The school attacks in Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa had a great impact in the country. Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi made statements on the issue.

Minister Çiftçi included the following statements in his statement:

“The weakening of neighborhood culture, unhealthy peer relationships and social isolation make young people more vulnerable. While in the past, a child’s behavior was the responsibility of not only the family but also the environment, today this sense of common ownership is gradually weakening.

“IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT TEACHERS TAKE A GUIDING ROLE”

This may cause risks that should be detected early to be overlooked. Schools are not only places of academic knowledge, but also centers of character building. It is critical to strengthen guidance services and for teachers to take on a role of not only teaching but also guiding. Effective operation of early warning mechanisms will ensure that risky behaviors are detected in a timely manner. Increasing loneliness, anger management problems and emotional detachment among young people have an important place in the background of such events. Individuals who cannot express themselves and feel that they are not understood become introverted over time and become more open to sudden, destructive reactions. For this reason, expanding psychosocial support systems is not a choice but a necessity.

In the statement made by the Governorship, it was stated that allegations of attacks targeting some schools across the province were detected on various social media accounts on Thursday, April 16, 2026. It was stated in the statement that following the sad events in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş, the posts in question were evaluated meticulously, and it was emphasized that an investigation was immediately initiated by the police units. As a result of the studies carried out, it was reported that the person who shared the posts was identified and detained in a short time.

The statement also said, “Necessary judicial and technical procedures are being carried out meticulously against individuals and accounts that aim to disrupt social peace, exploit public sensitivities and produce provocative content.” Calling on citizens, the Governorship stated that false posts circulating on social media that may cause fear and panic should not be relied upon, and pointed out the importance of only considering statements made from official sources. It was stated that security forces are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to maintain peace and security in the province.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the following in his speech here:

It is my great pleasure to host you in Türkiye on the occasion of the 152nd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. You are all welcome and honored to our beautiful Istanbul, which connects continents and cultures and brings colors and motifs together in the same pattern. I would like to express my gratitude to all our guests from approximately 155 countries from Asia to Africa, from Latin America to Europe, who attended the General Assembly and honored our program. On behalf of my 86 million citizens, I send my greetings and love to all of our friendly and brotherly people whose will you represent. I would like to express at the beginning of my remarks how pleased we are, as Türkiye and Istanbul, to host the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union once again.

I hope that the 152nd General Assembly, convened with the theme of “Growing hope for future generations, ensuring peace and ensuring justice”, will be beneficial for all humanity. Decisions to be taken and discussions to be held within the scope of the General Assembly; The findings, criticisms and proposals herein; Likewise, I hope that the committee meetings, forum sessions and side events to be held will further strengthen the friendship and solidarity between us and contribute to the solution of the current crises, especially the atrocities in Gaza. I also congratulate our Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, our esteemed Speaker and our members of parliament for successfully hosting the first General Assembly of 2026. Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Martin Chungong, who has successfully served as Secretary General for 12 years, for his contributions to the union, and I wish success to our friend who will take over this important duty.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union has been performing a very important function for 137 years. This evening, I would like to thank you once again, the valuable members of this union that has opened up to parliamentary democracy with the understanding of “democracy for everyone”. I find the mission undertaken by the union very valuable, based on increasing the opportunities for dialogue and cooperation and intensifying initiatives focused on peace and justice. I wholeheartedly believe that the 152nd General Assembly will make significant contributions to the construction of a more just and secure world, and a future full of peace and tranquility that flourishes with new hopes, on the basis of parliamentary diplomacy.

“Humanitarian aid to Gaza is being blocked”

As esteemed guests, people of wisdom and conscience, we all know this fact very well: The international system established by the victors 80 years ago is today facing a major crisis of legitimacy. The values, principles, rules and practices that form the basis of the system are on the verge of losing their meaning and reputation on a global scale. Unfortunately, the binding provisions of international law have lost their effect on actors who add new wars and crimes against humanity every day. Common sense is suspended, dialogue is disabled; In such an environment where diplomacy and negotiation are replaced by weapons, missiles and bombs, no one is safe.

