AK Party Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Yayman made a statement in the A Haber live broadcast regarding the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit hosted by Türkiye in Ankara on 7-8 July. Stating that the summit is not just an organization that brings leaders together, but also a strategic turning point where the future of NATO and the new world order are shaped, Yayman stated that this historical meeting is one of the strongest indicators of the “Turkey Century” vision in the world.

“THE STARTING MOMENT OF THE TURKISH CENTURY”

Drawing attention to the importance of the summit, Hüseyin Yayman said, “The NATO Summit was a historical summit. It was very meaningful as it was a summit where not only the leaders of NATO gathered, but also the future of the alliance was discussed and the world was looked at with a new strategic vision.” he said.

Referring to Türkiye’s position in global politics, Yayman said, “We were constantly talking about the Turkey Century. Our President stated that the 21st century would be the century of Türkiye and the Turks. In fact, the NATO Summit was one of the most important indicators of this. In a sense, it was a moment when the Türkiye Century was started.” he said.

FROM “SICK MAN” TO GLOBAL PLAYMAKER

Recalling Türkiye’s historical journey within NATO, Hüseyin Yayman said, “If we do not look at the issue from history, we cannot make sense of today’s situation. Turkey was once a country that was treated as a ‘sick man’ by the Westerners, was dependent on 30 cents, and was struggling with coups. Today, it has become the meeting point of not only NATO but also the world.” he said.

Yayman stated that an application was made for NATO membership during the reign of İsmet İnönü, but it was not accepted, and membership took place under the rule of Adnan Menderes. Today, Türkiye has become one of the most powerful countries in NATO. It continues to increase its specific gravity during the Cold War period. It plays the role of a key country.

Emphasizing Türkiye’s key role in the world, Yayman said, “Turkey is the common thread between the East and the West. Turkey is the mediator in the West’s internal disputes. Standing on the right side of history in the Russia-Ukraine War, Turkey has once again proven that it is the only address for the solution.” he said.

“ERDOĞAN IS THE FOCUS POINT OF WORLD LEADERS”

Referring to the diplomatic importance of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the summit, Yayman said, “Erdoğan was the leader that the leaders who attended the summit wanted to take photos with and meet the most. Because he is the most experienced statesman at this summit.” he said.

Drawing attention to Erdoğan’s leadership, Yayman said, “Our President is a leader who says what is right and real, not just statements that will please the leaders. The whole world once again saw the power, strategic vision and charisma of the global leader Erdoğan.” made his assessment.

HARD CRITICISM TO THE OPPOSITION’S ATTITUDE

Criticizing the attitude of some groups towards the successes at the summit, Hüseyin Yayman said, “The only thing I regret is the attitude of the opposition and some circles against this great power of Türkiye. We see the misery of the opposition. There are even those who are disturbed by the Mehter March. If you are disturbed by an anthem that the US President is happy about, you need to pull yourself together.” he said.

HÜSEYİN YAYMAN: THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE EVEN DISTURBED BY THE MEHTER MARCH

Stating that the summit is the common pride of Türkiye’s 86 million people, Yayman said, “This issue is not a personal issue, it is a national issue. Turkey is now a country that determines NATO’s agenda and is the most important part of the equation.” he said.

According to the statement made by the Iraqi Prime Ministry Press Office, relations and cooperation opportunities between the two countries were discussed at the meeting. Iraqi Prime Minister Zaydi pointed out that the two countries have cooperation and partnership opportunities in many fields and asked Türkiye to increase its investments in Iraq, especially in the agricultural sector. Zaidi stated that they are working to establish a Turkey-Iraq fund in order to develop the economic partnership of the two countries and to support and accelerate Türkiye’s investments in Iraq. Stating that Iraq is progressing towards an important development program, especially in the agriculture and livestock sectors, Zeydi stated that they have started to provide the necessary infrastructure and facilities to investors in these sectors. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Bayraktar stated that he was very pleased and happy to visit Iraq and emphasized that Türkiye attaches great importance to its relations with Iraq. Emphasizing the importance given by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the “Development Path Project”, Minister Bayraktar stated that the project will give economic impetus to the regional trade. Minister Bayraktar stated that Türkiye is ready to partner with Iraq in oil, natural gas, electricity and many other fields within the scope of the Development Path Project.

Speaking about the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit held in Ankara, hosted by Türkiye, Çitçi said, “It was an important summit both in terms of diplomacy and security measures. Heads of state and government from 41 countries attended. 56 thousand police and gendarmerie took part. Planning started months ago. We took Ankara to the center and declared the surrounding provinces as the first generation. Our cyber and counter-terrorism teams started working 1 month ago. “It reached its peak in 72 hours. All institutions of the state supported the process. Security measures were not exaggerated. 4 thousand 412 people wanted for various crimes were caught within the scope of the measures taken.”

