Sudanese Foreign Minister Muhyiddin Salim expressed appreciation for Türkiye’s diplomatic support on international platforms as Ankara reaffirmed its commitment to Sudan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and postwar reconstruction.

In an interview with the Sudan News Agency (SUNA), Salim discussed regional and international efforts to end the conflict, identifying Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Russia and China among the countries supporting Sudan.

He welcomed Türkiye’s diplomatic backing and said Sudan remained open to serious initiatives aimed at ending the war, provided any settlement respected the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and the will of its people.

Salim also warned that foreign interference had prolonged the fighting and urged international actors to respect Sudan’s sovereignty.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

According to the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations, the conflict has displaced millions and caused widespread loss of life.

Ankara pledges continued aid

Meanwhile, Türkiye’s ambassador to Sudan, Fahri Türker Oba, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Ankara remained committed to supporting Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Türkiye never abandoned Sudan, even during its most difficult days,” Oba said, highlighting the countries’ longstanding historical and cultural ties.

He said Turkish public institutions and nongovernmental organizations had provided humanitarian assistance, including shelter and essential supplies, since the conflict began.

Oba, whose father served as ambassador to Sudan 26 years ago, also outlined plans to deepen bilateral cooperation.

The ambassador emphasized the importance of rebuilding war-damaged cities, saying Turkish companies could contribute to Sudan’s economic recovery.

He said discussions with the governor of Red Sea state included plans for a Turkish-Sudanese business forum in Suakin in January, aimed at promoting joint investment projects.

Despite suffering substantial losses, Turkish entrepreneurs remained determined to resume operations, he added.

“We lost 70% to 80% of our assets. Even though everything was looted, we are still standing,” Oba quoted Turkish businesspeople as saying.

Turkish companies are exploring projects in shipbuilding, liquefied petroleum gas, food, furniture, construction and infrastructure.

Oba also highlighted educational cooperation, including efforts to reopen the war-damaged Turkish school in Khartoum for the 2027-2028 academic year.

“The future of our bilateral relations is bright, and it will be even brighter,” he noted, reaffirming Ankara’s continued support for Sudan’s people and institutions.

Despite Sudan’s ongoing conflict and broader regional challenges, bilateral trade reached approximately $390 million in 2025, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Türkiye has continued humanitarian support, sending eight aid ships carrying around 12,000 tons of relief supplies and 30,000 tents since mid-2024.

In July 2025, Türkiye’s Health Ministry delivered 64 tons of medical supplies to support Sudan’s response to a cholera outbreak.

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The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is preparing a judicial reform package that would introduce time limits on alimony payments following a Constitutional Court ruling on indefinite alimony.

According to information obtained by Anadolu Agency (AA), lawmakers are drafting the 13th Judicial Package under the leadership of Abdullah Güler, the party’s parliamentary group chair. The bill is expected to be submitted to Parliament in the coming days.

The proposed amendment to Article 175 of the Turkish Civil Code would remove the word “indefinitely” from the provision governing alimony for spouses who cannot support themselves financially.

Under the draft, judges would determine alimony periods based on factors including the length of the marriage, the recipient spouse’s age, education and health, their ability to meet their own financial needs, and the impact of payments on the paying spouse’s post-divorce life.

The period would be at least three years and could not exceed half the length of the marriage. However, judges could order longer payments if the recipient cannot work because of a wrongful act by the paying spouse or is older and lacks a regular income due to the length of the marriage.

The proposed rules would also apply to pending cases and existing alimony awards, with transitional provisions determining when payment obligations would end under the new system.

The package would also restrict appeals in divorce proceedings. Decisions rejecting appeals on the merits in cases involving divorce, child custody, alimony and compensation would generally become ineligible for further appeal to the Court of Cassation.

However, further appeals would remain possible when first-instance courts and regional appellate courts issue conflicting decisions.

The changes aim to protect the right to a fair trial while ensuring that divorce cases are concluded within a reasonable time.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the funeral Friday of Üsküdar Deputy Mayor Dündar Ziya Gültekin, who died following a multivehicle crash on a highway in northwestern Türkiye.

