Politics
Erdoğan leads peace diplomacy as Israel-Iran tensions simmer
As Israel and Iran respond to each other’s attacks, which started with Israel’s coordinated strikes across Iran on Friday, Iran’s neighbor and Israel’s chief critic, Türkiye, remains concerned. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan coordinates the response to the developments in the region through intensive phone diplomacy. Erdoğan held talks with leaders from U.S. President Donald Trump to Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian since the attacks and convened a security meeting at the Presidential Complex on Saturday.
Türkiye adheres to its stance that Israel is a primary threat to the region, especially in light of its expansionist policies. Ankara advocates that Israel was emboldened by the inaction of the international community and spread its conflict with the Palestinians to a wider region. This stance was evident in Erdoğan’s talks over the weekend.
Erdoğan told his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, that Türkiye sees nuclear negotiations as the only way to resolve the Israel-Iran conflict, the president’s office said.
According to a statement by his office, Erdoğan told Trump over the phone that Türkiye supports the U.S. view that nuclear negotiations should continue to resolve the dispute and Ankara’s readiness “to do everything it can to prevent uncontrolled escalation of the tension.”
The two leaders discussed the Israel-Iran conflict and regional and global issues, according to the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications. President Erdoğan said Türkiye is closely monitoring the tension between Iran and Israel, adding that it sees talks over Iran’s nuclear program as “the only way” to resolve the dispute. He “expressed support for the U.S. position that nuclear negotiations should continue to resolve the issue.” Trump has also urged Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program before it is too late. However, the sixth round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington which was scheduled for Sunday in Muscat was canceled.
‘Devastating war’
Erdoğan also warned against a “devastating war” that could trigger a refugee crisis, in a series of calls to regional leaders, his office added. Speaking to his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, Erdoğan said that Israel was seeking “to drag the whole region into the fire,” according to a statement from the Turkish Presidency. This viewpoint echoes Türkiye’s earlier concern about Israel’s expansionist policies after Israeli security forces targeted Lebanon and killed the Hezbollah leaders in a series of attacks and assassinations.
To Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Erdoğan said: “Our region cannot tolerate another crisis, and a devastating war could create waves of irregular migration toward all the countries in the region.” Türkiye already hosts millions of Syrians, who fled their civil war, as well as Iranians seeking lives away from their country’s authoritarian rulers. The influx has created political tensions in Türkiye.
Erdoğan told Saudi Arabia’s prince that Israel needed “to be stopped,” calling it “the main threat to stability and security in the region,” the statement from the Presidency said. The issue of Iran’s nuclear program “can only be resolved through negotiations,” he added. “The fact that the international community has closed its eyes to the occupation and genocide in Palestine has led Israel to this level of flouting the law and its aggression,” Erdoğan was quoted as saying.
In talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Erdoğan said the cycle of violence caused by Israel threatens the region, emphasizing the importance of Syria staying out of the conflict. The Turkish president stressed the need for heightened vigilance against terrorist groups and radical elements in the current climate of Israeli aggression. Syria already faces an Israeli threat as the latter made an incursion into the country following the fall of the Assad regime last December and seized parts of the Golan Heights between the two countries. Israel also continued bombings of several locations within Syria after al-Sharaa-led forces toppled the Assad regime.
Erdoğan also spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
He told Egypt’s el-Sissi that Israel’s attacks “seriously” harm regional security and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawlessness threatens global stability, Türkiye’s communications directorate said on X. Erdoğan said the Netanyahu government’s disregard for international law poses a global threat to stability.
