Politics
Erdoğan reiterates diplomacy as he welcomes Iran-Israel cease-fire
Speaking at a news conference in Ankara on Tuesday before flying to the Netherlands for a leaders’ summit of NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said they welcomed a cease-fire between Iran and Israel after days of reciprocal attacks. He underlined that diplomacy should be given a chance in the process. “Global actors should take efficient measures to end this craze. Otherwise, the whole world will pay the price for it,” he said.
Erdoğan highlighted that they undertook diplomatic efforts focusing on negotiations between the sides during the process, which began with Israel’s attack on Iran. “I had discussions with many leaders and met foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member states in Istanbul. We appreciate every effort on the road to a cease-fire. We certainly welcome the cease-fire agreement and call on the sides to fully comply with it. Our region cannot bear the impact of a conflict whose repercussions may be felt across the world. Diplomacy should be given a chance for the resolution of disagreements,” Erdoğan said. The president noted that Türkiye was committed to its stand based on international law.
“Israel’s attacks on Iran fueled a greater threat toward our region. Its reckless steps are unacceptable. We will continue to invite everyone to act with common sense and highlight that diplomacy is a solution to all issues,” he said. Erdoğan also criticized Israel over its actions in Gaza and called on Tel Aviv to stop “weaponizing hunger” in the Palestinian enclave. “A permanent cease-fire is immediately needed in Gaza. Israel’s aggression across our region should stop,” he said. His remarks echoed an earlier statement by the head of a U.N. agency, which accused Israel of engaging in a war crime by “shooting at people trying to get food.”
The controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began handing out food in Gaza on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into the occupied Palestinian territory for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine.
The U.N. and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
“Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution,” said U.N. human rights office spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan. “The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime.” Meanwhile, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, slammed GHF as “an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people.” “It is a death trap costing more lives than it saves,” he told a press conference in Berlin.
Defense, ties with NATO
Erdoğan also stated that NATO members should unconditionally lift defense trade limitations. “We advocate reinforcing the security of Europe. We are developing our own defense capabilities and at the same time, contributing to the deterrence of the Alliance. So, it is not fair that the allies block the trade of defense products of others while we are working together for a stronger defense and a more efficient army,” he said. “Our country should be included in the defense initiatives of the EU and the Alliance,” he said. The United States imposed sanctions on Türkiye in 2020 after Ankara acquired the S-400 missile defense system from Russia. The move booted Türkiye out of its F-35 program. Türkiye also sought to acquire Eurofighter Typhoons built by a four-nation consortium of Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy, and reportedly faced opposition from Germany, though reports were not confirmed.
Hours before Erdoğan’s press conference, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Türkiye’s defense industrial base and said the country’s defense industry should be more closely connected with the U.K., Norway and the European Union.
“Türkiye has a very big defense industrial base. Sometimes (we) forget what they have. I visited some of their companies, it’s really impressive,” Rutte told the NATO Public Forum in The Hague. “We have to make sure that the Turkish defense industrial base is as closely connected as possible to the U.K., Norway and the European Union,” he added. Rutte warned against creating internal divisions within the alliance based on defense cooperation frameworks, saying: “Let’s not have these fences drawn up within NATO. It won’t help.”
Leaders of NATO’s 32 member states are gathering in The Hague on June 24-25 for the summit dominated by debates over increased defense spending and Ukraine’s membership bid.
In the meantime, the European Union is seeking a new direction in defense after President Donald Trump opted to distance the United States from European security. Having lost its most important ally, Brussels has focused on ensuring the security of the continent on its own, both due to pressure from Washington and the ongoing threats from Moscow. The European Commission announced a new strategy, known as the White Paper, on March 19, which includes increasing military expenditures and production, as well as allocating resources to joint defense projects until 2030. The EU, which seeks to share its topics of discussion and planned steps with NATO’s leading countries in defense, has created a platform for the exchange of ideas under the name of “like-minded countries” for the security of the continent. Türkiye, both a candidate country for the EU and a NATO ally, has also joined the platform, boasting defense industry breakthroughs in recent years.