Gültekin, 43, died after the vehicle he was traveling in was involved in a chain-reaction collision near the Düzce toll booths on the Anatolian Highway on Thursday while heading toward Ankara.

Harun Dursun, 33, an Üsküdar municipal official and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) district media representative, was injured in the crash. Reports indicated that Gültekin suffered a fatal heart attack during the incident.

A funeral prayer was held after Friday prayers at Istanbul’s Grand Çamlıca Mosque, attended by Erdoğan, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Istanbul Deputy Mayor Nuri Arslan, senior AK Party officials, relatives and mourners.

Speaking before the funeral prayer, Erdoğan expressed condolences to Gültekin’s family and praised his public service.

“He had taken on an important responsibility in Üsküdar in a very short time,” Erdoğan said, noting that Gültekin had been traveling to Ankara on official business when the crash occurred.

Erdoğan also offered prayers for Gültekin and wished patience and strength to his family, including his three children.

The funeral prayer was led by Türkiye’s head of religious affairs, Safi Arpaguş, before the coffin was taken to Nakkaştepe Cemetery for burial.

Gültekin, a municipal council member from the AK Party, was elected acting mayor of Üsküdar on Sept. 8, in a rerun vote following a court decision suspending the previous election. Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş was arrested on July 31 as part of an investigation into allegations of establishing a criminal organization, bribery and extortion. She was subsequently suspended from office by the Interior Ministry, prompting the special election.

Earlier Friday, a memorial ceremony was held outside Üsküdar Municipality, where colleagues, relatives and residents gathered to pay their respects.

The AK Party Istanbul provincial chair, Abdullah Özdemir, described Gültekin, a friend of more than 20 years, as a devoted father and public servant.

The municipality also issued a tribute, saying Gültekin would be remembered for his dedication to Üsküdar and the strong bonds he had built with local residents.

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The PKK terrorist group left four camps in northern Iraq’s Metina, Turkish security sources announced Monday.

It is among the few solid indicators of progress in the terror-free Türkiye initiative sponsored by the government. It is a significant gain in the secretive and highly sensitive process, although the PKK touted it as a bargain with Türkiye. The government rejects any deal in what is portrayed as a unilateral initiative. Turkish sources confirmed the veracity of the PKK’s “withdrawal,” but experts argue that it is still the beginning of the end.

Sibel Düz, senior researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), told Daily Sabah that the evacuation of camps in Hebat, Yajk, Sabri and Sason in Metina was a substantial development. “Nevertheless, this should not be construed as straightforward disarmament. Retreating from one position does not mean that the structural hierarchy of (the PKK) is completely dissolved,” said Düz.

Düz recalled that the PKK announced in November 2025 that it left most areas it occupied, particularly in the Zap region in northern Iraq, but it is the first time that Türkiye’s security bureaucracy demonstrated how it monitored the dissolution process, through videos released by state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).

Per the initiative, Turkish intelligence is tasked with monitoring the PKK’s disarmament in Iraq, whose north has been home to hideouts of the terrorist group for years. Düz says although the confirmation mechanism on the ground is functional, Türkiye needs to verify whether the PKK was involved in “tactical retreat.” Even at the peak of its campaign of violence in the 1990s, Türkiye has sought ways to peacefully end the PKK problem. Under the successive governments of the incumbent Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ankara tried it again, most notably with the “reconciliation process” in the 2010s. Back then, the PKK appeared to comply with demands to cease its activities through a unilateral “cease-fire.” The process collapsed, however, when the PKK found new excuses not to lay down arms and mounted attacks against security forces and in southeastern Turkish cities. The so-called “hendek incidents” between 2015 and 2016, when members of the terrorist group and its supporters dug “hendeks” (ditches) and set up barricades in the southeastern cities, demonstrated that the PKK has been secretly regrouping and stockpiling more weapons during the process.

“It is an important parameter that the members of the group also ended their commitment to the PKK, in parallel with disarmament. The process has different dynamics and stages in Iran, Iraq and Syria,” Düz added.

