen soon, with formulas for its new status under discussion, Bishop Aravissu Kassianos Nikolar told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The seminary opened in the mid-19th century and was the main theological school for the Eastern Orthodox Church until it was closed under a Turkish law in 1971. The school has remained closed for decades despite efforts by the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, whose patriarch counts millions across the world as followers.
The seminary made headlines in September when US President Donald Trump raised the issue with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, raising hopes the deadlock could soon be broken. “At this stage, we are making quite good progress overall. Things are positive at the moment, 100% positive,” the bishop told AFP in a rare interview just days before Trump was to fly in on his first official visit to attend the July 7-8 NATO summit.
The seminary has symbolic significance for the world’s Orthodox community.
Perched on a hill, the historic seminary was shrouded in scaffolding, the sprawling complex undergoing extensive renovation ahead of its eventual reopening. As well as the seminary, the site incorporates a monastery and a high school, although it too has long sat empty. Inside, an AFP team saw the renovation work in full swing ahead of what the patriarch has said would be a September deadline for it to be completed.
In one classroom, rows of new chairs faced an electronic display as a portrait of modern Türkiye’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, gazed down from the wall, a mirror image of classrooms across the country.
What brought about its closure was a 1971 court ruling that all private educational institutions must come under state control, a decision rejected by the patriarchate as it wanted to preserve the seminary’s independence. But after years of closure, the patriarchate has agreed to accept a formula that would let the seminary reopen, operating under Turkish oversight.
Renewed interest in the site was sparked in 2024 when Education Minister Yusuf Tekin visited and spoke of the importance of preserving the building’s original character in any renovation. He also conveyed a message from Erdoğan that a solution had to be found to reopen the institution.
“That kicked off negotiations with Ankara,” Nikolar said, with plans for its reopening gaining real momentum after last September’s White House talks.
The initial proposal was to reopen the seminary as a university operating under Türkiye’s Higher Education Board (YÖK).
That later evolved into the idea of establishing an institute offering postgraduate theological training over a two-year period that would be affiliated with a Turkish university, and a quota of 60-70 students. The latest talks in Ankara last month were attended by Erdoğan and Patriarch Bartholomew, said Nikolar who was also present.
Nikolar told AFP there was “no set time” for the reopening, but said Erdoğan had urged all parties to finalize the matter swiftly, saying: “Don’t lose too much time.” As for Trump’s involvement, the bishop said he was someone who held Patriarch Bartholomew “in high regard.”
Not only did the seminary have a history of educating distinguished clergy, but it also reached out to other faiths, he said. “We should not look at it solely from the perspective of Christianity, it also achieved major success in interfaith dialogue. The school’s mission was to educate broad-minded students, not people with a narrow outlook on the world,” Nikolar said.
“That is why this school is valuable to Trump, and our president is also aware of its importance. The fact that such a valuable institution has remained closed and been unable to train clergy is a major loss.” Even though it is still closed, there’s already a high demand to study at the seminary, he said. “It’s a valuable institution. This school has never been forgotten.”
After trying maritime routes, a group of activists from Türkiye now aims to travel by land to demonstrate their solidarity with Palestinians oppressed by Israel.
The “Palestine Convoy” will start its journey from France on July 26 and proceed to the first stopover, Bosnia-Herzegovina, before reaching Türkiye. The activists aim to enter Palestine via Jordan.
The Palestine Convoy Turkish Delegation held a news conference in Istanbul on Sunday to reveal details of the journey, in the spirit of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought both to bring aid to Gazans and demonstrate international solidarity with them in the face of Israel’s genocidal actions in the Palestinian enclave.
The delegation’s coordinator, Hüseyin Durmaz, said they would never stop in their efforts to reach Palestine and Gaza. Durmaz, a Global Sumud Flotilla activist, said the humanity has witnessed “a livestream massacre” in Gaza and this led to outrage among “people of conscience.”
