Politics
Greek PM set to ‘hear’ Erdoğan with island visit amid tensions
Kastellorizo, or Megisti, known as Meis in Turkish, a Greek island about 1 nautical mile off the Turkish coast, will allow Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to observe Türkiye with the naked eye and test the waters for room to improve relations with Türkiye and the potential for tensions in the Aegean Sea.
The two countries have been at odds over Aegean rights in recent months, with tensions escalating over Türkiye’s declaration of marine parks, including one near Kaş opposite Kastellorizo, and Mitsotakis’ warning that Greece may consider expanding its territorial waters in a move that could challenge Türkiye’s maritime borders.
“I think they’d hear us from Greece if we shout from Kaş,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told journalists earlier this month when asked how Türkiye would respond to Greece’s arming of the Aegean islands. At the time, it was unclear whether Mitsotakis would attend events marking the island’s liberation from Italian occupation in 1943 during World War II.
Although Türkiye and Greece are pursuing rapprochement after decades of hostilities, Greece’s expanding alliances, particularly with Türkiye’s rivals, and threatening rhetoric by Greek politicians have the potential to undermine efforts to improve ties. In parallel with Türkiye’s strengthening of its defense systems and establishment of new alliances, such as the Mecca pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Greece seeks to gain the upper hand. This was the case with a major defense deal signed with Türkiye’s archrival Israel last month. Mitsotakis, meanwhile, is conducting diplomacy with both rivals and friends of Türkiye. He has stepped up diplomatic contacts with Egypt and France and is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in October. He was in Egypt this week, where he held talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi alongside Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides.
The Aegean Sea is at the heart of the rivalry between Ankara and Athens. Türkiye opposes any Greek military deployment on the eastern Aegean islands, arguing that they should remain demilitarized under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty. Greece, however, cites a “threat” from Türkiye and says it has the right under international law to defend its sovereignty. The two countries have recently been at odds over the declaration of marine parks intended to preserve marine biodiversity, with both accusing each other of attempting to violate their maritime borders.
“Greece should know that Türkiye has no intention of grabbing the territory of any other country, but Türkiye also has no intention of allowing anyone to violate its rights. Ignoring international treaties will not benefit anyone. Anyone who interprets Türkiye’s level-headed approach based on common sense as weakness is making a grave mistake. Greece should reverse course and stop arming demilitarized islands. History is a good guide for those who can learn from the past,” Erdoğan said in a recent interview, reminding Greece of the troubled past between the two countries.
On Wednesday, Türkiye marked the anniversary of the final push against Greek invaders more than a century ago during the Great Offensive, which ended with Greek soldiers withdrawing to vessels in the Aegean from Izmir, north of Kaş.
Özgür Özel, chairperson of the New Party (YP), which he founded after parting ways with the Republican People’s Party (CHP), lashed out at Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the incumbent chair of his former party. In an interview with broadcaster Koza TV on Tuesday, Özel, who was photographed warmly shaking hands with Kılıçdaroğlu at an event on Sept. 2, put away pleasantries as he talked about the latter at length.
Özel dismissed Kılıçdaroğlu’s earlier remarks about a potential future alliance and said the YP would not ally with “an illegitimate administration.”
In an interview on Tuesday, Kılıçdaroğlu had said that his party may ally with the YP in the next election. The veteran politician, who was branded a “traitor” by YP supporters after he was reinstated to his post by a court ruling, told Euronews that they were open to supporting the YP’s presidential candidate, former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, if he is eligible to run in the next election.
“Twenty-four hours is a very long time in politics,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, quoting former President Süleyman Demirel. “Political relations should be based on the country’s interests. Politics have no room for hostility,” he said regarding the possibility of an alliance with the YP, whose members fiercely resisted Kılıçdaroğlu’s return to the CHP chair.
“We stand with the opposition, but only with legitimate ones,” Özel was quoted as saying Wednesday. He branded the Kılıçdaroğlu administration an “appointed apparatus of the government.” Özel lost his post last May when a court ruled to annul his chairpersonship in connection with a criminal case in which Özel’s associates are accused of bribing delegates to vote for him against Kılıçdaroğlu. Özel, who resisted the evacuation of CHP headquarters after Kılıçdaroğlu was reinstated three years after his defeat in the intra-party election, has portrayed the verdict as politically motivated. Although he stopped short of doing so, Özel’s supporters in the CHP have openly branded Kılıçdaroğlu a “traitor” for accepting the reinstatement.
Özel said he was open to supporting other opposition parties but underlined that they were all “legitimate actors.”
“If I accept (Kılıçdaroğlu’s alliance proposal), it will give an air of legitimacy to (the current CHP administration),” he said.
He said his handshake with Kılıçdaroğlu was spontaneous and that Kılıçdaroğlu rose from his seat when he saw him and extended his hand in a way he could not refuse. He claimed that the CHP administration under Kılıçdaroğlu had made several proposals to him before May’s court verdict.