88 PERCENT OF STREET ANIMALS WERE COLLECTED ACROSS Türkiye

Making a statement regarding the stray animals collected before the NATO summit, Minister Çiftçi said, “Before the NATO Summit, our Ankara Governorship announced that 52 thousand stray animals were taken from the streets. It had already been completed in 51 provinces. Ankara also completed it before the summit. There were those who said that those coming from NATO are more valuable, they come and go by car anyway. This has nothing to do with the NATO summit. 88 percent of the stray animals were collected in all of Türkiye. Our goal is to collect all of the animals by the end of the year. “We feed them and adopt them,” he said.

SINCE MAY 12, 2025, 219 MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION HAVE BEEN CONVINCED AND SURROUNDED

Making evaluations about the point reached in the fight against terrorism, Çiftçi stated that he gave the order to remove the road checkpoints that no longer need security, and said that the checkpoint whose duty has ended in Şemdinli has been removed and this has nothing to do with NATO. Stating that they, as the Ministry, are closely following the Terror-Free Turkey process, Çiftçi said, “We are talking about a 50-year shackle. With the success of the process, our country will move up another level. The terrorist organization laid down its arms on May 12, 2025. Since then, 219 members of the organization have been persuaded to surrender. Our work in the field continues with determination.” he said. Emphasizing that social and touristic activities have increased with the strengthening of the trust environment in the region, Çiftçi said, citing the events held on Cudi Mountain and the wrestling festival held in the Cilo Mountains in Hakkari as examples, and said, “Events that were once considered a dream can now be carried out thanks to the trust environment. As security increases, tourism and economic mobility in our region will also increase.” he said.

THOUSAND 272 OPERATIONS AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME ORGANIZATIONS

Stating that the fight against organized crime organizations is one of the priority topics, Çiftçi announced that 1,272 operations were carried out against 478 criminal organizations in the first six months of this year. Stating that the new generation criminal organizations use especially young people in the 15-18 age group, Çiftçi said, “They can hire people for a single action. We will continue our fight against these structures with determination. Our goal is to completely destroy most of them by the end of the year.” he said.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SUPPORTED “FULL MOON PROJECT”

Stating that a new era has begun in the fight against cybercrime, Çiftçi said that they define the cyberspace as “Cyber ​​Homeland”. Declaring that they will implement the artificial intelligence-supported “Full Moon Project” in order to prevent citizens from being victimized by online fraud, Çiftçi stated that the project will be put into operation in a short time.

1.5 MILLION SYRIANS RETURNED TO THEIR COUNTRY

Declaring that there are still 2 million 245 thousand Syrians in Türkiye, Çiftçi said that 1.5 million people returned to their country between 2016 and 2026. Stating that the number of those who returned after December 8 reached 710 thousand, Çiftçi stated that they expect voluntary returns to accelerate as life normalizes in Syria.

SOCIAL MEDIA WARNING TO GOVERNORS AND DISTRICT GOVERNORS

Making evaluations about the use of social media by local administrators, Çiftçi stated that the posts made by governors and district governors should be in line with the seriousness of the state and said, “We represent the state in the provinces. The posts made should be in line with the dignity of the state and the responsibility of a statesman.” he said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic at the Presidential Complex. At the reception, Erdoğan was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, AK Party Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik and Director of Communications Burhanettin Duran.

‘Türkiye-MONTENEGRO RELATIONS AND REGIONAL ISSUES WERE DISCUSSED’

In the statement made by the Directorate of Communications regarding the reception, “Our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, received the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajic, who was in Ankara for the NATO Leaders Summit, at the Presidential Complex. During the meeting, Turkey-Montenegro bilateral relations and regional issues were discussed. President Erdoğan stated that he believes that we will take the relations between the two countries further in every field, especially trade, investment, tourism, defense industry and security.” “Our President stated that he is pleased that the Balkan Peace Platform, established under the leadership of Türkiye, is a platform where many issues such as border security, energy and transportation are discussed in the Balkans, and that we expect the Platform to contribute to peace, tranquility and stability.”

AK Party Istanbul Youth Branch will hold the “A Youth March” program, which will be held for the second time this year, on Friday, July 10, on the anniversary of the reopening of the Hagia Sophia Mosque. The event will start at 21.00 in Beyazıt Square.

Making a statement before the program, AK Party Istanbul Youth Branch President Nevzat Yüce invited the youth of Istanbul and all citizens to the march.

Yüce stated that they will hold a meaningful walk from Beyazıt Square to the Hagia Sophia Mosque in order to commemorate the reopening of Hagia Sophia for worship together, and said, “To commemorate the reopening of Hagia Sophia for worship together, we will hold a meaningful walk from Beyazıt Square to Hagia Sophia on July 10, together with the youth of Istanbul and all Istanbulites.” he said.

