Politics
Türkiye welcomes PKK disarmament with flags, good wishes
Flags adorned buildings across Türkiye, from the northwest to the southeast, as the PKK terrorist group took the first step to end its decades-old campaign of violence on Friday. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday hailed the first group of PKK members burning down their weapons in Iraq and called upon the public to hang Turkish flags on their homes and businesses to symbolize the beginning of a new era.
Public buildings were draped with flags on Sunday, just two days before another historic anniversary: Türkiye’s resistance against a 2016 coup attempt.
The beginning of the disarmament is warmly welcomed by the nation that suffered for years from terrorist attacks that have killed thousands since the 1980s. But it had a particularly special meaning for two groups of people: parents of the youth brainwashed to join the PKK and families of people killed in terror attacks.
Bedriye Uslu is among them. Uslu is part of “Diyarbakır Mothers,” a group of families who began a sit-in protest in the eponymous Turkish city in 2019 to protest the PKK’s recruitment of Kurdish youth. Hours after the first videos of PKK terrorists burning their weapons in Iraq emerged, Uslu spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) and expressed her approval for the terror-free Türkiye initiative that led to the disarmament. She is among the mothers from 62 families staging the sit-in and joined them in the hope of a reunion with her son Mahmut, who left to join the PKK 14 years ago.
She thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and government ally Devlet Bahçeli, who informally launched the initiative last year when he called on the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, to convince his group to lay down arms.
“What happened in Iraq on Friday gave us hope. We hope all our children (who joined the PKK) will abandon their arms and burn them. I pray to Allah to see that day, to reunite with my son. We hope the tears of parents will end and everyone will be reunited with their children,” she said.
Nihat Aydın, who has taken part in the sit-in since it began for a reunion with his son Mehmet, said it was “symbolic” seeing 30 PKK members abandon arms, and it boosted their hope. “I hope my son will join them too,” he said.
Müslüme Topçu, whose soldier son Ahmet Topçu was killed in Operation Peace Spring against the PKK’s Syrian wing, echoed wishes for an end to terrorism.
Topçu told Sabah newspaper that her son was among the “thousands of sons who fell victim to terrorism.”
“We hope it will end now. We have high hopes for a terror-free Türkiye. May no other mother suffer from the loss of their children,” she said.
The PKK’s disarmament is also good news for Diyarbakır, a major city in the southeast with a large Kurdish population. Diyarbakır has been a hot spot of PKK terrorism, including the notorious “trench incidents” when the group’s members launched street attacks and dug “trenches” to confront the military between 2015 and 2016.
The province is known as the birthplace of the PKK, which recruited many to its ranks from Diyarbakır. Locals now hope that social peace will prevail in the province and that the economy will thrive.
Uğur Altınar, a shopkeeper in Diyarbakır’s historic Sur district, said they hoped more tourists would visit. Although at the heart of the southeastern region and boasting a rich history, Diyarbakır was shunned as a major tourism destination in the past due to heightened PKK activity, while other provinces in the region reaped the benefits of tourism.
“We will have more business, but more importantly, future generations will live in peace. I hope it will be good for the entire Türkiye,” Altınar told Ihlas News Agency (IHA) on Sunday.
Ali Baran Çelik, another business owner, said people who had second thoughts about Diyarbakır will “certainly visit the city now.” “It gives an opportunity for people from different parts of Türkiye to mingle with each other,” he said.
Associate professor Vahap Coşkun from Dicle University in Diyarbakır says Türkiye went through a critical threshold after the first group of PKK members laid down arms.
“This is a point of no return. We are in a new era where weapons are silenced, clashes have ended, and people can talk about their democratic demands. It will be good for everyone in Türkiye,” he said.
Mahmut Şimşek, head of the Diyarbakır-based NGO Social Consensus, said it has been more than 100 years since “people were united again,” referring to the War of Independence, in which Turks and Kurds fought together against invading forces.
“We need patience for the process to continue. It is too early to say that everything’s over after the first PKK group started abandoning arms. People should be well informed about this historic day. Regardless, they are witnessing the beauty of it. It has been more than 40 years, and for years, people cried over the graves of loved ones. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure social consensus and peace; every politician, every opinion leader has a responsibility to use this historic opportunity,” Şimşek told IHA.