“We are in close consultation with non-EU allies like ourselves regarding this matter. As NATO, we plan to address supporting measures for the European pillar,” Erdoğan said, ahead of the NATO Summit. He added that Türkiye, having contributed the most to NATO’s counterterrorism framework years ago, will also draw attention to what more the alliance should do in that area.
Istanbul talks
On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Erdoğan said Türkiye was planning new steps for progress in the recent Istanbul talks it hosted between representatives of the two countries. He noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would hold talks with NATO member countries. “We will convey our efforts for diplomacy to end the conflict. We recently had the sides meet in Istanbul and this paved the way for the exchange of prisoners. We have plans for more talks. We did everything for peace between Ukraine and Russia. We earned the trust of both sides and made tangible progress,” he said.
Erdoğan said the conflict cannot continue forever. “We will tell our counterparts at the NATO summit our vision and pledge we will not stop until peace is maintained,” he said.
Türkiye on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of a car bombing in central Ankara, one of the deadliest attacks carried out by the PKK terror group during a wave of urban violence in 2015-2016.
The March 13, 2016, attack targeted bus stops in the capital’s busy Kızılay district, where a car packed with explosives was detonated at Güvenpark, killing 36 people and injuring 344 others.
Among those killed were four children. Thirty-two children were also among the wounded.
Authorities said the vehicle was detonated by PKK members Seher Çağla Demir and Özgür Ünsal. The attackers were killed in the explosion.
One of the victims was an unborn baby carried by six-month pregnant Songül Yılmaz, who was injured in the blast. The baby was later described as the youngest victim of the attack.
The bombing came after the PKK launched a violent campaign in several southeastern districts, including Şırnak, Silopi, Cizre, Nusaybin, Derik, Idil, Sur and Yüksekova, where militants dug trenches, erected barricades and declared so-called “autonomous zones.”
Security forces responded with operations to restore control in those areas. After failing to sustain the campaign, the group carried out the Güvenpark bombing targeting civilians waiting at bus stops in the capital.
Perpetrators brought to justice
Following the attack, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation that led to an indictment against 55 suspects, including senior PKK figures. The trial began on June 19, 2017, and concluded on Nov. 21, 2018, at an Ankara court.
Mehmet Veysi Dolaşan received 37 aggravated life sentences for the killing of 36 victims and for attempting to undermine the unity and territorial integrity of the state. He was also sentenced to an additional 10,260 years in prison for the attempted murder of the 344 people injured in the blast, along with further prison time and a fine for explosives-related offenses.
Two other defendants, Sebahattin Karakoç and Azamattin Karakoç, were also given aggravated life sentences.
In a separate trial concluded in November 2020, Ferit Ak and Salih Şahin were each sentenced to 15 years in prison for knowingly aiding the terrorist group.
The Güvenpark bombing remains one of the most devastating attacks in Ankara’s recent history and a stark reminder of the PKK’s campaign of violence targeting civilians in Türkiye.
Major PKK attacks
The PKK terrorist group has carried out numerous deadly attacks in Türkiye over the past decades, targeting both security forces and civilians as part of its terror campaign that began in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed since then.
Türkiye first sought a political solution to the PKK issue in the early 1990s under then-President Turgut Özal, who promoted a civilian approach and explored greater rights for the country’s Kurdish community. His outreach contributed to a brief PKK cease-fire, but the effort faltered after renewed attacks and Özal’s death in 1993.
The violence continued until PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s capture in 1999. A second peace initiative began in 2012, known as the reconciliation process, during which the government expanded cultural and language rights. The process collapsed in 2015, after which the PKK resumed attacks, prompting intensified Turkish counterterrorism operations at home and across the border.
The following year saw back-to-back PKK attacks across Türkiye, many involving explosives targeting security forces and civilians.
In January 2016, militants attacked a district police headquarters in the Çınar district of Diyarbakır with a truck bomb, rockets and gunfire, killing at least six people, including civilians and children, and wounding dozens.