“This outrage translated into unprecedented global action. Demonstrations grew into a global wave of resistance shaped by the elderly who prayed for the oppressed, scholars who worked night and day to tell the people about the oppression, civic society organizations rallying people and those doing their best to show solidarity,” he said.
Durmaz said Israel attempted to portray the situation in Gaza fine although it continued blocking aid to Gaza. “The occupation regime launched a war on perception on the social media, investing millions to make people forget what transpired in Gaza during this dirty war, to create a perception that nothing happened and to censor social media posts about Palestine. We reinforced our digital activism to keep memories of what happened in Gaza alive, to keep righteous cause of people of Palestine under the spotlight,” he said.
Davut Daşkıran, civic society relations coordinator of the delegation, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that this land route was not attempted before. “It will stop by Bosnia-Herzegovina first and we will hold an event there. Then, we will travel to Istanbul. From Istanbul, we will travel to Bursa, Ankara, Konya, Adana, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Mardin and Şırnak. In each city, the events will be held and the convoy will be promoted to ensure more participation,” he said. Daşkıran said they would later travel to Iraq and from there, to Jordan, to enter Palestine. “This will be a new experience for us and we are excited. We expect a high turnout. We are still interviewing with people wanting to join us,” he stated.
“Each effort represents hope for Palestinians. Even if we fail to reach our last destination, we show the world that people should not remain silent. We show everyone that there are still people standing with the oppressed,” he said.
At a restaurant in the Turkish capital Ankara, the Presidency’s Communications Directorate hosted international journalists who will cover this week’s NATO summit. The event was part of Türkiye’s gastrodiplomacy efforts expanded in recent years. Burhanettin Duran, head of the directorate, explained the nation’s strategic use of its culinary heritage to foster global understanding ahead of the July 7-8 NATO summit.
“Sometimes, a shared meal on a table can say what pages of documents cannot,” Duran said at the dinner. He emphasized that the personal nature of sharing food often facilitates deeper mutual understanding than formal diplomacy. Duran detailed the program titled “Türkiye’s Gastrodiplomacy Model: The Heritage Table,” characterizing cuisine as one of the “most direct, most sincere, and most enduring expressions of soft power.”
Duran elaborated on the cultural philosophy of the Turkish dining table, describing it as a circle where everyone sits at an equal distance, free from hierarchy. He highlighted the local expression “the bond of shared bread and salt” to illustrate the deep connection formed between those who eat together. “A cup of coffee is remembered for 40 years,” Duran remarked, citing a traditional proverb to underscore how simple hospitality can create lifelong friendships. He noted that Gaziantep, Hatay, and Afyonkarahisar are recognized members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy, reflecting the richness of the country’s heritage.
Duran credited the leadership of first lady Emine Erdoğan for enhancing the international visibility of the nation’s food through initiatives such as the Turkish Cuisine Week. He explained that Turkish cuisine is presented alongside universal values, including sustainability, “zero waste,” and the protection of local production.
International journalists covering the NATO summit praised Türkiye’s gastrodiplomacy while highlighting the nation’s pivotal role in regional security and alliance cohesion. Iris Tao from American media said she was impressed by Duran’s emphasis on the power of food to unite different cultures and the idea that sharing a meal is more powerful than diplomatic documents. The journalist, who said it was her first time in Türkiye, described the food as “very tasty.” Camelia Dontu from Romanian media highlighted the beauty of Türkiye and noted that its hospitality could be inspiring for the rest. Dontu said the Russia-Ukraine war is taking place near her country, and that she considers the summit important in this context and in terms of defense discussions. Peter Ernstved Rasmussen from Danish media said he had been to Türkiye before and found Turkish food “fantastic.” He characterized Türkiye as “the bridge to the East,” emphasizing the necessity to “maintain the good relationship between East and West.” Rasmussen said a key priority for the summit is to ensure the U.S. “will confirm its commitment to the alliance.” Daniel Tkiie from Ukrainian media said the message of “sharing bread” helps “improve relations” between societies. He said he was a fan of Turkish food, and described the event as wonderful. He expressed hope for “strong unity” regarding support for Kyiv, and highlighted Türkiye’s “unique position” to serve as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia.