Stating that the march, which was held for the first time last year, will be held with intense participation this year as well, Yüce said, “We will hold our ‘Conquest Generation Marches to Hagia Sophia’ march, which we held for the first time last year, with great enthusiasm and excitement this year. We invite all Istanbulites and especially our young brothers to this meaningful march.” he said.

Ministry of National Defense (MSB), Press and Public Relations Advisor and Ministry Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, spoke at the weekly press briefing held at Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters.

Aktürk said that the Ay Yıldız Headquarters, which was built to bring together the Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff and the Force Commands in the same campus, is not only a modern military campus, but also a strategic vision project that reflects the joint operational capability of the Turkish Armed Forces, its institutional integration and its ability to adapt to the changing security environment. Stating that the headquarters is a concrete indicator of Türkiye’s strong will in the field of defense with its advanced technological infrastructure, modern command and control facilities and sustainable structure, Aktürk said, “It is also one of the most important symbols of the proactive defense and security approach that plans our country’s operational needs from today.” he said.

Aktürk thanked everyone who contributed, especially the Mass Housing Administration of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, which carries out the ongoing construction of the Ay Yıldız Headquarters project.

Expressing that the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit held in Ankara was held within the framework of a 360-degree security approach, Aktürk said, “It was a historic meeting where the current threats faced by the Alliance were comprehensively discussed and strategic decisions to strengthen the common deterrence and defense capacity were evaluated.” he said.

Aktürk emphasized that while the summit reinforced the solidarity between the allies, it also made significant contributions to the development of a common vision for the changing security environment and the strengthening of the common approach to the security of the Euro-Atlantic region.

Referring to the Defense Industry Forum held within the scope of the summit and the Defense Ministers’ Reception hosted by the Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Aktürk said:

“It has been instrumental in developing joint production and technology cooperation in the defense industry among the Allies, strengthening the understanding of common security, and demonstrating once again on the international platform the high technological competence, strong production capacity and innovative vision that Türkiye has achieved in the domestic and national defense industry. Turkey, with its strong army, developing domestic and national defense industry, effective defense diplomacy and multidimensional foreign policy approach carried out under the leadership of our President, contributes to the solution of crises, keeps dialogue channels open, and ensures regional and global peace and stability.” “In line with this understanding, our country will continue to contribute to international peace, security and stability as a reliable and responsible ally contributing to NATO’s deterrence and defense stance.”

BILATERAL MEETINGS

Reminding that Minister Güler attended the Defense Industry Working Dinner organized by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye and the US Chamber of Commerce on July 6, within the scope of the NATO Leaders Summit, Aktürk said:

“To the meeting held by our esteemed President with the Secretary General of NATO at the Presidential Complex, to the ‘Allies in Ankara’ program organized on July 7 in cooperation with the Presidential Communications Directorate, Munich Security Conference (MSC) and the Foundation for Politics, Economics and Social Research (SETA), to the Defense Industry Forum and NATO Projects Promotion Ceremony held at the Ankara Chamber of Commerce Congress and Exhibition Center, esteemed esteemed “He attended the meeting held by our President with the President of the United States at the Presidential Complex, the reception held for guest defense ministers and high-level representatives of NATO at the Crescent and Star Joint Headquarters, and the Defense Ministers’ working dinner held at the Presidential Complex.”

Aktürk also said that Güler held bilateral and inter-delegation meetings with the Defense Ministers of various allied and partner countries within the framework of the summit.

REGIONAL AND GLOBAL SECURITY ISSUES WERE DISCUSSED

Stating that Güler exchanged views on the development of bilateral and military relations, cooperation opportunities in the field of defense and security, joint work in the field of defense industry, and regional and global security issues that stand out on the NATO agenda, Aktürk said:

“In this context, our Minister of Defense, who met with the Ministers of Defense of Japan, Latvia, New Zealand, Hungary and Canada, signed the Declaration of Intent on Defense Cooperation with his Canadian counterpart, and also received the CEO of BAE Systems. In addition, during his meeting with the Ministers of Defense of Romania and Bulgaria at the Presidential Complex, he explained the mission scope of the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group (MCM Black Sea) as a critical issue for three countries in the Black Sea. “On July 8, our Minister attended the summit sessions with our President and also attended our President’s meetings with the Presidents of France and Syria, and the Prime Ministers of Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.”

Aktürk stated that Güler will attend the “16th Term Joint Command and Staff Training” and “8th Term Command and Staff Training” graduation ceremonies to be held at the National Defense University tomorrow, with the participation of President Erdoğan.

FIGHT AGAINST TERROR

Aktürk emphasized that the Turkish Armed Forces continue their determined fight against all kinds of threats and dangers to Türkiye’s survival and security.

Providing information about the work carried out within the scope of the operation, search and screening and border security activities carried out to establish permanent security, Aktürk said, “In the last week, 4 more PKK terrorists surrendered, and the work to detect and destroy mines, handmade explosives, caves, shelters and shelters in the operation areas continued.” he said.