Stressing that the region cannot afford another crisis, Erdoğan warned that Israel is trying to derail efforts for a nuclear deal with Iran. He underlined the importance of continuing the talks, which are mediated by Oman, and urged that Israel’s attacks on Iran should not be allowed to overshadow the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
In talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Erdoğan warned that Israel’s attacks on Iran constitute a provocation that could seriously harm the region’s security, stressing that “the aggressive and lawless stance” of Israel and the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu creates a global issue for stability and security. Noting that the global community’s silence on the occupation and genocide in Palestine has enabled Israel’s aggression to escalate to this level, Erdoğan said these attacks undermine efforts to resolve the issue over Iran’s nuclear program. Any potential nuclear leakage resulting from Israel’s strikes threatens civilians as well as regional and global health – an issue Israel is disregarding, he added. Stressing that the region cannot tolerate another crisis, President Erdoğan said continuing nuclear talks is the only way to resolve the conflict. The Turkish leader also urged that these attacks should not overshadow the Palestinian cause.
Silence over occupation and genocide in Palestine has empowered Israel’s actions in Iran, Erdoğan told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a phone call, said Türkiye’s communications directorate on X.
Israel’s attacks on Iran are “unacceptable,” he said, adding the attacks have seriously damaged regional security, Tel Aviv poses a threat to global stability and security, he warned. He also noted that the attacks by Israel undermine efforts to resolve Iran’s nuclear program. He highlighted the importance of not allowing Israel to use these attacks to overshadow the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X that the two agreed that “Israel’s unprovoked aggression against Iran” was “a blatant violation of international law and a threat to regional peace.”
On Sunday, Erdoğan held a phone call with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. The president and the sultan discussed the conflict, as well as regional and global issues, media reports said.
Also on Saturday, Erdoğan chaired a security meeting.
At the meeting, the conflict sparked by Israel’s attacks was thoroughly discussed from all angles, the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications said.
The session addressed the impact of Israeli attacks on regional and global security, along with Türkiye’s possible contingency measures.
“The security meeting addressed Israel’s expanding aggression, diplomatic efforts to end the conflicts, the attacks’ global and regional security impacts, necessary measures and Türkiye’s preparations for potential developments,” the communications directorate said.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, head of the intelligence organization Ibrahim Kalın and Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) were among the officials who attended the meeting.
In the aftermath of Israel’s attacks on Iran on Friday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a similar meeting with Kalın and Güler and stated that Israel must immediately abandon its strategy to destabilize the region. In a post on X after the four-hour security meeting, Fidan said that Ankara had been in close contact with the U.S., Iran, Iraq and Jordan. He added that Türkiye had taken necessary measures at the highest level against regional security risks.
Media outlets reported that Türkiye has been monitoring the activity of Israeli warplanes since the first attack, and authorities regularly briefed Erdoğan on the developments. After the attacks on Iran, Fidan talked with his counterparts in Azerbaijan, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon about the situation. The countries reportedly agreed to share information directly about the developments.
Türkiye maintains good ties with Iran, while its relations with Israel sharply deteriorated after the renewed Palestine-Israel conflict in 2023, at a time of debate on whether to normalize ties between Ankara and Tel Aviv, which was harmed by Israel’s aggression targeting Palestinians, particularly Gaza, in the past.
Iranian influx denied
Another fallout of the conflict may be an influx of Iranians fleeing the attacks, as speculated on Turkish social media. Though this might be true if the conflict escalates and forces the displacement of Iranians, Türkiye denied claims that a wave of migrants is heading to Türkiye already. The Presidency’s Directorate of Communication’s Center for Countering Disinformation said in a recent statement that the reports were untrue and aimed to disseminate disinformation. The center noted that the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of migration, confirmed no unusual activity on the Turkish-Iranian border, nor a change in the pace of irregular migration on the border, which is usually a route for irregular migrants traveling from Asian countries like Afghanistan.
The center said the border is monitored around the clock by security forces utilizing high technology, from thermal cameras to optical towers. “Reports (of the influx) likely aim to stir up speculations, particularly to promote xenophobia and fuel destabilization. Our citizens should not heed such content of disinformation and pay attention only to statements by authorities,” the center said in a statement.