“They offered me the post of parliamentary group chair until the next intra-party election. I refused because people would think that we were involved in a plot that would play into the hands of the government,” he said. “I won’t take even one step with a butlan administration,” Özel said, using the Turkish word for absolute nullification.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesman Ömer Çelik called Thursday for an immediate end to the Russia-Ukraine war and a return to negotiations in Istanbul, warning that the conflict has become a grinding war of attrition with mounting risks for the Black Sea region.
Speaking at a news conference, Çelik said neither side had achieved a development capable of fundamentally changing the course of the war, while both Russia and Ukraine continued to inflict heavy losses on each other through tactical gains.
“War is bad in every respect,” Çelik said, pointing first to the loss of human life and warning of the possibility that the conflict could spread across a wider region. He also cited debates within NATO and the European Union over the war and concerns about the potential use of increasingly advanced weapons.
Çelik particularly condemned attacks on Turkish-operated civilian vessels in the Black Sea, saying eight had been targeted by Russia and 35 by Ukraine since the conflict began. Türkiye continues to convey its warnings and closely monitor the situation at the highest level, he added.
“This cycle must end as soon as possible, and a table must be set up in Istanbul so that a conclusion can finally be reached,” Çelik said.
Turning to Türkiye’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, Çelik said authorities were continuing their work on disarmament and maintaining intensive contacts with Iraqi counterparts. He stressed that developments inside Türkiye and across the wider region were closely interconnected, making cooperation with neighboring governments essential.
On Syria, Çelik said Ankara was closely following the integration process following the dissolution of the SDF. He stressed that dissolution and disarmament processes must translate into concrete developments on the ground rather than remain rhetorical commitments.
He said such steps were crucial to building a stable future for all communities in Syria, including Turkmens, Kurds, Arabs, Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites and Yazidis.
Çelik also sharply criticized the Israeli government over its policies toward Palestinians and across the region, arguing that the Netanyahu government remained a major source of regional instability.
He condemned Israel’s plans for new settlements, saying their strategic locations threatened to make a two-state solution impossible. Çelik also welcomed stronger opposition from Britain and the EU to Israeli actions.
He rejected the term “settler” for Israelis occupying Palestinian land, arguing they should instead be described as “occupiers” and accusing Israel of pursuing policies aimed at taking Palestinian territory.
Çelik also warned that the Netanyahu government could become increasingly aggressive as elections in Israel approach, calling on the international community to take concrete action to prevent what he described as an expanding cycle of violence stretching from Lebanon to Syria.
Addressing regional diplomacy, Çelik said the recently launched Mecca Agreement was not intended as an alternative to Türkiye’s existing security alliances. Instead, he described it as an initiative designed to produce more practical mechanisms for maintaining regional peace.
The initiative is open to all countries in the region, he said, adding that its principles would take time to develop but could eventually contribute to regional stability.
Çelik also addressed a recent meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, describing it as a “natural” meeting.
He said Yavaş had requested an appointment with Erdoğan and discussed Ankara’s problems and planned investments with the president. Çelik noted that Erdoğan regularly receives mayors when his schedule permits and remains particularly interested in infrastructure and projects aimed at improving living standards in Turkish cities.
An unprecedented meeting between Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sparked speculation about the opposition politician’s political future. In a statement on Thursday, Yavaş defended the meeting amid a barrage of rumors spreading on social media that he would defect to Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
“The only agenda of the meeting was Ankara,” Yavaş said in a statement the day after the meeting. The mayor, who represents the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said he requested the meeting with Erdoğan as part of the official welcoming protocol at the capital’s airport last month.
Yavaş, a former member of the AK Party’s ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has been touted as a potential presidential contender in the next election since he ended the lengthy reign of AK Party Mayor Melih Gökçek in the 2019 local elections. At one point, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu considered him as a potential running mate in the 2023 presidential election, which he lost to Erdoğan. For the opposition, Yavaş is a strong presidential contender with the potential to attract conservative and nationalist voters who overwhelmingly support Erdoğan and the AK Party.
His muted response to the storm brewing in the CHP after Kılıçdaroğlu retook the party leadership following a court verdict that nullified Özgür Özel’s chairpersonship in May prompted rumors that he would defect to the AK Party. In his statement on Thursday, Yavaş indicated that he maintained ties with both the CHP and Özel’s New Party (YP), which he was expected to join after its establishment in July. Yavaş underlined that both Özel and Kılıçdaroğlu were notified about his meeting with Erdoğan, something Özel confirmed in an interview on Wednesday. The mayor stated that he spoke with Erdoğan about pending investments in the Turkish capital and problems facing the city, saying that he needed to discuss projects with “the central administration” to secure approval and support.
“I would like to make it clear to those trying to draw political conclusions from this meeting and create scenarios suggesting that I will switch parties: There is no possibility that I would take a stance that would hurt, upset or disappoint the people who love me, trust me and have stood by me for years. If this stance is considered a source of discomfort by the headquarters of either party, I will not hesitate to do what is necessary. However, to date, neither party leader has conveyed to me any statement indicating that they are uncomfortable with my stance,” he said.