Aktürk also stated that the installation of a 240-meter-long floating bridge over the Euphrates River in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, was completed by the 2nd Army Engineer Brigade Command, and that the bridge will be put into service on July 10 after the control passes.

“TRAINING AND EXERCISE ACTIVITIES CONTINUE UNINTERRUPTED”

Aktürk reported that 316 people were captured regarding border security, including 1 member of a terrorist organization.

Stating that the number of people caught trying to cross the border illegally has been 5 thousand 615 since January 1, Aktürk said, “With the 995 people blocked, the number of people blocked this year has reached 41 thousand 129. 109 kilograms of drugs were seized during the search and scanning activity on the Van border line during the week.” he said.

Aktürk said that national and international training and exercise activities continue uninterruptedly in order to make the Turkish Armed Forces more effective, deterrent and ready in the land, sea, air, space and cyber domains.

In this context, reminding that the “Turkey-Azerbaijan-Egypt Triple Eagle Exercise”, which started in Konya on June 22, was completed successfully on July 3, Aktürk stated that they will participate in Breeze 2026, which will start in Bulgaria tomorrow, and Sea Breeze II exercises, which will be held in England between July 13-24.

Stating that TCG Oruçreis will make a port visit to Dublin, Ireland, on 18-22 July, at the end of the NATO Standing Naval Task Group-1 (SNMG-1) mission, Aktürk said, “It is planned that our Istanbul Shipyard Commander and Naval Air Commander will attend the welcome ceremony to be held in Romania on 10 July for CAm. August Roman, which was built at our Istanbul Shipyard Command and delivered to Romania on 20 June.” he said.

NEW WEAPON SYSTEMS IN THE INVENTORY

Aktürk emphasized that efforts to increase the opportunities and capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces with domestic and national defense industry products continue.

In this context, Aktürk stated that, by the Land Forces Command, various amounts of TB-3 UCAVs, 7.62 millimeter Infantry Rifles, weapon carrier vehicles and Electric Armored Personnel Carriers (E-ZPT) were completed and taken into the inventory.

“The acceptance activity of various amounts of SOM-B1T ammunition will be carried out by our Air Forces Command at ROKETSAN between 13-17 July. A contract was signed on 4 July for the export of the Air-Portable Light Towed Howitzer BORAN, developed by our Ministry’s Machinery and Chemical Industry Joint Stock Company with local and national resources, to Albania. With the projects implemented in the field of national software and technology, our Turkish Armed Forces will gain strength and “We already congratulate the 44th anniversary of HAVELSAN, which contributes to further increasing its effectiveness, and we wish success to all its employees who make valuable contributions to our country’s defense force.”

STUDENTS AND STAFF SUPPLY

Aktürk said that personnel and military student recruitment processes continue in accordance with the planned schedule.

In this context, Aktürk stated that the activities of the National Defense University “2026 Military Student Recruitment Selection Phase” will continue until August 7, and that the candidates who will participate in the selection phases can benefit from the dormitories determined by the Credit and Dormitories Institution between July 15 and August 31.

PAID MILITARY SERVICE WAS 472 THOUSAND 653 TL

Reminding that the “Financial and Social Rights” circular was published by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, Aktürk said, “Accordingly, the paid military service amount has been 472 thousand 653 liras and 60 kuruş for the second six months of 2026. Application procedures for paid military service have started as of July 7, 2026.” he said.

Aktürk also wished God’s mercy to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for their homeland and flag by standing tall against the FETO armed terrorist organization, which targeted the will of the nation and democracy, on the upcoming “15 July Democracy and National Unity Day”, and wished a healthy life to the veterans.

A statement was made regarding the questions of the press members after the weekly press briefing held by the Ministry at the Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters.

When asked about US President Donald Trump’s statements regarding CAATSA sanctions at the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, the Ministry said, “Turkey, as a strong and effective ally of NATO, continues to make significant contributions to the deterrence and common security of the Alliance. As we have stated before, our expectation is to remove all explicit or implicit restrictions on our defense industry through CAATSA sanctions that are incompatible with the spirit of alliance. In this context, the US “We welcome the statements made by the President, and we adopt an approach that favors strengthening mutual trust and solidarity with our allies rather than restrictions.” statement was made.

Members of the press also asked about Greek Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsotakis’ statements that he opposed Türkiye’s possibility of purchasing F-35s.

In response to the questions, the Ministry said, “Our country is in favor of preserving peace and stability in our region and addressing current issues within the framework of constructive dialogue and good neighborly relations. In this context, we express once again that avoiding discourses that may increase tension will contribute positively to bilateral relations, and we remind once again that the Turkish Armed Forces are not a threat to anyone who does not pose a threat to them.” The answer was given.