Politics
FM Fidan puts Gaza, Israeli attacks at center of OIC talks in New York
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan denounced Israel’s policies in Gaza and its occupation and annexation activities across Palestinian territories as he addressed mounting conflicts and crises across the Muslim world at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in New York.
Fidan addressed the OIC Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly.
In his remarks, Fidan criticized Israel’s continuing “genocidal policies” in Gaza, as well as its occupation and annexation activities across Palestinian territories and attacks on Syria and Lebanon.
He also discussed a range of other issues affecting the Muslim world, particularly developments involving Iran, Yemen, Libya, Sudan and Somalia.
Fidan emphasized the importance of the OIC’s role in protecting the rights of Muslim minorities and communities.
Türkiye currently holds the rotating presidency of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers after assuming the role at the 51st session, which it hosted in Istanbul on June 21-22, 2025, under the theme “The OIC in a Transforming World.”
The annual coordination meeting, held during U.N. General Assembly week, provides OIC foreign ministers with an additional opportunity to exchange views beyond the organization’s formal Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, which is held annually.
The council may also convene extraordinary sessions to address major developments affecting the Muslim world.
At the 51st Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Istanbul, OIC members adopted two resolutions on Palestine and emphasized the importance of establishing a common position among member states on the Palestinian issue. The meeting also adopted the Istanbul Declaration.
Türkiye previously hosted meetings of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in 1976, 1991 and 2004.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Kyiv supports Türkiye hosting a trilateral leaders’ summit aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, saying Ukraine would be ready to attend if such talks could help deliver peace.
Zelenskyy made the remarks after meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Turkish House, or Türkevi, in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Describing the talks as productive, Zelenskyy said Erdoğan told him Türkiye was prepared to host a trilateral meeting at the leaders’ level.
“If the president can organize such a meeting, we support the idea of holding it in Türkiye,” Zelenskyy said. “We have always said that we have good relations with Türkiye and the president. Therefore, we would be ready to attend such a summit if it can be useful and bring peace.”
Türkiye has maintained diplomatic channels with both Ukraine and Russia throughout the war and has repeatedly offered to host negotiations aimed at securing a settlement.
Zelenskyy also highlighted growing economic ties between Ankara and Kyiv, noting that Ukraine’s Parliament had ratified the bilateral free trade agreement.
“We decided to increase trade between our countries from $1 billion to $10 billion,” he said. “We are moving in that direction and have very good results.”
The two leaders also discussed security in the Black Sea, which Zelenskyy said remains critical to global food security.
Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş resigned from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in an announcement on Wednesday, saying, “I am resigning my membership in the Republican People’s Party and will continue my political path as an independent.”
In a statement on social media, Yavaş said his decision to leave the CHP was not made out of anger or resentment but after careful consideration.
He noted political and legal disputes that began on March 19 and later included debate over the possible annulment of CHP party congresses had brought Turkish politics to a difficult point.
Yavaş said he had sought throughout his tenure to demonstrate a model of municipal governance in Ankara based on transparency, accountability and equal treatment, while using public funds for the benefit of residents.
He also said he had never viewed himself as being above political parties and argued that any democratic change of government in Türkiye would depend on opposition parties finding common ground rather than becoming consumed by internal disputes.
The mayor underlined that he had repeatedly warned that months of political and legal disputes within the CHP risked creating deep divisions in the party and could damage broader confidence in democratic politics.
“I had previously said that if there was discomfort within the party regarding me or the position I had taken, I would do what was necessary,” he said, adding, “Because of some statements made today, I am resigning my membership in the Republican People’s Party and will continue my political path as an independent.”
Yavaş also thanked CHP members and supporters who had worked alongside him during three election campaigns, saying he would remain grateful to those who had supported and placed their trust in him.
CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also commented on Yavaş’s decision to leave the party. “A resignation is a unilateral decision. It is his own political choice,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.
Moreover, CHP spokesperson Müslim Sarı responded to Yavaş’s resignation from the party, describing the decision as Yavaş’s own political choice.
“A resignation is a unilateral legal act. The mayor has therefore exercised his own will and clarified his political affiliation,” Sarı said.
