A neocon turned staunch supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, Lindsey Graham was known for his hawkish stance on relations with Türkiye, his country’s main ally in NATO. This stand changed at times, but the veteran U.S. senator who passed away on Saturday after a brief, sudden illness, according to a statement by his office, will be remembered for his rhetoric opposing Türkiye’s interests at every turn.

Some hardline Turkish media outlets reported his death as the demise of “an enemy of Turks,” while others were more restrained, though they reminded readers of Graham’s checkered past when it came to U.S. foreign policy on Türkiye.

Being on good terms with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (who described him as the greatest friend of Israel) could be sufficient for Türkiye to doubt his apparently softening stance toward the country in his last days. Netanyahu is among the most unloved figures in Türkiye nowadays due to his genocidal campaign against Palestinians. Still, Graham had multiple opportunities to meet Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during his four tenures in Washington, D.C. Indeed, his last overseas visit was to Ankara for the NATO summit, which also marked Trump’s inaugural presidential visit to the Turkish capital.

The South Carolina senator was an influential political figure, and at one point, Türkiye tried to change his mind about the country, especially after he championed sanctions against Ankara. In 2019, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan even had Graham seated next to him as they attended a classical music concert in Ankara in January 2019. The two men met again in 2022 when Erdoğan visited New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly. In his remarks to reporters on the sidelines of the NATO summit, where he accompanied Trump, Graham demonstrated that he had changed his mind regarding the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the country and said he hoped the Senate would approve it while he branded Türkiye as an important ally.

Before this apparent U-turn, Graham remained a steadfast opponent of Türkiye in Congress, particularly regarding Türkiye’s cross-border operations in neighboring Syria in the Assad era. Graham’s main concern was protecting “Kurds” in Syria, a definition he broadly used for the terrorist group YPG. When Türkiye launched operations against terrorists who threatened Turkish border towns with attacks, Graham stepped up his anti-Turkish rhetoric. Last January, Graham was also behind the Save the Kurds Act, which he introduced against what he called “attacks” on the YPG by the new Syrian administration. Graham also long stood for his opposition to Türkiye’s acquisition of S-400 air defense systems from Russia and repeatedly warned against the sale of U.S. weapons to Türkiye.

Graham threatened sanctions against Türkiye and, at one point, even called for Ankara’s suspension from NATO if it continues targeting the YPG and co-sponsored legislation for sanctions on Turkish officials.

When Türkiye turned to the acquisition of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia amid a lack of U.S. military support, Graham voiced opposition and in 2019, suggested the White House immediately implement sanctions if the S-400 deployment proceeds. His proposal evolved into the implementation of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and Türkiye’s removal from the multinational F-35 program. It took seven years to undo the damage this left on Türkiye, and even so, this was partial. U.S. President Donald Trump was enthusiastic about relations with Türkiye, as his remarks in Ankara before and after the NATO summit indicated, and pledged to work to reverse the sanctions, as well as to approve the sale of fighter jets. The progress is expected to also facilitate the sale of engines for Türkiye’s locally made Kaan fighter jet. All this happened before the very eyes of Graham at the heart of Ankara as the senator who long stood his ground against Türkiye appeared to finally relent to Trump’s decision to improve ties with Türkiye, which had deteriorated during his first tenure and the entire tenure of Joe Biden.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek emphasized that the death of its ringleader Fetullah Gülen was not an end for Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and the group was trying to cover up its tracks while attempting to revive, reinvent itself through front companies and social media groups while kept its financial network alive.

Gürlek spoke to the Sabah newspaper ahead of the 10th anniversary of July 15 coup attempt which was foiled at the cost of more than 250 civilian lives. Gürlek, who was appointed as justice minister in February, was a judge in Istanbul at the time of the coup attempt. During his pre-ministry career, Gürlek handled several FETÖ-related cases.

The minister told Sabah that the fight against FETÖ was not simply a criminal proceeding but a “Great Cleansing of the State,” referring to the terrorist group’s widespread infiltration into state agencies. FETÖ is accused of infiltrating its members into the judiciary, law enforcement, the army and other key institutions, something that facilitated its 2016 attempt. Before the 2016 coup attempt, authorities have been working on the expulsion of FETÖ-linked people working in the state institutions and managed to weed out hundreds. This process sped up after the coup attempt, which killed 252 people and injured 2,740 others.

