Politics
Barzani meets Syrian President amid YPG’s integration
The leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Nechirvan Barzani met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday, marking the first such visit by a KRG leader to post-Assad Syria. Sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the talks focused on the integration agreement between Damascus and the YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist group, which has operated a de facto autonomous enclave in Syria.
Syrian state news agency SANA said al-Sharaa received Barzani at the Presidential Palace in Damascus.
The YPG and the security forces of Syria’s new administration clashed last January after the terrorist group reneged on an agreement to integrate into Syria’s new state institutions. The group later reached a new agreement with Damascus following further advances by Syrian security forces. Amid the clashes, Barzani received Ferhat Abdi Şahin, the leader of the YPG, in the KRG regional capital of Irbil during a U.S.-backed meeting.
Al-Sharaa’s office said he and Barzani discussed “strengthening cooperation and coordination, especially in the economic sphere … in a way that contributes to supporting security and stability.”
The Syrian president and Barzani first met on April 11, 2025, on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye. They met again on April 17, 2026, during the fifth edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
A Syrian official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the two leaders would discuss the January agreement and “procedures for integrating” the YPG into the state. A Syrian diplomatic source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the one-day visit would mainly focus on “following up on the agreement between the state and the YPG.” Barzani may also meet Şahin, the diplomatic source added.
The January fighting and the subsequent agreement shattered the YPG’s aspirations for autonomy across swathes of northern and northeastern Syria that it had controlled for years during the country’s civil war.
Damascus and the YPG have taken several steps since the agreement, including the deployment of government forces to the cities of Hasakeh and Qamishli and the transfer of the management of Qamishli Airport and key oil fields to the state.
Senior YPG member Sipan Hamo was appointed regional assistant defense minister.
However, differences between the two sides have delayed the integration of several YPG units into the Syrian army.
The agreement also provided for the return of displaced Syrian Kurds to their areas of origin, although some are still waiting to return. Barzani welcomed the agreement at the time and expressed hope that it would pave the way for “the protection of the rights of the Kurds … in the forthcoming constitution.”
The U.S.-Iran war and its repercussions in the wider region were the main topic of a phone call between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Kuwaiti counterpart Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Monday.
No further details regarding the phone call were provided, according to the diplomatic sources.
On Saturday, Kuwait said its army destroyed Iranian drones after attacks targeted a government facility, as well as civilian vehicles, on Bubiyan Island, causing material damage but no casualties. Defense Ministry spokesman Saud Al Atwan said the armed forces had detected “hostile drones” in Kuwaiti airspace since early Saturday and “destroyed them.”
He said the “Iranian aggression” targeted several vital installations, including a government facility in northern Kuwait and vehicles belonging to a civilian company on the island. Falling debris caused material damage, but no injuries were reported, Al Atwan added.
Regional tensions have escalated since February, when the U.S. and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran and Tehran responded with missile and drone strikes targeting Gulf countries hosting US military assets.
Pakistani government sources told Anadolu on Monday that “no date or venue” has yet been finalized for the resumption of long-stalled direct talks between the U.S. and Iran aimed at ending their monthslong war.
U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier that new negotiations with Tehran would begin Monday afternoon after he decided to delay strikes on Iran, while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that Tehran was not engaged in negotiations with Washington.
The divided island of Cyprus is once again under the spotlight following a landmark visit by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The visit signaled renewed momentum toward resolving the decades-old Cyprus issue, but Ankara appears to be remaining vigilant against any potential threats.
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler underlined that the military readiness status of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is being updated in response to developments on the island of Cyprus. He was responding to a question from an opposition lawmaker regarding NATO’s new security architecture and how Türkiye would respond to growing cooperation among the United States, Israel, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In his written response, Güler emphasized that Türkiye is closely analyzing developments on the island and in the wider region, including Israel’s activities in areas controlled by the Greek Cypriot administration, as well as their potential implications. He noted that the necessary military and political measures continue to be taken against all possible threats.
“In this context, while taking care to preserve the sensitive balance on the island, our military readiness is being meticulously updated to ensure the security of Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC),” he stated.
Türkiye is a guarantor state for the TRNC, while Greece and the United Kingdom also serve as guarantor powers in efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue. Turkish troops are stationed on the island, which is divided by a U.N. buffer zone, to prevent a repeat of hostilities between Turkish and Greek Cypriots.
In 1974, Türkiye launched the Cyprus Peace Operation to protect Turkish Cypriots from escalating attacks by Greek Cypriot groups and has remained a steadfast supporter of the TRNC, which is not internationally recognized, unlike the Greek Cypriot administration. Following his visit, Guterres announced that the relevant parties were willing to hold new talks on the issue with the participation of the guarantor states, although no concrete plan or breakthrough is expected in the near future.