Look, I would like to express this very clearly here: As Türkiye, the priority of our foreign policy, which we build on human values, is to resolve conflicts by peaceful means, regardless of geography. It is clear that no equation in which the regional countries are not the main actors can respond to the search for peace and security. The essence of the peace initiatives we have undertaken in Gaza, Ukraine, Iran, Africa and many other regions; It is a principled and realistic approach. Of course, parliaments, which are the institutions where the will of the nations are manifested, also have extremely critical responsibilities in this sense. Although the international public opinion shows the will to stop the tragedies in the Middle East, we witness that governments are far behind at this point. Here we followed the events of the last two months together. While the world’s focus shifted to the war in Iran, thousands of people lost their lives in the attacks of the Israeli government in Palestine and Lebanon.

More than a million Lebanese were displaced in the same attacks. The number of those killed and forced to migrate is increasing day by day. The Israeli government, which is the biggest obstacle to peace and tranquility for its own people, Palestine and our region, does not stop and cannot be stopped despite all the efforts of the international community. I think we need to think long and hard about this. The same violation of law and rule continues in Palestine. Israeli forces have martyred 755 Palestinians and injured 2,100 people since the ceasefire was signed on October 10, 2025. While 73 thousand Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, the number of injured in Gaza has exceeded 172 thousand. The Israeli administration, which does not comply with its commitments within the framework of the ceasefire, also prevents humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. The aggressive policies against Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the West Bank, as well as the illegal settler terrorism, continue with all their violence.

Israel, which has openly voiced its plan to turn the West Bank into the new Gaza, is seeking to revive the shame of apartheid in South Africa, 32 years after its collapse, by imposing the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners. We think that it is necessary for the world’s parliaments to react in the harshest way against this decision, which was adopted by the Israeli Parliament and will apply only to Palestinians. I invite all parliamentarians to join forces and raise the voice of peace in order to implement the two-state solution, which is the only formula for a just and lasting peace in Palestine, as soon as possible.

SUPPORT FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF SYRIA

Dear guests, the conflict environment in our region; It is the biggest obstacle to the peace and stability that the Syrian people, who have gained freedom after 13.5 years of oppression, deserve. Constructive and continuous support from international actors is needed in the recovery of Syria. We have, and will continue to provide, all the support we can to our Syrian brothers on the basis of national unity and territorial integrity. Likewise, we continue active efforts to ensure tranquility and security in another sister geography, Libya. In this critical period we are going through, it is of great importance that diplomatic efforts to end the Ukrainian war are not interrupted. As the only country that both Russia and Ukraine trust, we continue our sincere efforts to end the war. On the other hand, we appreciate the steps taken towards the construction of a peaceful future where peace and prosperity prevail in the South Caucasus, and we hope that this will set an example for the whole world. It is high time to reach a fair, permanent and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue, which has been on our agenda since 1963. From here, I once again call for an end to the unlawful isolation to which the Turkish Cypriots are subjected, and I would like to express that we expect your support in this regard.

Dear guests, our Africa policy is shaped by the understanding of equal partnership; It is getting stronger day by day with the support of friendly and brotherly African countries. However, the conflicts in Sudan deeply hurt us, just like our African brothers. We support all diplomatic efforts to end instability in Sudan. We are particularly pleased with the contribution of the steps taken to solve the problems with Ethiopia to reducing tensions in the Horn of Africa. Our support for the territorial integrity and development of Somalia, which has made significant progress towards stability and security in recent years, continues. Ensuring stability and security throughout Africa, including the Sahel region, is our common goal. In cooperation with our African friends, we will continue to provide all the support needed to help the continent achieve a brighter future. With these thoughts, I hope that the 152nd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union will once again be beneficial. I would like to thank you, my dear friends, for honoring our program. We greet you all with love and respect; I hope to meet again. Stay healthy.

The lifeless body of Narin Güran, who disappeared on August 21, 2024 in the rural Tavşantepe District of Bağlar district, was found in a sack in the stream bed on September 8, on the 19th day of the search, covered with 3 stones weighing 30, 25 and 20 kilograms and hidden by bushes. During the investigation into Narin’s death, a lawsuit was filed at Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court against her uncle Salim Güran, her mother Yüksel Güran, her older brother Enes Güran and their neighbor Nevzat Bahtiyar, who was determined to have taken Narin’s lifeless body to the creek area in a red vehicle from the security camera footage.