Two months later, in March 2016, a car bomb targeting an armored police vehicle near a bus terminal in Diyarbakır killed seven police officers and injured 27 people, including civilians.
In May that year, a bomb-laden truck detonated in the Durumlu area of Diyarbakır after civilians intercepted the vehicle suspected of carrying explosives. The blast killed 16 people and wounded more than 20.
The attacks continued through the summer. In August 2016, a suicide car bomb struck a police checkpoint outside district headquarters in Cizre, in the southeastern province of Şırnak, killing 12 police officers and injuring dozens.
Later the same month, a car bomb targeting a police station in Elazığ killed at least six people and wounded more than 200 others.
In October 2016, another large car bomb targeted a military facility in the district of Şemdinli in Hakkari province, killing soldiers and civilians and injuring dozens more.
PKK disarmament
Today, Türkiye is working to bring a permanent end to PKK terrorism with its “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, first conceived in October 2024 by government ally Devlet Bahçeli, who extended an olive branch to Öcalan should he urge his terror group to lay down arms.
After Öcalan appealed to his group last year, the PKK formally disbanded, withdrawing all members from Turkish soil and even holding a symbolic ceremony in northern Iraq where a group of PKK members burned their weapons.
In Ankara, a cross-party parliamentary commission last month published a key report meant to prepare the legal groundwork to advance the process, backing plans to reintegrate former PKK members. Ankara has repeatedly ruled out amnesty for Öcalan or PKK terrorists, with officials saying the legal framework would only consider integration for PKK members who have not engaged in terrorist activities.
The report is expected to be put before Parliament sometime this month, likely after the end of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. If it passes, it will be the first concrete step taken by Türkiye.
Good Party (IP) leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu said decisions regarding any potential alliances would be discussed within the party’s internal decision-making bodies when the appropriate time comes.
“Decisions about whether to form alliances or not are not something I would decide alone,” Dervisoglu told journalists during an iftar dinner with reporters in Ankara on Wednesday evening.
He responded to the comments, stressing, “Issues concerning my party and my country should be discussed and decided within the party’s authorized institutions.”
Remarks by the leader of Türkiye’s nationalist Victory Party (ZP) about a possible election alliance with the Good Party have sparked renewed debate in Turkish politics over the possibility of a broader nationalist bloc ahead of future elections.
ZP leader Ümit Özdağ said Tuesday during an interview with Turkish media that his party was open to forming an alliance with the IP, describing such cooperation as “perhaps the most natural alliance in Turkish politics.”
Özdağ said both parties’ supporters favored closer political cooperation, raising speculation about whether nationalist-oriented opposition parties could coordinate their strategies in upcoming elections.
Dervisoglu also noted the IP has not held formal alliance talks with any political party since Türkiye’s 2023 elections.
He also acknowledged that opinion polls showing the party’s support at around 8% to 9% would not be sufficient under Türkiye’s current political system.
“Nine percent does not benefit either us or Türkiye,” he said, arguing that the country’s political system requires either winning the presidency or building a parliamentary majority strong enough to govern effectively.
Dervisoglu said the IP aims to become a political platform capable of bringing together different segments of society, describing the party as a potential “umbrella” under which other political groups could gather.
Asked about public trust in the opposition, he said skepticism was not limited to opposition parties.
“This nation does not distrust only the opposition; it does not fully trust the government either,” he said, adding that voters may still be searching for a political leadership they can place their confidence in.
The comments of the leaders have fueled discussions about whether nationalist parties in Türkiye could cooperate more closely in future elections.
The ZP and IP have overlapping political stances, although the ZP stood out with its more hawkish tone, especially in anti-refugee policies that led to an indictment against its chair, Özdağ, on charges of inciting riots against Syrian refugees in Türkiye.
Özdağ was detained last year initially over accusations that he “insulted” the president, but the scope of the investigation was later expanded to include charges of inciting public hatred and hostility.
Moreover, Özdağ was later formally arrested and charged with inciting hatred against migrants. He was blamed for anti-Syrian refugee riots in the central province of Kayseri, during which hundreds of homes and businesses were attacked.
