Politics
Turkish officials map 1st commission in PKK dissolution process
Turkish officials are starting to map out the first steps in the dissolution of the PKK after the terrorist group began disarming to end its four-decadelong terror campaign last week.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş on Friday received the representatives of political parties, including ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which oversaw the talks with the PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan.
“Kurtulmuş and the deputy coordinators of the political parties discussed the working method and process of the commission that will be established and hold its first meeting in the coming days for the terror-free Türkiye initiative,” a statement from the Parliament said.
The party representatives conveyed their views on the process.
The Good Party (IP) will not be providing members to the commission or participating in its work, Deputy Chair Buğra Kavuncu told Kurtulmuş, according to the statement.
Kurtulmuş stressed the key responsibilities Parliament will take on for the construction of a terror-free Türkiye, during which it’s vital that all parties demonstrate a united approach, the statement said.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched last year by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, who called on Öcalan to appeal to the PKK to lay down arms.
Soon, his call evolved into a new initiative that saw DEM Party lawmakers visiting Öcalan in the island prison where he is incarcerated in the Marmara Sea. As a result and in a landmark development, the PKK in May announced its dissolution and the end of its four-decade terror campaign that cost tens of thousands of lives in Türkiye, as well as in Iraq and Syria.
Most recently, in a ceremony across the border in Iraq last week, PKK members destroyed their weapons as part of a peace process.
“Yesterday, the 47-year-old scourge of terror has, God willing, entered the process of ending,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said upon the developments. “Today is a new day; the doors of a great, powerful Türkiye have been flung wide open.”
The Turkish president promised tight oversight of the PKK disarmament process and warned Ankara would respond firmly in case the process fails.
Türkiye on Thursday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives caused by heavy rains and flash floods in Pakistan’s Punjab province, extending heartfelt condolences to the people and government of the country.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to heavy rains and floods in Punjab province of Pakistan,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry conveyed Türkiye’s solidarity with its “brotherly” nation, saying, “We wish Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives and extend our condolences to the people of Pakistan.”
Monsoon rains have triggered severe flooding in parts of Punjab in recent days, leading to dozens of fatalities and widespread damage. Emergency efforts are underway as authorities continue rescue and relief operations.
Türkiye and Pakistan enjoy favorable relations. The High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) is the primary platform at the leadership level, which has been instrumental in further cementing bilateral relations.
Ankara and Islamabad have also strengthened bilateral defense and security cooperation in recent years.
Over 150 Daesh suspects have been arrested in counterterrorism operations across 28 provinces in Türkiye, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Friday.
Yerlikaya wrote on social media that the operations were carried out in Adana, Antalya, Aydın, Bursa, Çankırı, Çorum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, İstanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kastamonu, Kırşehir, Kocaeli, Kütahya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Nevşehir, Osmaniye, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Yalova and Zonguldak provinces.
“In operations conducted by our gendarmerie against the Daesh terrorist organization in 28 provinces over the past two weeks, 153 suspected terrorists were apprehended. The operations determined that the suspects were terrorist members, had ties to the terrorist organization, financed aid payments and engaged in terrorist propaganda through their social media accounts,” he said.
Yerlikaya pointed out that the fight against terrorism is not limited only to security forces on the ground but is led with a complex structure including security, intelligence, communication and international cooperation.
Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Türkiye, which faces security risks from multiple terrorist groups and was one of the first countries to declare it a terrorist group in 2013.
In December last year, Turkish security forces detained 32 suspects over alleged links with Daesh who were planning attacks on churches and synagogues as well as the Iraqi Embassy.
Terrorists from Daesh and other groups, such as the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye.
Turkish authorities have ordered the freezing of millions of lira worth of assets since 2013 to crack down on terrorism financiers in line with United Nations sanctions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Türkiye-Russia bilateral ties and regional developments, the Presidential Communications Directorate said Thursday.
In a statement following the call, Erdoğan stressed the significance of resuming a third round of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv and offered to continue hosting future negotiations in Istanbul if both sides agree on suitable dates.
Erdoğan also expressed concern over recent clashes in Syria’s southern Suwayda province after the withdrawal of regime forces, warning that the violence threatens regional stability.
He underscored the importance of respecting Syria’s sovereignty and said Israel must refrain from further violations.
The president also reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to supporting peace and stability in Syria, emphasizing that Ankara aims to help the war-torn country get back on its feet as soon as possible.
For his part, Putin also expressed deep concern over the clashes in Syria’s Suwayda, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Türkiye has detained 15 more suspects linked to alleged corruption at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), authorities said Friday.