Resistance against the coup was unprecedented in the history of modern Türkiye, which was stained with multiple coups. Gürlek defines it as one of the most glorious days for the Turkish nation. “People’s unity reflected the words of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: ‘I recognize no authority above the will of the nation,’” Gürlek says.

Unlike other terrorist groups, which often resort solely to terror attacks like bombings, FETÖ cultivated a sinister plot to take over the state over decades, skillfully having its infiltrators blending with ordinary people. Gürlek terms it as “next-generation espionage network that uses state’s power against state itself.” “They did not turn to arming themselves and openly declaring a fight against (Türkiye). Instead, they created a complex network benefiting from the state’s own power. We are talking about a network exploiting religious values, creating secret cells unaware of each other and having members leading double lives to hide their loyalty to the group,” he said.

Gürlek noted that up until July 15, 2016, the group did not disclose how it can turn into an armed force. “They are a network of professionals who posed as legitimate people. Coupled with their international network, it is safe to say that they are both a terrorist group and an espionage network,” he said.

The minister stated that the October 2024 death of FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen “definitely does not mean that the threat is gone.” “As our president earlier said, FETÖ is not simply a terrorist group devoted to its leader. It is the tentacles of a global (threat). Although our state dealt a major blow to this sinister network, it still seeks to keep itself alive with its fugitive members abroad. Currently, they are working to revive their networks and financial sources. Our assessment is that they are trying to establish new contacts, especially through commercial activities. They set up front companies, and they hide themselves among other social groups. Those abroad cooperate with anti-Turkish lobbies and carry out a campaign of disinformation online. ‘Crypto’ members of the group remain that way and are seeking to find secret financial resources,” he warned.

Gürlek also said that they would remain vigilant till “the full cleaning.” “We are committed to fight against FETÖ and we will not rest,” he said.

Gürlek pointed out that a total of 1,065 operations were carried out against FETÖ by security forces in the first six months of 2026 and 2,451 suspects were detained. He stated that since FETÖ was designed as a terror threat shortly after its first coup attempts in 2013, authorities launched criminal proceedings against 720,338 people and 636,934 among them were either convicted or acquitted. He noted that 127,102 suspects, among them were convicted of various crimes. He noted that investigations and trials were still underway for another 83,404 suspects in investigations focused on FETÖ.

Separately, Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate, announced on Sunday that they prevented access to 2,702 social media accounts linked to FETÖ in the past month. In a social media post, Duran said that the directorate was in coordination with relevant agencies for comprehensive digital surveillance and analysis against FETÖ.

“The digital domain is an integral part of our national security. Under no circumstances will terrorist groups be allowed to use social media and digital platforms for propaganda, recruitment, financing, disinformation, or psychological operations. We will continue to closely monitor the digital ecosystem in coordination with all relevant institutions, swiftly identify and take the necessary measures against any threats targeting our national security, and ensure that our citizens have access to accurate information to counter disinformation,” he said.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Ousted chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Özgür Özel rides a wave of popularity among opponents of former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was reinstated to the top post in May by a court verdict. Özel, who has been touring Türkiye since he was forced to step down, seeks to garner public support as his camp promotes his campaign as a march to power.

Over the weekend, Özel, now parliamentary group chair of CHP, hit out at the government while claiming that he may return to his post and signaling that he may “carve out a new path,” implying establishing a new party with his supporters.

Özel aims to drum up support for a general election earlier than the scheduled 2028 while sticking to legal procedures for his call for an extraordinary intraparty election at the CHP, confident he would be elected again. The Kılıçdaroğlu administration pledged to hold an election but not before autumn. The administration also fast-tracked expulsions of any figures in the party supporting Özel, from provincial chairs to lawmakers, though the process may take a long time due to appeals procedures. As the process drags on, the Özel supporters express frustration and often flood social media with messages for the foundation of a new party. The Özel camp initially sought to join an existing party before abandoning these plans and it is still unclear what their next step will be, with Özel saying nothing openly about plans, despite the possibility that the general elections may be rescheduled to late 2027. A new party may be a risky gambit for Özel as Kılıçdaroğlu still retains a semblance of support among die-hard CHP voters. Political pundits say it may further fracture already divided opposition, which failed to beat Erdoğan even when they created a six-party bloc in 2023 under the leadership of presidential candidate Kılıçdaroğlu.