On the contrary, there was an influx of Iranians returning home over the weekend. As airspaces remained closed, Iranian nationals visiting Türkiye and those living there took the long route of land travel. Bus companies in Istanbul, one of the most popular cities for Iranian visitors, added more trips to their itinerary over rising demand. Bus rides were also popular for Iranians arriving from third countries who tried to reach their countries amid cancellations of flights from Türkiye and other regional countries into Iran.
Ömer Sağdıç, a bus driver taking 47 Iranian passengers to the Gürbulak border crossing with Iran from Istanbul, told Demirören News Agency (DHA) that they used to see a surge in Iranian visitors to Türkiye, but it has reversed now. “People are rushing to see their families, to check whether they are safe. The demand is high and people have to wait for one day to find tickets,” he said on Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump will host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for peace talks at the White House on Friday, a U.S. official said on Thursday.
The official told Reuters it was possible that the framework for a peace agreement could be announced at Friday’s meeting. The Washington Post was the first to report on the talks.
Armenia also confirmed the talks. The trilateral meeting is “aimed at promoting peace, prosperity and economic cooperation in the region,” the government said in a statement posted on its Telegram messaging app.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is travelling to Washington on Aug. 7-8, will also hold a bilateral meeting with Trump, the statement said.
In March, the two sides announced that they had agreed on the text of a draft peace agreement; however, progress has been sporadic and slow since then. The countries’ leaders met in July in Abu Dhabi for talks. Azerbaijan has previously said that Armenia must change its constitution to remove indirect references to Karabakh’s “independence” before signing a peace treaty. Yerevan denies this, but Pashinyan has repeatedly stressed, most recently this week, that the South Caucasus country’s founding charter needs to be updated.
Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan and seven adjacent regions, including Lachin.
Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization talks and the demarcation of their border.
After a series of slow-moving negotiations, Azerbaijan rushed in troops last year in September and swiftly seized back Karabakh, whose entire population of nearly 120,000 people returned to Armenia after rejecting a reintegration program Baku offered.
Earlier in 2024, Armenia withdrew from several Azerbaijani villages it had controlled since the early 1990s as part of the peace process.
Two deputy chairpersons of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) held a news conference on Wednesday in Ankara to introduce a new campaign that will continue until September. The campaign is entitled “Century of Türkiye Meetings” and aims to promote the titular set of reforms unveiled by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye in 2023. In addition, the meeting will bring together AK Party staff from 81 provinces and the public as part of an outreach effort about the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
Ahmet Büyükgümüş, deputy chairperson of the party, said they attach importance to communicating with the public about the services that AK Party governments have provided since they first came to power in 2002. “We will launch a series of events throughout August and September about what is done with the vision of Century of Türkiye in 81 provinces and 973 districts,” he said.
“Century of Türkiye” is a comprehensive list of goals aimed at boosting Türkiye’s global standing, encompassing reforms in public services, health care, education, transportation, energy, agriculture and tourism, as well as targets to enhance the country’s diplomatic influence in global affairs.
The party’s deputy chairs and ministers will lead AK Party delegations to events held in provinces and districts and they will also meet with opinion leaders in each province. The campaign will conclude with a final event in Istanbul, attended by representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
“We are engaged in politics at a time of a very important agenda for Türkiye and a significant transformation in the world. Therefore, developments regarding the terror-free Türkiye initiative and its details will be shared with our nation. We will conduct field trips to explain its meaning and how the initiative will advance,” he said.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative launched by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli had its first tangible progress in February when the terrorist group PKK’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, accepted Bahçeli’s call and urged the group to lay down its weapons. In May, the PKK announced it would dissolve itself. Last month, some 30 PKK members, including a senior leader, burned their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq. Although symbolic, the gesture marked the first time that the group had laid down arms in its campaign of violence for more than four decades. The PKK has previously announced so-called unilateral truces but has never entirely given up its ambitions.
On Tuesday, a parliamentary committee established exclusively to tackle the initiative held its first meeting, marking another milestone in the process. The committee will examine the fine details of the initiative and provide recommendations to Parliament on advancing the initiative with new regulations. This may or may not include lenient sentences for former members of the terrorist group and a legal framework regarding the status of the terrorist group.