Ankara has repeatedly expressed frustration over the rejection of extradition requests involving members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), while renewed efforts by Turkish authorities aim to break this trend.
Türkiye stepped up its fight against the group after its infiltrators orchestrated the foiled coup of July 15, 2016, in the country. Although the West praised Türkiye’s stand for democracy, it failed the test of friendship by refusing requests for the extradition of FETÖ members who fled the country before and after the coup attempt.
Despite concrete evidence and accusations, many countries, including the United States, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom, turn down requests, listing a number of excuses.
High-ranking members of FETÖ, in particular, are spared by other countries. European countries, for instance, turn to the excuse that they might be given long prison terms if extradited.
Among those Türkiye wanted was Suat Yıldırım, a top member of FETÖ who was believed to be in Germany. Germany initially rejected that Yıldırım was in the country and then German authorities stated that he would not be legally eligible for extradition due to the possibility of Yıldırım’s sentencing to aggravated life imprisonment in Türkiye.
FETÖ fugitives benefit from the lack of mutual extradition treaties. Türkiye seeks to close this legal loophole, especially with Canada, which has turned down extradition requests for a number of fugitives for this reason, including Tuncay Delibaşı, the private physician of FETÖ’s now-deceased leader, Fetullah Gülen; Abdullah Sabri Tok; and Cansun Sarıyıldız.
In other cases, FETÖ members enjoy instant citizenship or benefit from citizenship they acquired before Türkiye launched criminal investigations against them. Among them is Abdullah Aymaz, a name in the upper echelons of FETÖ who served as “imam” or leader for the branches of the terrorist group in the United States and Germany. German authorities flatly denied the extradition request for Aymaz due to his German citizenship. When Türkiye pressed German authorities, Aymaz left for the United States.
Some requests have been rejected because the alleged offenses do not meet the principle of “dual criminality,” which generally requires that the conduct in question be considered a crime in both countries. This was the case for Turgut Karabulut, who led FETÖ networks in northern Iraq and the Middle East. The United States cited dual criminality when refusing his extradition.
Spain rejected the extradition of Ayhan Erik, who assisted FETÖ members in Spain, citing that his actions did not constitute a crime in the country.
Some governments have relied on legal technicalities or have not responded to requests for extended periods. One such case involved Suat Yiğit, who led a secret network of FETÖ in Ankara involved in defense industry espionage. Although Türkiye delivered more and more evidence regarding Yiğit’s role in FETÖ, his extradition request was rejected by the United States.
According to the Justice Ministry, Turkish judicial authorities have so far prepared 2,950 extradition requests involving 2,765 suspects and submitted them to 119 countries.
The largest number of requests was sent to Germany, the United States and Belgium. Authorities submitted 777 extradition files to Germany, 428 to the United States and 142 to Belgium.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met in Istanbul on Saturday for wide-ranging talks aimed at strengthening what both sides describe as a long-standing strategic partnership built on political alignment, defense cooperation, and shared regional interests.
Sharif was welcomed with an official ceremony at Vahdettin Palace in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district before the two leaders moved into a closed-door bilateral session lasting about an hour. The meeting set the tone for a broader round of engagement involving senior officials from both governments.
The discussions covered trade expansion, defense industry cooperation, energy security, infrastructure investment, and digital connectivity. Both sides also reviewed regional developments, with attention on Middle East tensions, Afghanistan, counter-terrorism coordination, and broader stability concerns across neighboring regions.
The talks brought together a senior Turkish delegation, underscoring the institutional depth of the engagement.
Participants included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Intelligence Organization chief İbrahim Kalın, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and presidential adviser Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
Their presence reflected the mix of diplomatic, security, and communications priorities shaping the agenda.