In the 2023 elections, Özdağ endorsed Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the candidate of a six-party opposition bloc against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while the ZP won 2.2% of the vote in legislative elections where it jointly ran with the Justice Party under the ATA Alliance. In last year’s municipal elections, it won only 1.74% of the vote.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Thursday she will travel to Türkiye in the coming days to meet Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for talks on the escalating conflict in the Middle East and efforts to reduce tensions.
Anand said at a news conference that she will be “emphasizing and pushing on the needs of Canadians in the region, as well as the need for de-escalation and the protection of civilian lives and civilian infrastructure.”
Her remarks came as Canada announced new humanitarian funding for Lebanon.
Randeep Sarai, Canada’s secretary of state for international development, said Ottawa is providing $37.7 million in assistance to support urgent humanitarian needs.
Canada is working with “trusted humanitarian partners, including Canadian NGOs, such as Humanity and Inclusion Canada, Oxfam Quebec, International Medical Corps Canada, U.N. agencies and the Red Cross to ensure this life saving assistance goes directly to those who desperately need it,” he said. “We call on all actors to immediately de-escalate the situation and engage in constructive dialogue to prevent further suffering. The people of Lebanon deserve safety, dignity and a future free from violence.”
The escalation in the Middle East flared since Israel and the U.S. launched a joint attack against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,300 victims to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and over 150 schoolgirls.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets, killing at least eight U.S. service members and injuring 140.
On March 2, the Lebanese resistance group, Hezbollah, began attacking Israeli military sites in response to repeated Israeli attacks against Lebanon and the killing of Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli strike.
Israel retaliated by launching a military campaign against Lebanon, carrying out airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas in the south and east. On March 3, it began a limited ground incursion in southern Lebanon.
Türkiye and Germany are expected to discuss strengthening bilateral ties, expanding trade and addressing regional crises during talks between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his German counterpart Johann David Wadephul, who will visit Ankara this week, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Wadephul will hold talks in Ankara on March 12 with Foreign Minister Fidan as the two NATO allies seek to deepen cooperation in political, economic and security fields.
According to Turkish diplomatic sources, the discussions are expected to highlight the momentum gained through recent high-level visits between the two countries and the importance of maintaining close dialogue.
Fidan is also expected to underline the significance of the third meeting of the Türkiye-Germany Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, scheduled to take place in Berlin on May 18, which aims to further strengthen the multidimensional relationship between the two countries.
Economic cooperation will also feature prominently in the talks, with Türkiye seeking to expand trade with Germany toward a $60 billion bilateral trade target. Officials are expected to discuss continued collaboration through mechanisms such as the Joint Economic and Trade Committee and the Energy and Mining Forum.
Defense industry cooperation and broader security issues are also set to be addressed during the meeting.
Fidan is expected to stress the importance of the European Union adopting a strategic approach toward relations with Türkiye and voice Ankara’s expectation that Germany support the revival of Türkiye’s EU accession process.
Türkiye will also convey its expectations regarding key issues in relations with the EU, including the modernization of the Customs Union and progress in the Visa Liberalization Dialogue.
On European security initiatives launched by the EU, Fidan is expected to emphasize that such efforts should be coordinated under NATO and include the participation of allied countries that are not EU members.
The Turkish minister is also expected to underline the importance Ankara attaches to the welfare and security of the approximately 3.5 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany, whom Türkiye views as a bridge between the two countries.
Regional developments are also expected to be high on the agenda, including the situation in Gaza and the broader Palestinian issue, the Russia-Ukraine war and the latest developments in Syria.
According to the sources, Fidan is expected to stress that attacks in the region are endangering energy supply security while also creating risks in areas such as migration and counterterrorism.
Türkiye is also expected to reiterate that diplomacy remains the only viable path to reducing tensions and resolving conflicts in the region.
Türkiye and Germany maintain a multifaceted relationship covering political, economic, military and parliamentary cooperation. Germany remains one of Türkiye’s largest trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching $52.2 billion in 2025.