He was in a village in central Türkiye’s Niğde on Sunday before he traveled downtown and addressed a crowd after climbing up a park bench. Özel told the crowd that he was the only CHP chair to beat President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, citing his party’s gains in the 2024 municipal elections against Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party). “Let us compete again and we will beat you,” he told his supporters. CHP currently touts former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu as its presidential candidate but Imamoğlu remains jailed on a spate of charges, from corruption to holding a fake diploma, while the Kılıçdaroğlu camp has not declared its support for his future candidacy. Although he does not have a party where he or other lawmakers are eligible to run for the presidency, Özel said he was “ahead of the opinion polls.”

At Saturday’s rally in the southern city of Adana, Özel said he would not “rush” his next move but neither would he be “late.” “We don’t have party offices or resources now, but we are here with thousands, unlike those who cannot leave their offices,” Özel told his supporters in a thinly veiled criticism against Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who rarely attended any public events except funerals since he took office and shunned addressing the party at its weekly parliamentary group meetings.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Türkiye’s ambition to join the European Union is often disrupted by disagreements on several issues, and major powers of the bloc usually seek to look past them. But Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration have remained steady hurdles in Ankara’s rapprochement with the EU. This was evident again when the European Parliament approved a resolution squarely targeting Türkiye over what it called crimes carried out by Türkiye’s Peace Operation in 1974.

The Greek Cypriot administration concluded its term at the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union earlier this month. However, the repercussion of the presidency was felt once again this week after a report, prepared by a member of the European Parliament from Greece’s ruling party, was overwhelmingly adopted by the EU body. The report focuses on what it calls sexual violence targeting Greek Cypriot women during the 1974 Turkish operation on divided Cyprus. It calls for recognition of those crimes, but more importantly, it urges the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island and implies that it was an obstacle to “reunification” of the island.

The six-month term, which wrapped up on June 30, 2026, was marked by intense diplomatic broadsides, regional energy maneuvers and a complete freeze on high-level political integration. While the presidency has now transitioned to Ireland, the fallout underscores how central the divided island remains to any potential EU-Türkiye strategic reset.

Türkiye was quick to condemn the resolution and branded it as “null and void.” The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the resolution contained “baseless and preposterous allegations” against the Turkish army. The ministry also highlighted that the EU “adopted a one-sided stance on Cyprus,” which departed from “historical realities and impartiality.”

Ankara often complains that the EU is held hostage by the narrative of Greek Cypriots and Greece, which is among the guarantor states in Cyprus. The staunch opposition of Greece and Greek Cypriots to Türkiye’s efforts to integrate itself with the European Union often overlaps with their aim to damage Türkiye’s geopolitical interests. Before and after it took over the rotating presidency, the Greek Cypriot administration made it known that it would remain combative against Türkiye’s rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, for instance. It pushed regional energy and defense projects despite concerns of Ankara that its maritime rights and national security are being put at risk.

One such move was a framework agreement signed between the Greek Cypriot administration and Egypt earlier this year for transporting natural gas from offshore fields to Egypt. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Türkiye view it as a violation of the equal rights of Turkish Cypriots in the region where the fields are located.

On the security front, Greek Cypriots and Greece reinforced their partnership with Israel, an arch-foe of Türkiye, while signing a Status of Forces Agreement with France for the potential deployment of French troops on the island in the future.