Şahismail Bedirhanoğlu, who leads a chamber of industrialists and businesspeople in Diyarbakır, says an era was over and a new one began after Friday’s disarmament ceremony.
“We are excited that weapons and violence are out of the equation now. Those two things plagued the region, especially its economy. The future will belong to democratic politics and both Türkiye and the region will have a great momentum in terms of economy, democratization and political reforms. I hope the developments will be a blessing for our country,” he said.
Turkish police detained 16 suspects on Friday in the third phase of an investigation into alleged bribery, procurement fraud and zoning irregularities at Istanbul’s Şile Municipality, prosecutors said.
The operation was carried out simultaneously in Istanbul and the western province of Izmir under the coordination of the Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Investigators said the suspects were linked to alleged irregularities involving direct procurement contracts, zoning procedures, business licenses and occupancy permits, through which public officials allegedly accepted bribes and secured unlawful financial benefits.
The suspects were taken to Istanbul police headquarters for questioning.
The latest operation follows two earlier waves of arrests in the same investigation. In July 2025, Şile Mayor Özgür Kabadayı and five other suspects were detained on accusations including establishing a criminal organization, extortion, bribery and bid rigging. Kabadayı and four others were later arrested, while one suspect was released under judicial supervision.
The Interior Ministry subsequently suspended Kabadayı from office.
A second operation in December 2025 resulted in the detention of 22 additional suspects after investigators reviewed phone records and financial transactions.
Fifteen were later jailed pending trial, while seven were released under judicial supervision.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is under mounting scrutiny as a wave of corruption, bribery and terrorism-related investigations sweeps across its municipalities.
A series of incidents in June and a debate over an Istanbul mosque demonstrated that an anti-Muslim mindset prevails in Türkiye, though not as strong as it was in the past.
Cases of discrimination, especially against headscarf-wearing women, sparked concerns over a social division that has evolved over decades.
In Mersin, a woman wearing a burkini was denied entry to a swimming pool in the residential complex she lives in. The case triggered a legal investigation, and the pool employee denying access was detained on charges of inciting public hatred and insult.
In another case, a video released on social media by a woman living in Istanbul calling for “destroying headscarf-wearing women” sparked outrage, and the woman was subsequently detained on charges similar to the case in Mersin. Days later, a video of a man harassing two young women over their headscarves at a supermarket in Antalya’s Kaş district emerged. One of the women in the video filed a criminal complaint against the man who was detained later.
Though they seem like isolated incidents, the anti-Muslim sentiment also resurfaced in Zonguldak. A group of people in the northern city staged a protest calling for “secularism to be implemented” after the images of young students celebrating their completion of Quran classes at a ceremony in the city emerged. Similarly, social media was awash with anti-Muslim comments when a video of a group of young girls wearing Muslim outfits as they celebrated completion of Quran courses in the eastern city of Batman surfaced.
These incidents and outrage preceded with a public debate and protests over a mosque planned to be built in Kadıköy, a district on Istanbul’s Asian side. The mosque, currently under construction after a court greenlit it by dismissing opposition, will be a prominent place of worship on the Kadıköy waterfront, a busy quarter of the city home to Ottoman-era and modern mosques. Supporters of the mosque cite the need for bigger mosque in the area whose population has significantly expanded in recent years, while opponents claim it is not necessary and point out “nearby mosques.”
The incidents prompted criticism from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who championed an end to bans targeting Muslims, especially headscarf-wearing women. In a speech last Thursday, Erdoğan reiterated how they have worked to defend the dignity, honor and freedoms of people who have been sidelined and mistreated. He noted that people voted for his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to ensure that “those who suffered under the oppression of the perpetrators of the Feb. 28 process would never again be subjected to the same tyranny.”
Feb. 28 refers to the 1997 coup and the date powerful military elite issued a stern ultimatum to the government against “reactionary threat,” a derogatory term used to describe conservative Muslims. Before the ultimatum led to the collapse of the government within months, Muslim men and women were targets of a witch hunt by a coalition of elites, from military and judiciary to bureaucracy. Girls wearing headscarfves were barred from attending schools unless they removed their headscarves, while men in the public sector were blacklisted or fired from their jobs for performing prayers or simply growing a beard in the fashion of conservative Muslims. Long after the collapse of the coalition government, those practices continued, with the purpose of excluding practicing Muslims from social spaces. Civil servants lost their jobs for wearing headscarf or praying five times a day as their faith required. A large number of girls, including the daughters of Erdoğan, were among those affected by the bans, forcing to study abroad.