In addition to its military presence, Türkiye supports the TRNC in protecting its national interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, including safeguarding its maritime boundaries and rights to offshore hydrocarbon resources. For this purpose, it recently launched a monitoring station on the island to help detect violations of maritime boundaries.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday said Ankara would continue supporting Turkish Cypriots and announced new infrastructure projects for the TRNC.
“No initiative that ignores the sovereign equality, rights and legitimate interests of Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean can succeed,” Erdoğan said after chairing a Cabinet meeting.
Recalling events marking the 52nd anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation on July 20, Erdoğan described the operation as “a historic turning point” that secured the existence, freedom and security of Turkish Cypriots.
He said Türkiye, acting under its rights and responsibilities as a guarantor power under international agreements, had ended the suffering of Turkish Cypriots and “helped establish peace and stability on the island.”
He said the Cyprus issue extends beyond a technical power-sharing dispute between two communities and centers on the recognition of the Turkish Cypriots’ sovereign equality and equal international status.
“We are closely monitoring every step taken by those seeking to make Cyprus part of new military alignments and geopolitical calculations,” he said.
Erdoğan also welcomed Guterres’ recent visit to the island, the first by a U.N. chief in 16 years, saying Türkiye has consistently supported his peace efforts and will remain in close consultation with him.
He added that proposals seeking to reduce Turkish Cypriots to minority status had repeatedly failed and that only a fair, lasting and sustainable settlement could ensure lasting calm on the island.
Reiterating Ankara’s longstanding support for Turkish Cypriots, Erdoğan said: “Türkiye will never abandon its Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters and will never allow past suffering to be repeated, whatever the cost.”
He said Türkiye would continue major infrastructure investments on the island.
The president stated that Ankara was strengthening cooperation to help the TRNC become a regional leader in tourism, higher education, technology and digital transformation, while promoting development across all sectors and making the Eastern Mediterranean a center of stability and prosperity.
“As we solved the Turkish Cypriots’ water needs in the past, we will continue implementing various projects, especially a subsea natural gas pipeline,” Erdoğan added.
This week is likely to bring new developments in the terror-free Türkiye initiative, which has been underway for the past two years. The Turkish Parliament is expected to begin discussions on a framework law, the next step in the initiative that involves the disarmament and dissolution of the terrorist group PKK.
The law, tied to the confirmation of the PKK’s full disarmament, has been in the works for some time after a parliamentary committee wrapped up its work on the process last year. It primarily concerns the status of PKK members, including incarcerated ones, although authorities have repeatedly underlined that it does not amount to a full amnesty for the group’s members.
Media outlets reported that the framework law would initiate proceedings for the reassessment of the legal status of imprisoned PKK members, though not all would benefit from early release from prison. Each case involving PKK convicts will be evaluated by the judiciary and the Justice Ministry before a final decision is made regarding their status.
The Sabah newspaper reported on Sunday that authorities were also preparing “return and integration mechanisms” for PKK members abroad, including those in Europe and other continents, as well as those based in northern Iraq, where the PKK’s senior leadership is also located.
Security sources speaking to Sabah said the process will be carried out in a controlled manner and within a framework of specific criteria, adding that work is underway on measures aimed at reintegrating individuals into society.
Officials emphasized that before any legal regulations are implemented, a key prerequisite is verification by security forces that the disarmament process has been concretely completed on the ground. The proposed framework law is also expected to provide the legal basis that will be put into effect after the completion of this process.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, two lawmakers from the PKK-aligned Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), along with a lawyer, paid a visit to jailed PKK ringleader Abdullah Öcalan. This was the second visit by the delegation to Öcalan in a month. Öcalan is incarcerated in an island prison between Istanbul and Bursa, and the DEM Party delegation has been a frequent visitor to the prison, relaying his messages to the public.
Also on Sunday, Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the government-allied Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who was among the first political figures in recent years to advocate for a “terror-free Türkiye,” called on all political parties to endorse the new framework law. In remarks published by the Türkgün newspaper, Bahçeli said the issue was “a matter above politics.”
“What we need is a social consensus and a vision that is conciliatory rather than confrontational, unifying rather than divisive, and peaceful rather than conflict-driven, along with the determination to carry Türkiye and the Turkish nation into the future together. We are also at a critical juncture in the legislative process. This issue should be regarded as one that rises above politics, and the framework law should receive full support,” Bahçeli was quoted as saying.
Proponents of the initiative portray it as a move to cement unity between Turks and Kurds. For decades, the PKK exploited the latter while claiming to fight for a Kurdish state.
“The policy of a terror-free Türkiye is one of the most important pillars of the ‘Century of Türkiye’ vision,” Bahçeli said, referring to a series of ambitious reforms proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye that aim to boost the country’s international standing and regional influence.