Around 6.7 million German tourists visited Türkiye in 2025, while the large Turkish community in Germany continues to serve as a key link between the two nations.
Türkiye condemned Israel’s attacks on Lebanon that have displaced nearly one million people, calling them a grave violation of international humanitarian law and warning that the assaults are deepening regional instability.
In a statement published Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said Israel’s actions demonstrate an expansionist approach that is further destabilizing the region.
Ankara also warned that the Netanyahu government should not be allowed to continue in Lebanon the destructive policies it has pursued in Gaza.
Türkiye reaffirmed its solidarity with Lebanon, saying it will continue to stand with the Lebanese people and government against attacks that threaten the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for an urgent return to diplomacy to halt the escalating conflict involving Iran and the U.S., warning that the war risks causing widespread damage across the region and the global economy.
Speaking at a parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM), Erdoğan said Ankara has intensified diplomatic contacts with countries involved in the conflict as well as regional actors.
“We have established contacts with Iran, the U.S. and other relevant countries in the region. I have held more than 20 phone calls,” Erdoğan said. “This war must be stopped before it escalates further. If diplomacy is given a chance, it is possible to achieve this.”
He added that Türkiye is continuing diplomatic initiatives to help revive negotiations and prevent further escalation in the Middle East.
“We speak very carefully, choose our words with great care and act cautiously. We are taking the necessary precautions against bloody scenarios,” he said.
Erdoğan stressed that the Middle East has been facing a series of crises and conflicts for years, warning that the latest escalation has further destabilized the region.
“For a long time, crises and conflicts in our region have not ceased. Before existing conflicts end, new ones are added every day,” he said. “Most recently, the war launched against our neighbor Iran, following Israel’s provocations, has caused serious destruction.”
Reminding that the conflict has already taken a heavy toll, including 175 schoolgirls at an elementary school, almost 2,000 people, and senior Iranian officials and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he warned that the economic impact could be felt globally. “The attacks against Iran are also creating serious pressure on the global economy,” Erdoğan said.
“The entire world is preparing to pay the price of this war.”
The Turkish leader emphasized that Türkiye would not remain indifferent to crises in its region and would continue to take an active role in seeking solutions.
“As Türkiye, we are not a country that remains indifferent to crises around us or turns its back on friends and brothers in difficult times,” he said.
Türkiye has recently intensified diplomatic contacts with regional and international partners as fighting in the Middle East raises concerns about the risk of a broader regional conflict and its potential impact on the country’s security.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday to discuss the latest developments following the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran and the broader regional conflict.
Erdoğan also held a separate phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the same day to discuss the latest developments following attacks on Iran and the broader regional conflict.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also held a series of phone calls with counterparts from several countries to discuss the escalating crisis.
According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Fidan spoke separately with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
The discussions focused on the risks posed by the ongoing war and attacks affecting third countries.
Most recently, in another call on Tuesday, Fidan told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that any violation of Turkish airspace was unacceptable and said Türkiye would continue taking all necessary measures to safeguard its security.
Furthermore, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler also held a phone call with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani.
The two officials discussed bilateral defense cooperation and regional security developments, according to a statement from the Turkish Defense Ministry.
Unity in the region
The president also warned against attempts to inflame sectarian divisions in the region, saying such debates were harmful and should be avoided.
“Today, we are witnessing sectarian tensions being fueled on social media. Bringing these issues to the agenda again is not a coincidence,” he said.
Reaffirming Türkiye’s stance on regional peace, Erdoğan underlined Ankara supports the territorial integrity of all countries in the Middle East and seeks lasting stability.
“We stand for lasting peace in the Middle East,” he remarked. “We respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. We have no ambitions regarding the lands or sovereignty of any country.”
At the beginning of the meeting, the president also expressed hope that the gathering would bring positive outcomes for the country, the nation and democracy.
Thanking party members and guests for their participation, he also conveyed greetings to the AK Party organization working across Türkiye’s 81 provinces under the slogan “Everything for Türkiye,” as well as to the party’s 11.5 million members, delivering a message of unity and solidarity.
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