Erdoğan defined the recent incidents as “attempts by voices of arrogance to silence, intimidate and threaten the silent majority.” “We will not allow the revival of an oppressive mindset that still longs for the Feb. 28 era,” he said.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday that Türkiye will remain actively engaged in efforts to resolve tensions between the United States and Iran, while warning that Israeli provocations risk undermining the diplomatic process.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Fidan stressed that ensuring uninterrupted and permanent freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is essential.
“As Türkiye, we will continue to contribute to the ongoing negotiation process between the United States and Iran. Israel must not be allowed to sabotage these talks, and the international community should remain highly vigilant on this matter,” he said.
He urged the international community to remain vigilant against any Israeli actions that could jeopardize regional stability.
Fidan said Türkiye and Canada have grown closer through increasingly aligned positions on major regional and global issues, welcoming the U.S.-Iran cease-fire agreement and describing its extension to Lebanon as a positive development. He said Ankara hopes the truce will pave the way for lasting regional stability through diplomacy.
Reiterating Ankara’s support for diplomacy, he said Türkiye wants the conflict to end as soon as possible through dialogue and on the basis of international law.
Regarding the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara next month, Fidan said preparations are continuing at full pace, describing the gathering as a “historic” meeting.
In response to a question about the status of Turkish earthquake survivors staying in Canada on the TS2023 visa, Fidan said the two sides have discussed all visa-related matters in their meeting.
For her part, Anand said Canada is discussing nuclear energy cooperation and working toward a free trade agreement with Türkiye.
She added that conversations on possible nuclear energy cooperation are “in early days.”
In a later statement, Fidan said his two-day visit to Ottawa and Toronto, the first official bilateral visit by a Turkish foreign minister to Canada, produced productive talks that underscored the growing momentum in bilateral ties.
Thanking his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand for her hospitality, Fidan said the two countries are advancing toward a stronger partnership in line with the vision set by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
He said the sides reviewed ongoing cooperation in trade, investment, transportation and the defense industry, while working to finalize a Türkiye-Canada Free Trade Agreement as soon as possible.
Fidan also identified civilian nuclear energy as a promising area for cooperation, noting that the two ministers visited the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station near Toronto to discuss potential joint initiatives. During the visit, Fidan also met with Turkish business leaders and representatives of the Turkish and Muslim communities in Canada, reaffirming Ankara’s commitment to elevating relations with its NATO ally to a strategic level through continued high-level engagement.
Slovenia and Türkiye expressed interest in preparing a new action plan to further strengthen their strategic partnership and expand economic cooperation during talks on the sidelines of the Dubrovnik Forum, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said.
According to a statement posted on the ministry’s X account on Friday, Slovenian State Secretary Tone Kajzer met Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay, with the two officials also exchanging views on current foreign policy issues.
“Dialogue, cooperation and diplomacy remain the only path to the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” Kajzer said following the meeting.
Türkiye and Slovenia established a strategic partnership in 2011 after then-Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor visited Türkiye and signed a bilateral agreement with Turkish leaders.
Many sectors, such as energy, logistics, health, construction, telecommunications, security, energy, oil and gas, transportation, steel construction, logistics and storage, aluminum and metal, defense and aviation, have great potential for further development of cooperation between the two countries.
The partnership has since supported closer political dialogue, economic cooperation and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
The framework was renewed through a 2024-2026 action plan, and both governments marked the partnership’s 15th anniversary in March 2026 with joint statements reaffirming their commitment to peace, stability and shared prosperity.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand and visited the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Toronto on Thursday as part of an official visit to Canada, Turkish officials said.
Fidan arrived in Canada for a series of official meetings aimed at strengthening bilateral contacts between Ankara and Ottawa. During his visit, he met Anand in Toronto before the two ministers toured the Darlington nuclear facility and received briefings on the site.
The visit came as Türkiye seeks to expand international cooperation in strategic sectors, including energy, technology and trade.
Türkiye is seeking to expand its nuclear power capacity beyond the four-reactor Akkuyu plant, which is being built by Russia’s state-owned nuclear company Rosatom in the southern Mersin province and is expected to begin generating electricity later this year.