Sarı said the CHP would have preferred Yavaş to continue his political career within the party, noting that party officials had expressed that position on several occasions.
“We would have preferred him to remain in politics within the institutional framework of the Republican People’s Party,” Sarı said. “But this is his own assessment.”
Sarı had previously criticized Yavaş over what he described as questions of party loyalty, saying the CHP’s institutional identity should take precedence over individual politicians.
“The CHP’s institutional identity is above all of us and comes before all of us. No one is above the CHP, and no one should see themselves as being above the CHP,” Sarı said.
He added that the party expected all of its mayors to participate in events and activities related to the CHP.
Sarı had also criticized Yavaş after the Ankara mayor said both CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and New Party (YP) leader Özgür Özel had been informed about his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“A mayor cannot say, when taking an action, that he informed the leader of another party in addition to his own party leader,” Sarı had warned.
Mayors follow Yavaş
Four district mayors in the Turkish capital Ankara also announced their resignations from the main opposition CHP shortly after Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş said he was leaving the party to continue his political career as an independent.
The mayors of Beypazarı, Kalecik, Güdül and Polatlı announced their decisions separately on social media, with several saying they would continue to work alongside Yavaş.
Beypazarı Mayor Özer Kasap said he was leaving the CHP and would continue serving as an independent, stressing that his priority remained providing services to residents of the district.
“I stand behind the promises I made to my fellow citizens who trusted and supported me on this path we embarked on with Mayor Mansur Yavaş.”
Kalecik Mayor Satılmış Karakoç also said he would continue his mayoral duties as an independent while maintaining his political alignment with Yavaş.
Karakoç stated his approach to local government would remain unchanged and that he would continue serving residents regardless of their political views.
“Our responsibility toward Kalecik will not change,” he said, adding that he would remain alongside Yavaş.
Güdül Mayor Mehmet Doğanay cited disagreements with the CHP’s current leadership and an ongoing political and legal dispute within the party as reasons for his resignation.
Doğanay said his decision did not represent a break with the CHP’s historical legacy or the principles of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye and the CHP.
He said he would continue working with Yavaş while serving Güdül as an independent mayor.
Polatlı Mayor Mürsel Yıldızkaya similarly announced that he was leaving the CHP, citing issues raised by Yavaş in his own resignation statement.
Yıldızkaya said he would continue his political activities and municipal work independently alongside Yavaş.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in New York on Wednesday, as Türkiye and Armenia continue efforts to advance a yearslong normalization process between the two neighbors.
The closed-door meeting was held at the Turkish House, or Türkevi, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Turkish Presidency said.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also attended the meeting.
Erdoğan has been holding a series of bilateral talks with world leaders during his visit to New York for the annual U.N. gathering.
Türkiye and Armenia have intensified diplomatic contacts in recent years in an effort to normalize relations after decades of strained ties. The two countries appointed special representatives for normalization talks in late 2021, while direct flights and air cargo links have since resumed.
The normalization process has gained further momentum alongside efforts to establish lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Ankara has repeatedly said progress in Türkiye-Armenia relations and a comprehensive peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan could help unlock greater regional stability, connectivity and economic cooperation in the South Caucasus.
Türkiye and Armenia do not currently have full diplomatic relations, while their land border, closed since 1993, has yet to fully reopen.
Türkiye and Iraq agreed Wednesday to deepen security cooperation, restore full Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and begin the gradual handover of the Bashiqa-Zilkan military base to Baghdad under an agreed timetable.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the steps in a joint statement following talks in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The two leaders reviewed the strategic relationship between Türkiye and Iraq and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation across a range of areas, with security taking a central role in the discussions.
Under the agreement, the two countries will work toward fully restoring Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and ending the presence of banned foreign armed groups in the area.
As progress is made in implementing the security measures, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilkan base to Iraq’s federal government in accordance with a mutually agreed mechanism and timetable, the statement said.
Ankara and Baghdad also agreed to expand bilateral trade and investment, accelerate the implementation of previously signed agreements and advance joint strategic projects.
The two sides placed particular emphasis on speeding up the Development Road Project, a major transport and infrastructure corridor designed to connect Iraq’s Gulf coast with Türkiye and onward to European markets.