A businessperson told an Istanbul court that he paid TL 10 million ($210,000) in bribes and was forced to hand over two plots of land worth TL 50 million while trying to collect hundreds of millions of liras owed to his company by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and its affiliates.
Serbülend Danış, owner of Danış Asfalt, made the allegations during a hearing in a corruption case involving jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu and other defendants.
Danış said he had previously told prosecutors that he was pressured into making payments while seeking to collect about TL 500 million in receivables stemming from contracts with the municipality’s Road Maintenance and Infrastructure Coordination Department and affiliated companies.
During the hearing, Danış accused former Republican People’s Party (CHP) Party Assembly member Baki Aydöner and his brother, Bulut Aydöner, of taking two plots belonging to him under the pretext of helping him collect the outstanding payments.
“Baki and Bulut Aydöner forcibly took two of my plots and victimized me,” Danış told the court, rejecting claims that he had contacted them because he wanted to enter politics. He said he planned to file a compensation lawsuit against the defendants.
Adem Tuncay, a former IBB advertising management official who cooperated with prosecutors under Türkiye’s effective remorse provisions, also testified at the hearing. Tuncay alleged that CHP-linked individuals visited him in prison and questioned him about his family circumstances.
He also claimed that after his release, he was not reinstated to his position and that his wife, who had worked for the municipality for 13 years, was dismissed.
On Wednesday, a total of 414 defendants, including suspended Mayor Imamoğlu, appeared before a judge at the 78th hearing in a corruption case involving the IBB. Fifty of the defendants are being held in pretrial detention.
Separately, Gözdem Ongun, the wife of former IBB official Murat Ongun, defended financial transactions prosecutors have cited in the case. She denied wrongdoing and said transactions totaling about TL 6 million through her company, BYZAG, stemmed from sales of jewelry and prayer beads.
The corruption investigation into Imamoğlu, was completed with a 3,809-page indictment filed on Nov. 11, 2025.
Prosecutors allege that Imamoğlu, identified in the indictment as the leader of a criminal organization, committed offenses including establishing an organization to commit crimes, bribery, money laundering, fraud causing losses to public institutions and organizations, unlawfully recording, obtaining and disseminating personal data, concealing criminal evidence, obstructing communications, damaging public property, accepting bribes, publicly disseminating misleading information, extortion by a public official, laundering assets derived from crime, bid-rigging, intentionally polluting the environment and violations of Türkiye’s tax procedure, forestry and mining laws.
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence ranging from 828 years and two months to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts.
Eight countries, including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, welcomed Britain’s decision to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to a joint statement.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia, and Jordan said they welcomed the joint statement by 12 countries on the need for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The ministers “reiterate their call for Israel to rescind all measures taken in connection with settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the statement said.
It came after Britain, France and Canada on Tuesday joined nine other European countries in issuing a joint statement saying they planned to introduce or support restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements.
The three Western allies revealed the trade curbs in response to Israel’s West Bank settlements policy and reports of increasing attacks by settlers there against Palestinians, with a U.K. minister accusing Israel of turning a blind eye to the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians there.
The moves prompted a furious Israel to unveil immediate countermeasures targeting Britain.
Later Tuesday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian leader Mark Carney warned in another joint declaration that the settlements “pose a direct and urgent threat” to a two-state solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said Ankara welcomed and supported measures taken by the 12 countries targeting commercial ties with illegal settlements.
“Israel’s efforts to eliminate the two-state solution are intensifying by the day,” the ministry said, warning that illegal settlements have evolved into a “systematic policy of occupation” that threatens the existence of a Palestinian state.
The ministry also said violence by illegal Israeli settlers had reached the level of “ethnic cleansing.”
Ankara argued that an adequate international response to Israel’s occupation policies has become essential to achieving a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.
Against this backdrop, Türkiye called on other responsible members of the international community to adopt similar measures against illegal settlements.
Türkiye reiterated that it would continue working toward the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with territorial integrity, based on the 1967 borders and with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack and U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa in Ankara, as diplomatic contacts between Türkiye and the United States intensify over regional developments.
Erdoğan met Barrack, Issa and the congressman’s wife at the Presidential Complex, according to Turkish officials.
Following the meeting, Barrack said he was “honored” to meet President Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex and hailed the strength of ties between the two NATO allies.
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its independence and the two countries approach a century of diplomatic relations, Barrack said the Türkiye-U.S. alliance “has never been stronger.”
He said the two countries share deep ties as NATO allies, economic partners and longstanding friends, adding that the talks with Erdoğan reaffirmed their commitment to regional security, economic cooperation and the enduring bilateral partnership.
The talks came a day after Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Barrack and Issa in Ankara. The Foreign Ministry did not disclose details of their discussions, which took place as Ankara and Washington maintain close diplomatic engagement on regional issues, particularly developments in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
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