As part of the campaign, the AK Party’s women’s branch will visit families of terror victims and veterans of counterterrorism operations, presenting a letter from President Erdoğan addressed to them in the context of the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
Büyükgümüş said they would also inform the public on the government’s efforts to ensure a permanent drop in inflation. “Under the leadership of President Erdoğan, all relevant ministries endeavor to maintain a fall in inflation and improve welfare. As AK Party cadres, we will inform the public about the point we reached on this matter and future steps,” he said. Inflation dropped more than expected in July to reach its lowest level in almost four years, according to official data released on Monday, which officials say reinforces their forecasts that price growth will slow further by year-end. The increased cost of living and instances of overpricing by certain businesses are major economic challenges for the country, and some political pundits attribute this to the drop in votes for the AK Party in the 2024 municipal elections.
He stated that they would also share details of the government’s National Technology Movement, “which became more significant amid recent geopolitical tensions.” “We will inform the public about steps taken for domestic production and services in the defense industry, digital infrastructure and energy,” he said.
Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko will visit Türkiye on Wednesday at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and discuss bilateral cooperation as well as regional issues, the Directorate of Communications said in a statement.
“In the talks to be held on Thursday, Aug. 7, bilateral relations between Türkiye and Senegal will be discussed in all their aspects and steps to deepen cooperation at the strategic partnership level will be evaluated,” Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said on social media.
Regional and international issues will also be on the agenda of the two leaders, Duran added, saying that agreements to strengthen ties between Türkiye and Senegal are expected to be signed during the visit.
Developing relations and cooperation with African countries is one of the cornerstones of Ankara’s multidimensional foreign policy.
Türkiye’s engagement with the African continent has been gaining pace over the years. Since assuming office nearly two decades ago, first serving as prime minister, Erdoğan has been fostering ties with Africa, presenting Türkiye as a fairer player than the continent’s former colonial powers.
Ankara has emphasized its desire to advance relations with the continent based on a win-win relationship and equal partnership, while maintaining mutual respect. Both sides have been vowing to tap into their greater potential for further expanding and deepening relations.
The Turkish Embassy in Dakar, which was established in 1962, is one of the first Turkish diplomatic missions on the African continent.
Senegal, which gained independence from France in 1960, stands out in West Africa owing to its stability and institutionalized democracy. Muslims comprise 96% of its 16 million population. Most people, such as those affiliated with the Muridiyya, Qadiriyya and Tijaniyyah, are devout followers of Sufi orders. This has prevented extremist elements from influencing the country’s Muslim population.
As part of its foreign policy toward the continent, Türkiye increased the number of its embassies in Africa from 12 in 2002 to 44 by 2024.
African countries also increased their embassies in Türkiye, and the number of African embassies in Ankara rose from 10 in 2008 to 38 in 2024.
Ankara’s increasing diplomatic presence on the continent has led to stronger ties, particularly in political, economic and cultural areas. The number of mutual visits in the past five years has exceeded 500.
Erdoğan has made 53 visits to 31 African countries, making him the leader who has visited the continent most often.
Activists and civil society groups in Türkiye announced Wednesday they will support the Global Resolve Flotilla, a multinational effort preparing to sail for the Gaza Strip in a bid to break Israel’s blockade, which has worsened humanitarian conditions in the enclave.
The flotilla, which will set sail from Spain on Aug. 31 and from Tunisia on Sept. 4, aims to deliver humanitarian aid directly to Gaza, raise global awareness of the Palestinian plight and spotlight what organizers call Israel’s “systematic genocide.”
At a news conference hosted by the Ummah Movement Association, Turkish delegation spokesperson Hüseyin Durmaz said that the initiative unites more than 40 countries from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Arab world.
