Politics
Commando deployment to Türkiye’s Aegean coast may irk Greece
Redeployment of the 51st Commando Brigade of the Turkish army, originally based in the eastern province of Tunceli, to Söke, just opposite the Greek island of Samos, is under the spotlight in neighboring Greece amid Aegean tensions. Greek experts quoted by Turkish media say the deployment may give Türkiye the upper hand in military supremacy in the region.
The brigade, consisting of more than 2,000 troops, moved to Söke in Aydın province and got a new commander in August as part of routine annual reassignment of commanders of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The redeployment comes amid a dispute between the two countries over demilitarization of Greece’s Aegean islands and a feud over maritime borders. More recently, Ankara criticized a defense deal between Greece and Israel.
Türkiye’s Aegean coast is already home to several elite units, including the First Amphibious Naval Infantry Brigade in Izmir’s Foça and special forces units in central Izmir.
The brigade is led by Brig. Gen. Yaşar Karaoğlu, who made a name for himself as commander of a military unit protecting Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who led the Turkish war to expel Greek invaders more than a century ago.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief adviser Mehmet Uçum, who also serves as deputy chair of the Presidency’s Legal Policies Board, clarified a debate over the date of the next elections. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Uçum said the elections will most likely be held on April 16, 2028, the same date as a referendum held in 2017 on the switch to an executive presidential system. He also underlined that this would be the last election Erdoğan would be eligible to run in.
Uçum said the elections may be held on that date if Parliament approves the renewal of elections, something that would require the support of 360 lawmakers. He said the possibility of an election in the last quarter of 2027 was “low” amid calls from the opposition for an early election.
Under Turkish law, an election would normally be held in May 2028.
But the Constitution allows Parliament to trigger an early election if such a move has the support of 360 of the Turkish Parliament’s 600 lawmakers, which would open the way for Erdoğan to seek another term.
Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), have 326 seats in total. Earlier this week, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli reaffirmed his party’s unwavering support for Erdoğan’s candidacy in the next election.
The government has repeatedly insisted that elections will be held on schedule. Erdoğan, who was elected prime minister in 2003, was elected president in 2014 after serving three terms as premier. Following Türkiye’s switch to an executive presidential system, he was re-elected in 2018 and again in 2023.
Terror-free Türkiye
Uçum also spoke about the terror-free Türkiye initiative, which advanced with the introduction of a new law last month. The law provides for the deferral of prison terms for members of the terrorist group PKK, which announced its dissolution in 2025.
The initiative still awaits confirmation of the PKK’s disarmament, something coordinated by the group’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan. Öcalan’s status in the initiative, first proposed by Bahçeli, is widely debated, with critics of the process claiming Öcalan would be granted rights he did not deserve, such as being allocated “a villa” on the prison island where he is held.
Uçum said Öcalan’s status may be reconsidered, although he would remain in prison, more than two decades after he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Uçum said Öcalan was part of “a dialogue” to carry out the initiative.
“The goal is clear: dissolution of the terrorist group. Whoever founded it, he’d dissolve it. This is possible through dialogue, and Öcalan should be tasked with it. He should be accommodated in such a way as to facilitate dialogue; this is a requirement,” Uçum said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in New York on the sidelines of next week’s United Nations General Assembly, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack announced. Details of the meeting, reported by Turkish media outlets, are not clear yet.
The two men last met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara last July, as the defense alliance charted its future amid the threat of a U.S. withdrawal under Trump, the U.S.-Israel-Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The summit was also an opportunity to showcase the improving ties between the two countries under Trump, who often praises President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s political skills. Trump also signaled the lifting of sanctions against Türkiye.
Erdoğan met Trump at the White House in September 2025 during his first visit to Washington in six years and his first in-person meeting with Trump.
Relations between the two countries hit both lows and highs during Trump’s first term. They flourished during the president’s second term, as Trump built a good rapport with Erdoğan after returning to the White House in January 2025.
World leaders will gather in New York next week for the high-level general debate of the U.N. General Assembly’s 81st session, a gathering that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will open for the final time before his mandate ends.
The General Assembly’s high-level week runs from Sept. 22 to Sept. 28, following the session’s formal opening on Sept. 8. Bangladeshi diplomat Khalilur Rahman is presiding over the 81st session, held under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.”