The PKK, conceived in Türkiye in the 1970s, carried out its first attack there. Over time, it accumulated influence among communities in neighboring countries, exploiting Kurds disillusioned with deprivation of their rights. The group’s senior cadres are still in hiding in a mountainous region in northern Iraq. In Syria, the group maintains a wing called the YPG, which enjoyed a self-styled autonomy during the Syrian civil war and launched cross-border attacks targeting Türkiye. After the collapse of the Baathist regime in 2024, the YPG bowed to demands by the new administration to integrate itself with the security forces of post-revolution Syria.

Turkish security sources also said Monday that they were anticipating PKK members to return from abroad to benefit from a law passed by Parliament this summer for deferral of their sentencing, as part of the next phase of the initiative. Sources said several programs in education, economics and other topics would be rolled out for the reintegration of PKK members into society, though details are not clear yet about what they would be and how receptive the Turkish public would be toward members of a group that killed thousands of people across the country since the 1980s. Although the integration system and deferrals of sentencing and prosecution would cover those members not involved in acts of violence, it remains to be seen how PKK members would adapt to a new life after spending years in hiding in the mountains.

Integrated integration

Düz says the initiative has no room for uncertainty after full disarmament, citing examples of members of terrorist groups elsewhere in the world who succumbed to violence, formed criminal gangs or integrated with other armed actors after such counterterrorism processes.

“A return to civilian life and public acceptance is a process very difficult to be handled with separate policies. An integrated approach is essential here. State agencies (that would oversee integration) need a guide, a course and all should be included in the process,” she said.

She pointed out that the framework law passed by Parliament clarified the precondition for the return of PKK members to Türkiye, but it was not altogether clear about the integration model. “In my view, similar examples around the world should be examined, and there should be an individual-focused classification (of PKK members). Certain factors, like members’ role in the PKK organization, the time they spent with the group, their occupational skills, education level and even their gender can be important determining factors in this classification to create the integration model,” Düz said.

She noted that a myriad of steps were required to be considered, from vocational training to employment support and adaptation to social life. “Yet, while implementing this, Türkiye should not turn a blind eye to how sensitive this is for those directly affected by (PKK terrorism). Victims’ expectations should be heeded, and there shouldn’t be a perception of injustice, impunity,” she warned.

Nigar Göksel, the International Crisis Group’s Türkiye/Cyprus director, says the Metina evacuation was “certainly a constructive step that could help build momentum.”

“Taking an irreversible step like this reflects a significant level of confidence in the process. But at least two important questions remain. One is PJAK, which is not taking part in the disarmament process and sees no prospect of integration in Iran under present conditions. Given its links to the wider KCK network, this can cause issues,” she told Daily Sabah, referring to the Iran wing of the terrorist group, which, itself, is part of KCK.

“Another issue is the well-known sequencing question regarding the political track inside (Türkiye): integration parameters, and at what stage Öcalan’s role and broader political matters will be addressed,” Göksel added, in reference to the PKK’s jailed ringleader Abdullah Öcalan, who currently serves a life sentence in an island prison near Istanbul.

Devlet Bahçeli, chair of government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) who first proposed the terror-free Türkiye initiative, has recently suggested Öcalan be “a coordinator” in the process and for Türkiye to establish an office for coordination on the Imrali island where Öcalan is held. Authorities have not openly responded to Bahçeli’s call, but media reports suggest that Öcalan would be given more access to the outside world, though still within the confines of the prison, to relay his messages to the terrorist group and the wider public in a much easier way. A political party close to the PKK has recently claimed that Öcalan may hold meetings with journalists and nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives in Imralı soon.

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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan protested Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday by walking out of the venue as Herzog began speaking.

Fidan is representing Türkiye at the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), which kicked off in Azerbaijan and is also attended by heads of state and government, as well as ministers. He was among representatives of more than 10 countries who left the hall when Herzog took the floor. Earlier, Fidan was welcomed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Türkiye and Israel had been working to improve their relations before the latest round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began in 2023. Since then, Türkiye has been one of the most vocal critics of the Netanyahu administration over the genocide in Gaza and has severed all ties with Israel. Türkiye has also criticized the international community for its inaction over war crimes committed by the Israeli administration against Palestinians.