Aggravated life imprisonment was requested for uncle Salim Güran, mother Yüksel Güran and elder brother Enes Güran, whose vehicle contained Narin’s DNA and hair sample, along with their neighbor Nevzat Bahtiyar, for the crime of ‘intentional murder of a child in participation’. In his statement after he was taken into custody, Nevzat Bahtiyar claimed that he did not kill Narin, but only carried her lifeless body to the stream and hid it. In the second hearing of the case held on December 28, 2024, the court sentenced Salim, Yüksel and Enes Güran to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of “intentional murder of a child in the event of participation”, and Nevzat Bahtiyar was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for the crime of “destroying, concealing or altering criminal evidence”.

APPEAL APPROVED THE PENALTIES BY MAJORITY VOTE

The lawyers of the detained defendants, the lawyers of the father Arif Güran, the Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Diyarbakır Bar Association appealed after the decision. The decision was made on May 26, 2025 in the file sent to the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Diyarbakır Regional Court of Justice by the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court. In the decision, the chamber approved the prison sentences given to the 4 defendants by majority vote. The presiding judge made a dissenting opinion, stating that the camera records, base reports, DNA findings, PSA and hair samples were incompletely examined.

BREAKING NEWS: A decision was made in the murder of Narin Güran: Nevzat Bahtiyar was sentenced to 17 years in prison! | Video

The President emphasized that the acceptance that the mother, brother and uncle committed the murder together in a short time was contrary to the normal flow of life, that Nevzat Bahtiyar’s movements in particular should be clarified with detailed video analysis, and that the evidence was evaluated insufficiently scientifically. In the notification it prepared, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court of Appeals stated that the aggravated life sentence given to the defendants Salim, Yüksel and Enes Güran and the prison sentence given to Nevzat Bahtiyar were in accordance with the law and requested the approval of the decision. After the opinion, the file was sent to the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals.

The Weekly Press Information Meeting of the Ministry of National Defense was held at MSÜ Istanbul Rectorate Campus by Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, Ministry of National Defense Press and Public Relations Advisor and Ministry Spokesperson. The following statements were used in the press release: Within our university; While the qualified officers needed by our Turkish Armed Forces are being trained through the Army, Naval and Air Force Academy and War Institutes, scientific studies are carried out in the field of defense and security through research institutes, knowledge production and doctrinal development are contributed, the language proficiency of the personnel is improved through the School of Foreign Languages, and non-commissioned officers with technical knowledge and skills and high duty awareness are trained through the NCO vocational schools; This comprehensive and holistic structure ensures the continuity of qualified human resources that increase the effectiveness of our Turkish Armed Forces.

WE INVITE ALL YOUTH

Our National Defense University, a value that inspires the future by nourishing the roots of our past; It strengthens the strength of our Turkish Armed Forces by training the leading personnel of our land, naval and air forces who will effectively use the advanced technology systems of our local and national defense industry, and invites all young people who want to join this honorable march.

84 THOUSAND CANDIDATES APPLIED IN THREE WEEKS

Approximately 84 thousand candidates completed their preferences within the scope of the 2026 National Defense University Military Academy and Petty Officer Vocational Schools Military Student Candidate Selection Procedures, which started on March 25, in a three-week period. The intense interest shown to our National Defense University is one of the most concrete indicators of the trust our nation has in our Turkish Armed Forces. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our candidates and their precious families and remind them that the selection process will be completed on April 24.

On the other hand, applications for Contracted IT Personnel Supply to the Ministry of National Defense for 2026 will start tomorrow (April 17) and end on May 4. Within the scope of Regional Career Fairs; It is planned to participate in the Aegean Career Fair in Aydın on 15-16 April, and the Eastern Black Sea Career Fair in Trabzon on 21-22 April. The classification results of the reserve officer/petty officer candidates and privates who will be recruited in the April, June and July 2026 periods will be available from the e-Government portal, military branches and the Ministry of National Defense Mobile application as of tomorrow (April 17).

TRAINING-DRILL ACTIVITIES

Our Turkish Armed Forces; It continues to improve its operational capability through national and international training and exercise activities, and to increase its effectiveness and deterrence by taking its modern warfare capabilities to an advanced level. Blue Homeland-2026, which was held in the Black Sea, Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean between 3-9 April, and Turkey-Pakistan Joint Commando and Special Force (Cinnah-13) exercises, which were held in Isparta and Ankara between 29 March and 9 April, were successfully completed. The Turkey-Azerbaijan Haydar Aliyev Active Firing Joint Battalion Task Force Exercise, which started on April 2, will continue in Kars until April 22, and the International Anatolian Phoenix Exercise in Konya, where 4 countries participated in the actual shooting and 14 countries participated as observers, will be completed tomorrow (April 17).