Ankara plans to construct two additional large-scale nuclear power plants, one in Sinop on the Black Sea coast and in the Thrace region, with negotiations continuing with South Korea for a second facility and discussions with Canada accelerating in recent months for a third project.
Fidan also met Şima Açan, a Canadian Parliament member of Turkish descent representing Oakville West, according to a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry on NSosyal social media account.
As part of his Toronto program, Fidan also held talks with Turkish businesspeople based in Canada. He later attended an event organized by the Union of International Democrats titled “Türkiye’s Foreign Policy in an Age of Global Uncertainties,” where he met representatives of Turkish and Muslim communities living in Canada.
Preparations intensified across the Turkish capital ahead of the 36th NATO summit on July 7-8, with authorities rolling out extensive security, traffic and logistical measures as Ankara prepares to host dozens of heads of state and government.
Workers continued installing summit-themed billboards and landscaping along the main protocol route linking Esenboğa Airport to the Presidential Complex. Large signs carrying the slogans “The Key to Peace,” “The Key to Security” and “A Shared Future in Peace” were placed along Turgut Özal Boulevard, one of the main arteries expected to be used by official delegations.
Additional billboards promoting Türkiye’s hosting of the COP31 U.N. Climate Change Conference and showcasing domestically developed defense systems, including the TCG Anadolu amphibious assault ship, the Tayfun ballistic missile and the HÜRJET advanced jet trainer, were also installed along the route.
The Ankara Governor’s Office on Thursday announced a series of temporary road closures and traffic restrictions to ensure the security of summit participants and maintain public order during the high-level gathering.
According to the governor’s office, roads surrounding the Presidential Complex, where the summit meetings will take place, will remain closed to vehicle traffic from 7 a.m. on July 7 until 11:59 p.m. on July 8. Parking will also be prohibited along designated routes, with improperly parked vehicles subject to removal.
Authorities said additional restrictions would be implemented around hotels hosting foreign delegations beginning July 6. Temporary road closures will also be enforced during motorcade movements, while alternative routes have been identified for local traffic. Detailed maps of restricted areas and alternative roads have been published through the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications.
Health officials also sought to reassure residents that public services would continue uninterrupted throughout the summit.
The Ankara Provincial Health Directorate said hospitals and health care facilities across the city would continue operating at full capacity, including emergency departments, operating rooms, intensive care units and inpatient services.
Officials said appointment schedules within the Central Physician Appointment System (MHRS) had been adjusted to account for possible traffic congestion and to ensure uninterrupted access to health care services.
“The measures taken during international events such as the NATO summit are routine practices that comply with international standards,” the health directorate said in a statement, adding that the planning reflects Türkiye’s organizational capacity while protecting citizens’ access to medical services.
DMM denies false claims
Meanwhile, Turkish authorities rejected several claims circulating on social media regarding security arrangements for the summit.
The Presidency’s Directorate of Communications’ Center for Countering Disinformation (DMM) denied allegations that barriers and temporary panels erected along parts of the summit route were intended to conceal buildings or informal housing areas from visiting leaders.
The center said the installations were standard security and logistical measures routinely implemented during major international events, including NATO, G-20 and U.N. summits. It said physical barriers are commonly used to reduce security risks, facilitate the movement of official delegations and minimize environmental and traffic disruptions.
The DMM also dismissed claims that Ankara’s Dikmen Valley and Botanik Park would be closed to the public to accommodate a morning walk by French President Emmanuel Macron.
In a statement, the center described the reports as “completely unfounded,” saying no decision or plan existed to restrict public access to either park for that purpose.
Officials urged the public not to rely on what they described as misleading social media posts intended to create confusion ahead of the summit.
Türkiye will host NATO leaders in Ankara at a time when the alliance faces growing security challenges, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, instability across the Middle East and increasing emphasis on defense spending and industrial cooperation.
Some 40,000 security personnel, including police and gendarmerie officers, will be tasked with the security of the summit. Along with uniformed officers, plainclothes officers will be in charge of security in Ankara.
In addition to CCTV cameras across the city, authorities will install high-tech “observer cams” at 100 critical locations during the summit.
Preparations are being made for the needs of at least 6,000 people who will attend the summit.
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