Leaders are also expected to address the Cyprus issue, the conflict and worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, Myanmar’s political and humanitarian crisis, and the security crisis in Haiti, alongside the wars in Gaza, Iran and Ukraine, rounding out an agenda dominated by conflicts with no clear resolution in sight.
Türkiye on Wednesday strongly condemned a Houthi drone attack targeting the holy city of Mecca, reaffirming its support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Ankara once again stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia following the attack.
Türkiye also warned that such attacks threaten regional stability and security, calling for them to end immediately.
The ministry urged all sides to avoid actions that could further escalate tensions in the region.
The statement came amid a sharp rise in hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. Saudi authorities had issued emergency warnings for Mecca, Jeddah and Taif a day earlier following a series of missile and drone attacks, while Riyadh vowed a firm response to strikes that wounded civilians and targeted cities and infrastructure.
The latest incident marked a further escalation after the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a suspected Houthi drone headed toward Mecca. The Houthis disputed the Saudi account.
Türkiye is closely monitoring developments in the Aegean Sea, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Kastellorizo island, near the Turkish coast, over the weekend amid rising tensions between the two neighbors.
“We invite Greece to adhere to its obligations under international agreements and avoid activities incompatible with the demilitarized status of the islands,” the ministry said in a statement after a weekly press briefing.
“The Greek prime minister’s visit to the island of Kastellorizo with his accompanying delegation and his contacts with military personnel stationed there have been closely followed. The deployment of military personnel and warships on Kastellorizo, which was ceded to Greece under the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty on the condition that it maintain a demilitarized status, and the public display of these military assets as part of high-level visits are incompatible with the island’s status and do not contribute to peace and stability,” the ministry said.
“We once again emphasize that efforts to create a de facto situation in violation of Kastellorizo’s demilitarized status, given its extremely close proximity to the Turkish coast, are incompatible with international obligations and will not be accepted by our country. While Türkiye advocates making the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean areas of peace and stability and developing relations between Türkiye and Greece on the basis of good-neighborly relations and dialogue, this approach does not mean that we will tolerate the disregard of rights and obligations arising from international treaties or the creation of de facto situations on the ground.
“We call on Greece to abide by its obligations arising from international treaties and refrain from activities incompatible with the demilitarized status of the islands concerned. While our country will continue its constructive approach in favor of good-neighborly relations and dialogue in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, it will remain determined to protect its rights and interests arising from international law,” the ministry added.
Mitsotakis said during the visit that the island did not pose a threat to Türkiye, describing it as “a Greek and European outpost.” The visit came weeks after Greece signed a major defense deal with Türkiye’s archfoe Israel and unveiled plans to boost its air defenses.
The ministry also responded to questions about the deployment of a commando brigade to Söke, a western Turkish town opposite the Greek island of Samos, saying it was “an arrangement made in line with the mission and operational requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces” and was approved in June following “evaluations.”
Turkish-Greek tensions also extend to the split island of Cyprus, which is home to Greek Cypriot and Turkish communities. The ministry said a recent U.S. decision to extend the suspension of an arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration until September 2027 was “a step that would affect the delicate balance and security environment on the island.”
The ministry said third parties were expected to avoid activities that may harm this balance and refrain from actions that ignore Turkish Cypriots.
“As a guarantor country, Türkiye will take measures for the security and prosperity of Turkish Cypriots as it did in the past, in cooperation with the Turkish Cypriot authorities,” the ministry said.
Türkiye launched its Peace Operation in 1974 after Greek Cypriot groups stepped up attacks on the Turkish Cypriot community on the island. It is one of three guarantor states, along with the United Kingdom and Greece, which seek a peaceful resolution to the decades-old Cyprus dispute.
Türkiye advocates a solution to the Cyprus issue based on respect for the sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
A Turkish diplomat announced that Ankara sent a proposal to Russia and Ukraine that would end attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea. The move follows a sharp increase in attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea in recent months, often using drones.
At least 25 Turkish-owned vessels, four of them flying a Turkish flag, have been hit since late June, industry figures show.
“We have shared a text of a memorandum, a draft text, with the Russians and the Ukrainians to come up with a solution to those strikes taking place in the Black Sea,” the diplomat told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday.
Türkiye has been pushing Russia and Ukraine to suspend attacks on civilian vessels, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan demanding a “moratorium” on Aug. 8 in a call that appeared to have fallen on deaf ears. The attacks have intensified as the foes seek to damage the other’s export revenues, with the war now raging into a fifth year.