Türkiye is continuing a peace process aimed at securing the disarmament of the PKK terrorist group and ending its decadeslong campaign of violence, as Ankara and Baghdad deepen security cooperation. Under an agreed mechanism and timetable, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zelikan base near Mosul to the Iraqi government as Baghdad advances security measures in the area.
Türkiye deployed troops near Mosul in 2015 to train and protect Iraqi forces and local fighters preparing to combat Daesh. U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack welcomed the latest agreement, saying it served both “Iraqi sovereignty and Turkish security.” The two countries also agreed to strengthen trade ties, swiftly implement existing agreements and accelerate strategic projects.
Meanwhile, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said the country’s goal is to strengthen Iraq’s and the region’s energy security through electricity interconnections and natural gas and oil pipelines as part of the Development Road Project.
“We will work determinedly to boost bilateral trade, strengthen access to international energy markets, and advance the Türkiye-Iraq partnership through concrete projects supporting regional prosperity,” he added.
Turkish police detained 11 foreign nationals in Istanbul on Thursday in an operation targeting suspected links to the Daesh and al-Qaida terrorist groups, according to authorities.
Counterterrorism units, working with the Istanbul police intelligence branch, launched an investigation into suspects believed to have been in contact with members of the two groups in conflict zones.
Authorities said investigators identified the suspects and their addresses after determining they allegedly shared social media posts praising the terrorist groups.
Police also assessed that the suspects could potentially carry out attacks targeting Türkiye, authorities said.
Officers carried out simultaneous raids at the identified addresses and detained 11 suspects. Police seized a knife, eight rounds of ammunition and a large amount of digital material during searches of the properties.
The suspects were taken to police headquarters for further questioning and processing.
Türkiye has conducted sustained counterterrorism operations against Daesh for years, targeting members, facilitators and financial networks both domestically and across its borders. Turkish security forces regularly carry out nationwide raids to prevent attacks and dismantle the organization’s presence in the country.
Daesh remains a threat to Türkiye, which has lost dozens of citizens in attacks carried out by the group, particularly during the period when it was active in neighboring Iraq and Syria. The country has also sought to bring Turkish nationals affiliated with the terrorist group back from abroad.
An 18-member delegation of Palestinian judges and prosecutors is attending an international training program in Türkiye focusing on cybercrime and money laundering as Ankara and Palestine seek to expand cooperation in judicial education.
The delegation, led by Wesam Salayma, director of the Palestinian Judicial Institute, is taking part in the International Training Program on Combating Cybercrime and Money Laundering organized by the Justice Academy of Türkiye, according to a statement from the academy.
The Palestinian delegation traveled to Türkiye under a memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides to strengthen cooperation in the training of judges, prosecutors and assistant judges and prosecutors.
Speaking at the opening of the program, Justice Academy of Türkiye President Metin Yıldırım highlighted what he described as the historic and strong ties between Türkiye and Palestine.
Yıldırım said cooperation in judicial education would further strengthen the exchange of knowledge and experience between the judicial institutions of the two sides.
He also said the academy would continue its international judicial training activities and seek to deepen cooperation with judicial institutions in partner countries.
Referring to developments in Palestine and Gaza, Yıldırım expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people and emphasized the importance of continuing cooperation with Palestinian judicial officials in training and education.
The program aims to strengthen judicial training and the exchange of professional experience, with sessions focusing on crimes that have become increasingly diverse and transnational alongside rapid technological developments.
Academics and members of the judiciary are providing training on issues including crypto assets and criminal law, cyberbullying, crimes involving personal data, the collection of electronic evidence, technology-based investigative measures and the use of artificial intelligence in cybercrime.
The training is part of broader judicial cooperation between Türkiye and Palestine under the memorandum of understanding between their judicial training institutions.
The agreement provides for joint symposiums, conferences, workshops and training programs as well as exchanges of experts and academics.
It also envisages joint scientific research, the preparation of educational materials and publications, the development of digital training platforms, reciprocal internship programs and work on joint curricula.
The memorandum will remain in effect for five years after its signing and will automatically be renewed for successive three-year periods unless either side notifies the other that it does not intend to renew it.
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