Our esteemed Chief of General Staff, together with his force commanders, participated in the Actual Firing Phase of the Blue Homeland Exercise on April 9, and the Distinguished Observer Day of the International Anatolian Phoenix Exercise on April 14. The Distinguished Observer Day activities of the Computer Aided Command Post Phase of the EFES-2026 Combined Joint Operation Exercise, which was carried out between 11-17 April under the coordination of the Aegean Army Command, were held in Istanbul yesterday (April 15) and are being carried out in Izmir today. The actual phase of the EFES Exercise will be held in Izmir between 20 April and 21 May. Dynamic Minotaur/Kurtaran Submarine Search and Rescue Exercise is hosted by our country and is being held in the Eastern Mediterranean between 15-21 April with the participation of 20 countries. The Distinguished Observer Day of the exercise will be held on April 20 at TCG Alemdar.

ÇAĞRI BEY DRILLING SHIP IN SOMALIA

In addition, we are participating in the Flintlock Exercise held in Libya and Ivory Coast between 13 April and 1 May, and it is planned to participate in the Locked Shields Exercise, which will be held with on-site participation between 20-24 April. Regarding the visits of foreign military ships to our ports; Port visits are made to Antalya by the French Naval Forces element Provence between 13-17 April, to Mersin by the Bangladesh Naval Forces Sangram between 14 April and 5 May within the scope of the United Nations Interim Task Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission, and to Izmir by the Albanian Naval Forces element Oriku between 16-19 April within the scope of the NATO Standing Naval Task Group-2 (SNMG-2) mission.

TCG Gaziantep, TCG Bayraktar, TCG Bartın and TCG Lieutenant Güngör Durmuş and Çağrı Bey Drilling Ship and accompanying support ships arrived in Mogadishu/Somalia on 9-10 April. Our TCG Gaziantep frigate and TCG Lt. Güngör Durmuş fuel oil ship continue their escort and protection mission to the Çağrı Bey Drilling Ship off the coast of Somalia. Within the scope of the Vienna Document, representatives of the member countries of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe visited our 1st Main Jet Base Command located in Eskişehir and our Artillery and Missile School Command in Ankara/Polatlı between 6-10 April. Our Air Forces Command is participating in the Space Symposium held in the USA between 13-16 April and the Air Defense Conference held in the Czech Republic between 14-17 April. We congratulate once again our students from the Military Academy and Petty Officer Vocational Schools who participated and won the Serik Triathlon Turkish Cup competition held in Antalya between 10-12 April on behalf of the Turkish Armed Forces, and our athletes who became the first in the 57 kilo elite women category and the Turkish Champion in the Mae Muay category in the Muaythai Turkey Championship held in Mersin between 7-12 April.

THE NUMBER OF TERRORISTS WHO SURRENDERED WAS 75

Our Turkish Armed Forces; to fight against terrorism, to protect our borders; It continues to ensure the defense and security of our country on land, at sea and in the air with determination and determination. In this context, last week; 8 more PKK terrorists have surrendered, thus, the number of terrorists who have surrendered since January 1st has reached 75. Land search and scanning within our borders and beyond; Work on detecting and destroying caves, shelters, shelters, mines and improvised explosives continued. In addition, together with the 4 kilometers of tunnels destroyed in Manbij, the length of the tunnels destroyed in the Syrian Operation Areas was 772 (Tel Rifat: 302 / Manbij 470) kilometers.

BORDER SECURITY

In the last week at our borders, where security has been established at the highest level on a 24/7 basis; 270 people, 17 of whom were members of a terrorist organization, were caught. The number of people caught trying to cross our borders illegally since January 1st was 2 thousand 92, and with 2 thousand 625 people blocked, the number of people blocked this year reached 22 thousand 617. Also during the week; A total of 167 kilograms of drugs were seized during the search and screening activities carried out along the Hakkari, Van and Iğdır border lines.