Although Turkish-EU relations were lukewarm at best during the Greek Cypriot presidency, the diplomacy remained at work. The recent NATO summit in Ankara was also an opportunity for Ankara to review its relations with the EU. Erdoğan met European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the margins of the summit. Erdoğan’s statements following the meeting that highlighted cooperation with the bloc demonstrate that Türkiye is still committed to alignment with the EU. Cyprus, however, loomed large at the same meeting, with Costa urging Türkiye to seize “renewed momentum” on talks about the divided island.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to attend at least two events before and on July 15, 2026, on the 10th anniversary of the coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

On July 15, Erdoğan, who rallied the nation to resist the putschists 10 years ago, will visit Parliament for an event. Parliament lived up to its honorary “Ghazi” title (given due to its coordination of the War of Independence in its first days) by demonstrating unity against the putschists 10 years ago despite repeated airstrikes that partially destroyed its building. “Ghazi” means “war veteran” in Turkish. The lawmakers across the political spectrum are expected to revive this spirit with “National Will Watch” on Wednesday, where they will make speeches on the preservation of democracy against military intervention. July 15 was officially designated as the Day of Democracy and National Unity after the 2016 attempt.

Parliament’s mosque will host prayers in memory of those killed during the resistance against the coup attempt, and a commemoration ceremony will be held at a monument erected outside Parliament to honor the resistance. Parliament will also host three exhibitions on the occasion.

Erdoğan and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş are scheduled to address a memorial event at Parliament.

Elsewhere, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will hold a symposium on the legal and political ramifications of the coup attempt. Erdoğan will make a keynote speech at the symposium. AK Party Deputy Chair Hayati Yazıcı, in charge of the party’s political and legal affairs, will also make a speech at the symposium. A photo exhibition will accompany the symposium.

FETÖ used its military infiltrators to carry out a coup to oust Erdoğan and install a puppet regime in 2016. FETÖ’s conspiracy to plant infiltrators in every rank in the army would almost pay off, but an unexpected public resistance by thousands willing to sacrifice their lives to confront the putschists thwarted the attempt.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tobias Ellwood, a former member of the U.K. Parliament and former minister for defense veterans, reserves and personnel, said Friday that Türkiye’s hosting of the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara underscored the country’s growing strategic importance within the alliance, while highlighting its expanding defense capabilities and influence in trans-Atlantic security.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) after attending the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara, Ellwood congratulated Türkiye on hosting what he described as a successful gathering of allied leaders.

“I think it demonstrated Türkiye’s rising status and showed people what a capable and welcoming country it is,” Ellwood noted.

The former British minister, who also served as minister for the Middle East and Africa at the Foreign Office, said the alliance is facing fundamental questions about its future as emerging threats reshape the security landscape.

“NATO was originally designed to deter conventional military aggression by another state,” Ellwood said. “Today, however, questions arise over how cyberattacks would trigger Article 5, how attacks in space would affect the alliance, and how allies should cooperate in these new domains.”

He said technological developments and the evolution of warfare are challenging NATO’s traditional principles and deterrence posture, making adaptation increasingly important.

“The evolution of warfare is testing NATO, its founding principles and how the alliance functions as a deterrent force,” he said.

Ellwood described Türkiye as a key member of the alliance, noting that it has traditionally been viewed as NATO’s southern flank but is expected to play a broader role as the alliance adjusts to changing geopolitical realities.

“I think Türkiye has an important role to play, but that is part of a broader discussion about NATO’s future,” he said.

Ellwood also pointed to the relationship between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump, describing it as noteworthy and potentially significant for alliance diplomacy.

“I think Erdoğan can quietly influence Trump because Trump respects him,” Ellwood said, adding that the relationship between the two leaders could prove valuable at a time when Trump has at times unsettled allies with his rhetoric and policy positions.

Turning to defense cooperation, Ellwood welcomed Türkiye’s advances in its domestic defense industry, particularly in drone technology, which was highlighted during the Defense Industry Forum held alongside the NATO summit.

“Türkiye should be congratulated. You have made tremendous progress,” he said.

He added that the next major challenge will be ensuring that Turkish-made defense systems are increasingly interoperable with those of other NATO allies, allowing them to operate more effectively within the alliance’s integrated defense architecture.

The NATO summit in Ankara brought together allied leaders to discuss collective defense, deterrence, defense spending and emerging security threats, while also showcasing Türkiye’s growing role in NATO’s military and defense-industrial agenda.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.