“Preparations are underway for volunteers and activists from diverse backgrounds to join this mission from Türkiye,” Durmaz said. “This is not limited to local efforts; it has become a global solidarity movement with support pouring in from around the world.”
The civilian-led mission will carry food packages, baby formula, medical supplies and other essential goods. Organizers say the effort is entirely peaceful and non-violent. More than 6,000 activists from 44 countries have already registered online to participate in the event.
Durmaz stressed that the flotilla’s multinational composition underscores its independence and grassroots nature.
“This is a concrete step toward sustaining the momentum of global movements, effectively challenging the blockade on Gaza and strengthening solidarity among peoples,” he said.
Israel’s blockade of Gaza, imposed since 2007, has been condemned by Türkiye and many in the international community as a form of collective punishment. The restrictions have severely limited humanitarian access, contributing to widespread shortages and famine-like conditions in the besieged Palestinian territory.
The Global Resolve Flotilla is the latest in a series of international maritime missions challenging the blockade, echoing previous attempts that drew global attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
It follows days after Israeli naval forces intercepted the Handala aid ship on July 26 as it neared Gaza, escorting it to Ashdod Port.
Rejecting repeated calls for a cease-fire, Israel has continued its military assault on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 61,000 Palestinians, almost half of them women and children and devastating the enclave’s infrastructure.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“This is a renewed attempt to pressure governments by sending dozens of ships and thousands of activists to break Gaza’s blockade,” said organizer Seif Abu Keshk at a news conference in Tunis, noting that participants will undergo training and solidarity events at departure points before setting sail.
Sarp Yalçınkaya, a businessman with close ties to municipal bureaucrats and individuals doing business with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), disclosed a corruption ring allegedly run by the city’s former mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu. Yalçınkaya, who invoked a remorse law in exchange for collaborating with authorities, told investigators that the ring collected bribes in a “fund” and Imamoğlu received half of the cash in the fund.
Yalçınkaya stated that the cash collected in the fund was transferred to London aboard private jets and delivered to addresses provided by Imamoğlu, according to a report by the Sabah newspaper.
Imamoğlu and dozens of other suspects, including bureaucrats of IBB and businesspeople, were detained last March in a major graft probe. More operations followed and Yalçınkaya was arrested in the fourth wave of operations against the corruption network at the municipality. Following his arrest, Yalçınkaya said in his initial testimony that Imamoğlu created the fund to take over the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) first and then, for a presidential campaign. The CHP recently nominated Imamoğlu as its future presidential candidate as it pressed on for an early election. Yalçınkaya has claimed that he heard Imamoğlu saying they needed $2 billion (TL 81.34 billion) for the fund.
In his second statement to the investigators, Yalçınkaya explained how people doing business with IBB accumulated wealth thanks to the corruption ring. One of them is Murat Gülibrahimoğlu, a fugitive suspect in the case. Yalçınkaya said Gülibrahimoğlu was a bankrupt businessman when he first met him in 2018, and he became increasingly wealthy after Imamoğlu won his first term as Istanbul mayor in 2019. He said Gülibrahimoğlu was awarded all tenders for excavation works in the city by Imamoğlu and had close ties to Tuncay Yılmaz, manager of Imamoğlu’s construction company and Fatih Keleş, a top IBB bureaucrat. “They often met to discuss bribes they would receive from contractors in exchange for building permits and other permits issued by the municipality. At times, they would extort money by threatening businesspeople by scrapping their permits, though these people complied with all municipal regulations,” he said.
Yalçınkaya said Gülibrahimoğlu was at the heart of the corruption ring, and he rushed to transfer all the cash collected by the ring abroad when the suspects found out a corruption investigation was imminent. “Gülibrahimoğlu also traveled abroad with his private jet in 2022 with Tuncay Yılmaz and Hüseyin Köksal (who was awarded the advertising tender of IBB), and when I asked him the purpose of their visit, he told me that they were carrying cash. He made more trips abroad between 2022 and 2025 and often with IBB officials,” he said.