The detentions are part of an ongoing investigation by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul into alleged bribery, tender rigging and fraud at the IBB, run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Authorities issued search warrants for 18 people in total in connection with the investigation.
The suspects, charged with bribery and tender rigging, include deputy managers, representatives and purchasing personnel of several construction companies
Police said the search continues for the other three suspects.
Dozens of suspects, including Istanbul’s former mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, have been arrested on charges of “leading a criminal organization,” “membership in a criminal organization,” “extortion,” “bribery,” “aggravated fraud,” “unlawful acquisition of personal data” and “tender rigging” since March.
A barrage of investigations focusing on CHP-run municipalities across Türkiye netted mayors and municipal bureaucrats accused of taking bribes in exchange for building permits, rigging tenders and other forms of corruption involving municipal businesses.
The CHP, which runs Istanbul and more than half of its districts, claims the charges are politically motivated, while authorities highlight that the judiciary is independent of any political influence and point out that some investigations were launched upon complaints by CHP members themselves against mayors and municipal officials.
Although several mayors before him were detained or arrested in corruption probes, the arrest of Imamoğlu in March for alleged corruption triggered protests by the CHP.
CHP Chair Özgür Özel led the protests that occasionally descended into all-out riots. Recently, Özel openly threatened an uprising against the democratically elected government if the corruption investigations continue, prompting outcry from CHP critics who accused him of attempting to instigate a coup.
Imamoğlu, who is declared a future presidential candidate by the CHP after his arrest, faces a spate of accusations alongside corruption charges, including forging his university diploma, and insulting and threatening prosecutors who investigated him.
The former mayor was sentenced to 20 months in prison last week for threatening Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor Akin Gürlek, barely dodging a political ban.
Özel is similarly under investigation for making threats against public and judicial officials due to their duties.
Ankara will continue efforts to develop a “culture of cooperation” between the two sides on the island of Cyprus in good faith and in close consultation with the Turkish Cypriot side in the coming period, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said that the developments since the Geneva meeting in March were evaluated at the informal Cyprus meeting in New York.
Keçeli noted that the desired level of progress has been achieved in establishing the Youth Technical Committee, restoring cemeteries, and addressing environmental and climate change issues.
He also said that the parties are very close to reaching an agreement that will allow work to begin on the island’s mine clearance issue, with only some technical details remaining to be finalized.
Keçeli added that despite all the efforts of the U.N. and the constructive efforts of the Turkish side, progress has not yet been achieved on the remaining two of the six topics identified in March: the opening of four new border gates and solar power electricity generation in the buffer zone.
“While the Turkish side, in good faith, accepted the U.N.’s proposed compromise regarding the border gates, the Greek Cypriot side’s insistence on new conditions at every stage, its failure to keep its promises, and its persistent rehashing of proposals it has repeated for years and which have not been accepted have made it impossible to reach a conclusion,” he said, indicating that the Greek Cypriot side’s also hindered progress on solar power electricity generation in the buffer zone.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday called for a win-win approach to solving the decades-long Cyprus issue as he participated in the “Expanded Format Informal Meeting on Cyprus” in New York.
Fidan participated in the talks alongside Greek and British foreign ministers, as well as leaders from both the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides.
Türkiye’s top diplomat emphasized the need for a realistic and fair solution on the island, based on existing facts, that benefits both communities and contributes to regional and international stability.
“Our approach is constructive,” he said. “President Erdoğan’s vision is clear – we operate on a win-win basis, always with empathy for the other side. But we cannot accept any formula that ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots.”
Fidan criticized the longstanding status quo on the island for disregarding Turkish rights and added that even the United Nations acknowledges many of Türkiye’s positions.
“We are not a country that avoids negotiations or rational dialogue,” Fidan said. “We will continue engaging in talks, and we hope today’s discussions lead to mutually beneficial solutions. We have ideas and scenarios on the table, and we’ll be reviewing decisions from previous meetings and exploring what new agreements may be possible.”
Fidan also participated in a similar informal meeting on Cyprus, held in Geneva this March.
These informal meetings do not represent a continuation of previous negotiation processes, nor the start of a new negotiation process.
At the Geneva meeting, held at Guterres’ request, the sides focused on cooperation areas such as crossing points, demining and environmental issues, with progress achieved on some but stalled on others due to the stance of the Greek Cypriot side.
To advance the process, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, the U.N. secretary-general’s personal envoy on Cyprus, was reappointed in May and has since engaged in multiple visits and consultations with leaders and officials on the island and in Türkiye, Greece, the U.K. and the EU.
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was founded in 1983.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the U.K.
The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a U.N. plan to end the longstanding dispute.
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