TURKISH F-16s FLYED IN SOMALIA

Our Turkish Armed Forces, which serve effectively in a wide geography within the scope of bilateral relations and international missions; It continues to make strong and sustainable contributions to regional and global peace, security and stability. Within the scope of the “Framework Agreement on Defense and Economic Cooperation”, F-16 warplanes and ATAK and Cougar helicopters that we deployed to Somalia made a greeting flight at the ceremony held in Mogadishu on April 12, on the occasion of the anniversary of the establishment of the Somali National Army. On this occasion, we once again celebrate the 66th anniversary of the National Army of our friendly and brotherly country, Somalia.

ISRAEL IS HARMING THE STABILITY OF THE REGION

Within the scope of developments in the Middle East; We will continue to provide our best support in order to transform the ongoing temporary ceasefire into a permanent ceasefire before it becomes more complex and difficult to manage, and ultimately to achieve permanent peace. We hope that this war, whose global as well as regional effects are felt more and more every day, will be ended as soon as possible and that the parties will be constructive in the ongoing negotiation process. On the other hand, Israel’s attacks, which are a part of its regional expansionism, continue. The attacks in Lebanon harm not only the territorial integrity of Lebanon, but also the stability and peace of the region, and disrupt the ongoing negotiation process. While we welcome the launch of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, we state that Israel’s attacks, which are incompatible with the spirit of negotiation, are the biggest obstacle to achieving positive results.

MINISTER GÜLER’S VISITS

Our Minister, who attended the “Evaluation Meeting” held at our Land Forces Command together with the Command Level on April 11, visited the Ankara Chamber of Commerce and met with the President and Board Members on April 13, and on the same day (April 13), he went to Qatar within the scope of his official visit, made inspections and inspections at the Qatari-Turkish Combined Joint Force Command, and met with our Turkish soldiers for dinner. Our Minister, who continues his Qatar program on April 14; Evkaf and Sharia met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense and was accepted by the Emir of Qatar. Our Minister, who received our athletes who were successful in the International Military Sports Council (CISM) competitions and İlke Özyüksel Mihrioğlu, who was selected as the female athlete of 2025 by the council, on April 15, will attend the “Productivity and Technology Fair” held in Ankara today (April 16), and the Antalya Diplomacy Forum between April 17-19. Our esteemed Chief of General Staff is visiting Germany as the official guest of the German Chief of General Staff between 15-17 April. Our Naval Commander, Admiral Kadir Yıldız, is attending the “11th NATO Naval Operations Commanders Conference” organized by NATO Allied Maritime Command in the United Kingdom between 15-17 April.

NEW WEAPON SYSTEMS IN THE INVENTORY

Within the scope of efforts to further increase the advanced technology equipment and deterrent power of our Turkish Armed Forces, which continues to modernize its defense capabilities with the opportunities offered by our local and national defense industry; In various amounts by our Land Forces Command; The Fırtına-2 howitzer and the Akıncı Attack Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TİHA) were taken into the inventory after the inspection and acceptance activities were completed. Again, various amounts of ACAR 300-G Land and UAV Surveillance Radar were delivered to our Land Forces by ASELSAN. ASFAT and our Machinery and Chemical Industry joint stock companies affiliated with our Ministry are participating in the “Productivity and Technology Fair” held in Ankara between 16-19 April. Our Machinery and Chemical Industry Joint Stock Company, which has implemented a total investment program of 1.5 billion dollars covering the period 2023-2027, with its comprehensive investment program; 155 mm howitzer ammunition, 76 mm Denizhan National Naval Gun, artillery and 2.75 inch rocket; It will significantly increase the production capacity of 60, 81 and 120 mm mortar ammunition, tank and howitzer weapon systems, sniper cartridges and light caliber weapons. The Hüseyin Kahya Energetic Materials Factory in Kırıkkale, which is planned to start production in 2026, will produce many strategic explosives, especially nitrocellulose, gunpowder and rocket fuels, and the production of energetic materials such as Concentrated Nitric Acid and Solid TNT will be realized for the first time. will be passed, thus Türkiye’s foreign dependency on explosive raw materials will be completely ended. As a result, our Turkish Armed Forces; It will continue to be effective, deterrent and ready in every field, from border security to the fight against terrorism, to the protection of our rights and interests in the Blue and Sky Homeland, and to fulfill its entrusted duties and responsibilities with perseverance, determination and success.