He said Gülibrahimoğlu told him that all the cash accumulated from bribes and tenders was taken abroad, usually to London. “He told me that half of the cash was transferred to a fund set up for a future presidential campaign, and the other half was allocated to Imamoğlu himself. He also told me that people organizing the transfers were paid 20% of the accumulated cash in exchange for their work.”
“Gülibrahimoğlu told me about a cryptocurrency company they founded and how they transferred cash abroad through cold wallets. He explained that money was being transferred overseas through currency exchange offices with commissions of nearly 1%. Some of the bribes and kickbacks from zoning and licensing were given to these currency exchange offices and then collected back from foreign exchange offices abroad. Additionally, a portion of the funds from permits and zoning fees was transferred abroad via cryptocurrency companies using cold wallets. I heard these details from conversations between Gülibrahimoğlu and Fatih Keleş. Gülibrahimoğlu is well aware of which currency exchange offices collected the money and through which cryptocurrency companies the transfers were made,” he said.
Yalçınkaya told investigators that cash transfers aboard private jets were disguised as gift packages. “Gülibrahimoğlu said each flight carried at least $10 million. I witnessed suitcases full of cash being loaded onto the jet. Bribe money collected from contractors and people fraudulently awarded permits in Istanbul was disguised as earnings from excavation and dumping work, laundered and packaged as gift parcels, and delivered to the addresses Imamoğlu provided abroad. Some of the money is also held in stock markets, cryptocurrency markets and currency exchange offices,” he said. “Some studio apartments across Istanbul are being used as cash storage locations. Murat knows their locations. To avoid the traceability of bribe-tied properties, title deeds are sometimes registered under the names of drivers, relatives, or close associates.”
“A portion of the collected bribes is used to fund the party and municipal expenses. Political rallies are sponsored with collected funds. Maintenance of (CHP’s) main building and district offices, hospitality expenses are all paid from this fund. Social media sponsorships, undisclosed payments to TV channels, numerous media companies and internet portals were also funded through this source. Part of these bribes was used to finance the construction of the CHP building in Istanbul,” Yalçınkaya said.
He added that the primary goal of the fund was to secure control of the CHP and referred to allegations of vote buying during the election of the party’s current chair, Özgür Özel, in November 2023. A separate lawsuit is underway about that election, and testimonies from several former CHP delegates claim that Imamoğlu and people close to Özel offered cash and other benefits to delegates in exchange for their votes to oust Özel’s predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Yalçınkaya said Imamoğlu and his associates knew that they would need money to buy more votes if the election was to be annulled due to the lawsuit and sought to collect more bribes. “Fatih Keleş was worried when the investigation was launched into (Özel’s election). He told me that they were under too much pressure and had to pay more ‘to support media and columnists’ on their payroll.”
An earlier report by the Sabah newspaper says that Rıza Akpolat, a former mayor of Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district for the CHP who was arrested on corruption charges in January, funded journalists supportive of the CHP. A municipality staff member handed over to prosecutors a list of journalists and others who had been paid a budget of TL 56 million, which Akpolat had accumulated through bribes. The list of journalists allegedly funded by Akpolat includes prominent journalists with direct and indirect links to the CHP, such as Nevşin Mengü, Altan Sancar, Ali Haydar Fırat and Ismail Küçükkaya, as well as pro-CHP TV stations Halk TV and Tele 1. Similar allegations of journalists funded by CHP-run municipalities emerged earlier. Witnesses in the case against Imamoğlu have previously told investigators that Imamoğlu’s close associate, Murat Ongun, personally paid cash to some journalists in secret meetings at parking lots, in exchange for pro-Imamoğlu propaganda. The party’s former chairperson, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in the past, implied that some journalists were funded by Imamoğlu, fueling a debate among journalists who accused each other on social media of receiving payments from municipalities.
Doubling down on the terrorist group’s separatist ambitions, YPG leader Ferhat Abdi Şahin has renewed his calls for a decentralized Syria and the removal of “Arab” from the country’s official name.