Pressure from Türkiye and several other countries has fueled growing opposition to Israel’s actions and further isolated Benjamin Netanyahu on the international stage. This diplomatic isolation was evident during last month’s U.N. General Assembly in New York, as scores of delegates walked out when the Israeli prime minister took the podium.

Later, addressing the summit, Fidan’s speech was a scathing critique of Israel. Pointing out member states’ commitments to peace and mutual trust, Fidan said this should apply to all members. “Israel is a member of the CICA. While it violates the basic rights of the Palestinian people with its policy of systemic pressure, we cannot fulfill our own commitment. We have to demonstrate a decisive stand to support the rights of Palestine, another member, against the ongoing oppression and severe violations,” he said.

The minister noted that the issue can be permanently resolved by the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine with East Jerusalem serving as its capital and based on the 1967 borders.

“The CICA is a valuable platform for bridging different priorities and deepening mutual understanding. This summit should clearly define the path to a more efficient CICA to ensure continent-wide sustainable peace and increased prosperity. We are determined to work to achieve these goals,” he said.

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Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that any deployment of Turkish troops or military capabilities to Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defense Alliance would require parliamentary approval, while confirming that talks with Washington continue over the delivery of six F-35 fighter jets and the lifting of U.S. sanctions.

The ministry addressed these issues following its weekly press briefing in Ankara, where spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk provided updates on regional security, counterterrorism operations and Türkiye’s international military commitments.

Responding to questions about potential Turkish military contributions to Saudi Arabia under the Mecca alliance, the ministry said any deployment would be carried out in accordance with the Constitution and relevant legislation.

“The agreement must be approved by the Turkish Parliament, and the necessary authorization procedures for deploying the Turkish Armed Forces abroad must be completed,” the ministry emphasized.

The Mecca agreement, signed in Mecca on Aug. 7 by Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, establishes a collective defense framework among the three countries. Under the pact, an armed attack against any one of the three countries is considered an attack against all of them. The agreement also calls for broader defense cooperation and collective deterrence.

The scope of Türkiye’s potential contribution would depend on Saudi Arabia’s needs and requests, developments on the ground and operational requirements, it added. Final arrangements would be determined through assessments by relevant authorities and mutual agreement between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia has faced widening Houthi strikes ​over ⁠the past week, including an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh Saturday that killed 13 people.

F-35 talks, US sanctions

The ministry also confirmed that discussions with U.S. officials were continuing over the delivery of six F-35 fighter jets manufactured for Türkiye.

Ankara reiterated its demand for the removal of sanctions imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), along with all direct and indirect restrictions targeting its defense industry.

“Our expectation is that CAATSA sanctions, which are incompatible with the spirit of alliance, and all restrictions on our defense industry will be lifted,” said the ministry.

In 2020, Washington imposed Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions on fellow NATO member Türkiye over its acquisition of Russian S-400 systems. It also removed Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program, a move Türkiye called unjust and illegal.

The ministry expressed hope that the process would reach a positive conclusion in line with allied relations and mutual interests.

Regional tensions, Israel

Addressing developments in the Middle East, Rear Adm. Aktürk criticized Israel’s continued military operations and rhetoric, accusing it of undermining regional security and stability since October 2023.

He urged the international community to adopt a firmer stance against Israeli attacks, citing mounting Palestinian casualties and displacement.

The ministry also condemned Houthi attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, expressing condolences for those killed and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

It warned that attacks against civilian infrastructure and noncombatants violated international humanitarian law and risked further escalating regional tensions.

NATO commitments

On international military commitments, Aktürk confirmed that Türkiye handed over command of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) to Italy on Oct. 14, following a yearlong mission that began in October 2025.

The handover ceremony was attended by Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.

Aktürk reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to NATO and Euro-Atlantic security, saying Ankara would continue contributing to regional stability.

He also announced that Defense Minister Yaşar Güler was scheduled to meet Polish Chief of General Staff Gen. Wieslaw Kukula on Thursday.

Turning to counterterrorism and border security, Aktürk said two PKK terrorists surrendered over the past week, while security forces apprehended 477 people attempting illegal border crossings.

Since Jan. 1, Turkish authorities have detained 13,843 people attempting to cross the country’s borders illegally and prevented another 54,851 from entering, including 981 during the past week.

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