Following the bilateral meeting, Erdoğan and Sharif continued discussions at a delegation-level working lunch, where ministers and senior advisers from both countries reviewed specific areas for follow-up. These included investment frameworks, defense industrial cooperation, and mechanisms to increase trade volume.
Economic ties remain a central challenge and opportunity. Bilateral trade, currently estimated at roughly $1.2 billion to $1.35 billion, continues to fall short of long-term targets set at $5 billion. Both governments have repeatedly signaled interest in expanding Turkish investment in Pakistan, particularly in energy, agriculture, transport infrastructure, and emerging technology sectors such as digital services and telecommunications.
Defense cooperation continues to be the strongest pillar of the relationship. Türkiye has emerged as a key supplier of military systems to Pakistan, including unmanned aerial systems, naval assets, and modernization support for existing platforms. Joint training programs and intelligence-sharing arrangements have expanded in parallel, with both sides exploring deeper industrial cooperation, co-production models, and joint research initiatives.
Diplomatically, the meeting reflects continuity in high-level engagement between Ankara and Islamabad, including recent encounters at multilateral forums such as the Antalya Diplomacy Forum earlier in 2026. Both countries frequently coordinate positions on international issues in multilateral organizations, reinforcing their alignment on select geopolitical priorities.
The Istanbul talks also come amid broader efforts to institutionalize cooperation through mechanisms such as the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which has previously produced agreements spanning defense, health, education, and trade.
Erdoğan and Sharif are expected to hold a joint news conference following the talks, where they will outline concrete outcomes and signal whether new agreements or memoranda of understanding have been reached.
Five defendants, including former NAKSAN Holding shareholder Taner Nakıboğlu, appeared in court for the first time Thursday after being arrested in a sweeping investigation into the alleged current structure of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
The case stems from a May 6 operation centered in Gaziantep that spanned 47 provinces. Prosecutors allege the suspects were members of FETÖ and financed the group through front companies as part of efforts to rebuild its network. Authorities detained 222 suspects following a six-month surveillance operation.
During the hearing at Gaziantep’s 2nd High Criminal Court, several defendants denied the charges, while one sought to benefit from Türkiye’s effective remorse provisions.
Defendant Uğur Önder acknowledged his previous ties to the group but said he regretted his involvement. He admitted collecting and delivering cash left at predetermined locations, including mailboxes, apartment entrances and water meters, but said he never discussed FETÖ during online lessons he gave to students.
“I was a member of this organization in the past, but I regret it,” Önder told the court, adding that he had used the code name “Yusuf” and was paid $50 per student for mathematics and geometry lessons.
Egyptian national Muhammed Ahmet Ramadan also requested to benefit from the effective remorse law, saying he believed he was simply teaching Arabic and English online to earn money and was unaware of any alleged organizational links until his detention.
Nakıboğlu denied all allegations, telling the court he had no connection to FETÖ, never attended its meetings or transferred money to the group. He said he avoided any illegal activity after previously serving 72 months in prison and requested his acquittal.
Another defendant, Orhan K., rejected accusations that he financed the organization through his companies, saying all financial transactions could be explained and that his business had no links to the group.
The prosecutor requested that all detained defendants remain in custody while deficiencies in the investigation file are addressed.
The court ordered additional evidence to be collected, witnesses to be heard and technical reports completed. It ruled that Nakıboğlu, Önder, Ramadan and Mehmet Daylak remain in custody, while ordering the release of Orhan K. Pending defendants’ trial. The hearing was adjourned to a later date.
FETÖ is the terrorist group behind the deadly coup attempt in Türkiye on July 15, 2016, when it tried to overthrow the government but failed, killing civilians and security personnel during its campaign that day and the following night.
Following the failed coup attempt, Turkish authorities launched a massive crackdown on the group, arresting thousands of its members embedded across various sectors, including state institutions and the military.
Türkiye’s fight against the group continues, as authorities say not all of its members have been fully uncovered, while some senior figures managed to flee the country and find shelter in several Western countries, including particularly the U.S.
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