In an interview with the Istanbul-based Yeni Yaşam newspaper, Şahin argued that the “Syrian Arab Republic” title, in use since 1961, “does not reflect the reality” of the multiethnic nation and should have the word “Arab” removed.
“Syria does not belong only to Arabs. Such radical changes must be made in Syria,” he said.
“(Syria) cannot be centralized and totalitarian like it was during the Baath regime. It must be a decentralized Syria. All provinces in Syria must be able to govern themselves through local governments,” Şahin claimed.
Just last week, Şahin told local media the YPG “defends the slogan ‘one army, one government, one state,’” echoing Damascus’ calls for full national unity.
The shift in tone comes as the group continues to negotiate with Syria’s interim government over the implementation of a March 10 agreement recognizing Damascus’ sovereignty.
Under the deal, signed by Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the YPG pledged to recognize Damascus’ sovereignty and transfer airports, oil fields and border crossings under its control to the central government by the end of the year.
However, the agreement stops short of outlining how the YPG’s armed wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), will be integrated into Syria’s army, a key sticking point. Damascus insists fighters join individually, while the YPG demands entry as a bloc, an issue that threatens to stall the process.
The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, which has waged a decadeslong terror campaign in Türkiye and is designated a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Türkiye.
With U.S. support under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the YPG seized large swaths of northern and eastern Syria during the civil war. Turkish cross-border operations have since reduced its territorial grip, but it still holds key oil, water and agricultural resources in the northeast.
Washington has recently acknowledged the group’s ties to the PKK, with Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Ankara and special representative for Syria, claiming the U.S. has no obligation to support “the formation of an independent state by the so-called SDF.”
Last month, Barrack also dismissed federalism as a workable model in Syria.
“The problem is that in all these countries (Iraq and Syria), federalism does not work and that a state within a state cannot be established,” Barrack said.
The U.S. envoy has urged Damascus to maintain “one homeland, one nation, one army, one government,” accusing the YPG of being reluctant to fully commit to national unity.
Şahin, however, claimed that a decentralized structure is essential for stability.
“(Barrack) understands that Syria cannot be governed by one person … I hope he has concluded that a decentralized Syria is necessary,” Şahin said.
The YPG’s push for decentralization and symbolic changes, such as altering the country’s name, is widely seen by Türkiye as part of a broader effort to entrench separatist control in Syria’s north.
Ankara has long opposed the YPG’s presence along its border, warning it will “intervene” if the group does not comply with the March 10 deal and disarm as the PKK did.
As part of the landmark terror-free Türkiye initiative, the PKK announced in May it would disband and renounce armed conflict, ending four decades of violence.
What did Muharrem İnce say on the phone, what answer? The name of the country spoke to Sabah.com.tr! “Those who go will not even be a neighborhood representative”
Climate change drives up global food prices, adds to societal risks
Azerbaijan, Armenia leaders to meet in Washington for peace talks
What did Muharrem İnce say on the phone, what answer? The name of the country spoke to Sabah.com.tr! “Those who go will not even be a neighborhood representative”
Climate change drives up global food prices, adds to societal risks
Azerbaijan, Armenia leaders to meet in Washington for peace talks
-
Politics2 days agoErdoğan to visit Ukraine, free trade on agenda: Envoy
-
Economy22 hours agoPublic land formula essential for transformation
-
Daily Agenda1 day agoThe Chief of General Staff changed with the age decision
-
Daily Agenda2 days agoHalf of us and hearts are comfortable nests peaceful
-
Daily Agenda2 days agoWe are on the verge of a historical period – Breaking News
-
Politics2 days agoCommittee scheduled to chart road map for terror-free Türkiye
-
Daily Agenda23 hours agoKalyon Construction and Cengiz Construction signature to Damascus International Airport! 4 billion dollars investment
-
Politics3 days agoFM Fidan, Bayramov discuss regional issues in call