NATO-member Türkiye maintains relations with Kyiv and Moscow and has declined to join Western sanctions against Russia. Its ships are very active in the Black Sea, sailing under various countries’ flags, with several hit by drones believed to be launched by Ukraine.
In August, the Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Ukraine’s envoy following an attack on the Lider Bordo Mavi, a container ship off the Russian coast, and a subsequent attack on the Lider Kocatepe, which was sent to tow it away. Both are Turkish-owned vessels. Anchored in the northeastern port of Trabzon, the Lider Bordo Mavi appeared to have sustained damage to its bridge deck and the two decks below, showing signs of major fire damage, AFP correspondents said.
Türkiye has repeatedly raised the idea of reviving the grain corridor format to safeguard Black Sea shipping, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan saying he would discuss the matter with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in November. The Turkish diplomat said the proposal was “inspired by” a 2022 deal brokered by Türkiye and the U.N. to grant safe passage for Ukrainian grain to be exported via the Black Sea without risk of attack.
Although Russia pulled out of the so-called grain corridor mechanism a year later, Ukraine set up an alternative shipping route that hugs the coast of Romania and Bulgaria. “In that mechanism, there is maybe a four- or five-mile gap where the Ukrainian ship has to leave the national territorial waters and travel in international waters, which is the risky part,” the diplomat explained. “So our offer is also inspired by this.”
As well as using a route flanking Romania and Bulgaria, the official also suggested another route along the eastern and southern shores of the Black Sea along the coastlines of Georgia and Türkiye.
“We want to use the territorial waters of the adjacent states, including Türkiye and Georgia, if they are willing to take part,” the diplomat said.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni met his Turkish counterpart, Mustafa Çiftçi, in Ankara on Wednesday. The two officials promised to improve cooperation on security-related matters between the two countries.
Among other things, the ministers spoke about the Terror-Free Türkiye initiative Ankara launched for the dissolution of the terrorist group PKK, which also has an Iran-based wing, PJAK.
Momeni said Iran was pleased with Türkiye’s efforts to find a solution to the PKK issue. “Türkiye, Iraq, Iran and Syria should join hands for a lasting solution. PKK, PJAK and all other wings should cease to exist and should lay down their arms. In terms of terrorism, Türkiye’s security means Iran’s security and vice versa,” he said, calling for more cooperation between Tehran and Ankara.
Minister Çiftçi said they were monitoring the dismantling of all PKK affiliates operating under different names in different regions. He said the group’s dissolution in Syria and Iraq represented a critical threshold for regional peace, adding that it was highly important for the PKK’s PJAK structure in Iran to be included in this process. Çiftçi warned that members of the group who oppose the process could cross into Iran, allowing it to become more active inside the country.
Highlighting the importance of cooperation between Türkiye and Iran in combating drug trafficking and transnational crime, Minister Çiftçi said: “In 2026 alone, 32,848 people were arrested in 38,915 drug operations, and 36 tons of narcotics were seized. Given their geographical locations, our countries lie along the transit routes used by drug traffickers and other transnational criminal networks. In this regard, I would like to emphasize that we are open to effective cooperation with your ministry in combating all forms of transnational crime, particularly drug trafficking and emerging criminal organizations.”
Çiftçi also addressed extradition and deportation procedures between Türkiye and Iran, saying: “Extradition and deportation constitute an important item on the agenda of our bilateral cooperation. In this regard, we attach importance to strengthening ties between our Interpol units and ensuring that procedures are carried out more effectively. As a manifestation of this approach, we are doing everything we can, within the limits of our laws, to address the sensitivities of our friendly and brotherly Iran. We, too, are carefully following the extradition requests submitted by Iran and promptly extraditing individuals whose legal proceedings have been completed to your country. We believe that you are also carefully following our country’s requests, and I would like to state that we look forward to your valuable contribution to completing the ongoing procedures.”
The meeting also addressed joint steps that could be taken to combat irregular migration.
“We have built our policy for combating irregular migration around a comprehensive system that begins in the migrants’ countries of origin and ends there, ensuring their safe, dignified and voluntary return to their home countries. We know that you are also taking measures to prevent irregular migrants from crossing your eastern border. I believe that by coordinating and strengthening our border measures, we can combat the irregular migration pressure we face more effectively. In particular, we need to step up our fight against human trafficking networks and migrant smugglers and increase mutual information sharing. While combating irregular migration, we also support regular migration.”
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