“This policy represents a commitment to democratization and the determination to carry our thousand-year brotherhood into the next thousand years. A terror-free Türkiye is a historic step taken with the resolve to break the chains of the exploitative order imposed by Western powers, and it is a policy from which there can be no turning back. This is an initiative for which we have put ourselves on the line. We will do everything in our power to make it succeed,” Bahçeli said.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call with his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Friday to discuss the latest developments in the region, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Fidan and Prince Faisal also discussed the efforts to end the ongoing conflicts in the call, the sources added.
The five-month-old Iran war has expanded beyond its main fronts, embroiling additional countries in the region.
Saudi Arabia this week joined the U.S. in carrying out strikes against logistical sites and weapons depots it said belonged to Iran-aligned groups in response to drone attacks on oil facilities and military bases in the country.
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces said 20 of its members were killed and 32 others injured in the airstrikes.
Following the strikes, the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq gave the Iraqi government until mid-August to take firm measures against the “aggressors,” threatening attacks on U.S. and Saudi forces.
The US has also carried out a series of strikes across Iran recently over differences on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran’s targeting of US assets in the region, including in Jordan.
President Donald Trump on Friday said Washington will continue striking Iran “very hard,” and wants to “win” the war that began in February but was paused in April after a cease-fire, and a memorandum to finalize a peace deal was signed in June.
Tensions have also risen between the Houthis in Yemen and Riyadh. The group has struck facilities in Saudi Arabia, and announced a blockade of Saudi-linked commercial vessels through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis said the blockade was in retaliation for an airstrike on Sanaa airport that they blamed on the kingdom.
An Istanbul court on Friday ordered the arrest of Istanbul’s Üsküdar District Mayor Sinem Dedetaş and three other suspects pending trial as part of a corruption investigation into alleged bribery and abuse of office linked to construction and occupancy permits.
Dedetaş, her chief of staff Alihan Koçoğlu, architect Burçin Çevik and contractor Bülent Orhan Tozkoparan were remanded in custody after being referred to court by prosecutors. Two other suspects, Deputy Mayor Ceyhun Ünlü and intermediary Adem Altıntaş, were released under judicial supervision.
The investigation, led by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, centers on allegations that municipal officials manipulated the issuance of building and occupancy permits in exchange for illicit payments.
According to prosecutors, officials at Kent A.Ş., a municipal company, allegedly coordinated the permit process despite having no legal authority to do so. Investigators say the group used an encrypted internal communication network and color-coded spreadsheets to direct municipal staff during the approval process.
Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) findings cited by prosecutors allege that Kent A.Ş. signed a series of sham consultancy agreements with contractors worth a combined TL 1.08 million. Authorities claim the contracts were used to conceal the collection of TL 361.4 million from developers seeking construction permits.
Prosecutors also allege that for larger construction projects, bribes were demanded in U.S. dollars under the coordination of Dedetaş’s adviser, identified only by the initials U.M., and Kent AŞ General Manager N.A. The cash was allegedly delivered in installments inside the Üsküdar municipal building in exchange for occupancy permits issued in violation of regulations.
The investigation was launched following complaints, statements from alleged victims and testimony from suspects. Authorities accuse Dedetaş of bribery, extortion under public authority and establishing and leading a criminal organization.
Police detained six suspects during coordinated raids at 11 locations on July 29. Following questioning and court proceedings, four were formally arrested while two were released under judicial control.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said Friday that Türkiye will continue implementing judicial reforms aimed at accelerating court proceedings, improving access to justice and strengthening the country’s legal system, following the publication of the 12th Judicial Package in the Official Gazette.
In a post on social media, Gürlek said the government remains committed to advancing reforms under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s vision of making the “Century of Türkiye” also the “Century of Justice.”
“We will continue to implement reforms that accelerate the functioning of the judiciary, facilitate citizens’ access to justice and strengthen our legal system,” Gürlek stressed.
He added that the government is pursuing a legal system based on the rule of law that is reliable, accessible and predictable.
Gürlek thanked the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) parliamentary group, lawmakers from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the government’s coalition partner, and everyone who contributed to drafting and passing the legislation.
He also expressed hope that the 12th Judicial Package would benefit the country, the Turkish people and the judiciary.
The legislative package, which includes measures intended to improve the speed, efficiency and effectiveness of judicial services, entered into force after being published in the Official Gazette on Friday.
Among the key provisions, the package introduces a rule limiting the interval between court hearings to a maximum of three months in most cases. It also expands the use of audio and video communication technologies in judicial proceedings, allowing preliminary hearings to be conducted remotely.
The proposal includes measures intended to simplify administrative court procedures and prevent cases from being delayed because of jurisdictional disputes between courts. It also broadens the scope of disputes that can be resolved by a single judge in administrative courts, particularly in cases involving students and public officials.
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