Politics
FM Fidan, Qatari PM discuss regional developments, US-Iran talks
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call Monday with Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, to discuss regional developments and ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran, Foreign Ministry sources said.
Negotiations between Iran and the U.S. have been deadlocked since a cease-fire came into effect on April 8, with one round of peace talks to end the more than two-month war having failed in Pakistan.
On Friday, Fidan said Türkiye could consider taking part in multinational demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz after a possible peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran.
Speaking to reporters in London, Fidan said Türkiye “would be open to” participating in a coalition tasked with clearing naval mines in the strait once a deal is reached, describing such work as a “humanitarian” effort. However, Fidan underscored that Ankara would not take part in operations that risk positioning Türkiye as a party to renewed conflict. Ankara would avoid any role implying alignment if conflict resumes, Fidan said.
The Board of Cyber Security will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, the Sabah newspaper reported.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to chair the meeting where the country’s road map on cybersecurity will be discussed. Key issues up for discussion will be the protection of critical infrastructure against cyberattacks and the development of human resources for cybersecurity. The board is comprised of the president, vice president, ministers of justice, foreign affairs, interior, national defense, industry and technology, transportation and infrastructure, the secretary-general of the National Security Council, director of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), head of the Presidency of Defense Industries, and head of the Cybersecurity Directorate.
The board meetings will also be open to other ministers and experts, from whom the board seeks input from. The board is also authorized to set up committees and working groups for technical work.
Among its duties are setting policies and strategies for cybersecurity, making decisions for the technological road map of the country, establishing incentives and developing human resources.
The Cybersecurity Directorate was founded in January 2025, shortly before Parliament passed a comprehensive cybersecurity law for better control of cyberspace. The bill included mandates for creating strategies and policies for cybersecurity, as well as the establishment of the Cybersecurity Board.
Perpetrators of cyberattacks, those benefiting from the use of data stolen in cyberattacks, may be punished with prison terms of up to 12 years under the new law. Those publishing, broadcasting and selling data stolen in cyberattacks will face prison terms of up to 15 years. Those failing to report cyberattacks or exploits in their line of work, namely Internet service providers or those offering online services that require storage of personal information, will face fines under the new law.
A court in Ankara will reshape the political career of Özgür Özel. The pharmacist-turned-politician climbed up the career ladder fast in the Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). On Wednesday, he may lose his seat at the country’s oldest party. Özel and his associates in the CHP face accusations of buying votes from delegates in a November 2023 election in the party that brought Özel to power.
Ahead of the hearing at the Court of Appeals, the CHP announced that it would take “to the field” this week, organizing events in 81 provinces. The announcement is actually a continuation of CHP’s campaign for an early election, but a court verdict may shift the discussion in those “field trips.”
Recently, the court of appeals asked judiciary authorities in Istanbul to send files regarding two corruption cases linked to the party, media reports said. One case involves a businessman accused of bribing CHP-run municipalities to get a share in lucrative tenders. Another case involves Ekrem Imamoğlu, former mayor of Istanbul, who was declared the future presidential candidate of CHP after he was arrested last March on charges of widespread corruption at the municipality. This request may seem routine to an untrained eye, but legal experts say it also means that the appeals court is now at a stage of issuing a final verdict in the vote-buying case.
Barring another delay in the case, the court on Wednesday will issue one of three verdicts: absolute nullification, a request for retrial in the case in a lower court or dismissing the case in its entirety. Absolute nullification means the 2023 election is not valid. This will pave the way for a new election, and until then, a trustee will be appointed to helm the party. This was the case in another trial related to vote-buying in the race for the chairmanship of the party’s Istanbul branch. A retrial will further prolong the process and means the CHP may buy more time ahead of the 2028 elections. If the court dismisses the case, it will cement Özel’s reign in the party, where he held another intraparty election last year to frustrate the ongoing court case and won.
The possibility of a verdict of absolute nullification led to mobilization in the party, with Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş openly calling the administration to “do something” a few weeks ago. Özel, meanwhile, continued his rallies across the country, seeking support for early or by-election, and rallied the CHP supporters around mayors detained or arrested on charges of corruption. The party may continue its rallies in case of absolute nullification, while media reports say Özel and several lawmakers may leave CHP and establish a new party.
As for the possible appointment of a trustee, the name of Özel’s predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, came up. Kılıçdaroğlu hinted once that he may take the reins in the party again, though the party would be a pale shade of its former self if the new generation of CHP members leave. Özel kept most of the lawmakers and prominent figures who rose in the ranks during Kılıçdaroğlu’s tenure and this may facilitate Kılıçdaroğlu’s task as trustee. A report published by the Sabah newspaper last month says some 100 CHP lawmakers were already ready to support Kılıçdaroğlu if he were to be appointed as a trustee.
Suspects testifying at the last hearing in the vote-buying case last month rejected allegations that they either were paid by the close circle of Özel to vote for him or were scheming to offer gifts and cash to other delegates to sway their opinion of Özel. But witnesses have contradicted this.
Testifying at the hearing, Veysi Uyanık, a delegate at the 2023 congress, said that Imamoğlu met him and other delegates before the congress, seeking their support for Özel. Uyanık said Özel had an election office in Ankara and his supporters were “handing out cash” to delegates. “I asked how much they pay, Özgür Karabat (one of the defendants in the case) told me that they would pay TL 100,000 ($2,250). Karabat’s chauffeur then gave me a ride to my hotel. They pulled a cache of free food coupons from the trunk and gave them to me. I later found out they were worth TL 1.5 million,” he said. Uyanık said he handed TL 20,000 to other delegates staying with him at the hotel after taking TL 100,000 from Karabat.
Mehmet Sevigen, a former lawmaker who testified at the hearing, said he heard reports of vote-buying at the congress and repeatedly warned the CHP administration to respond to the allegations. “But they did not answer,” he told the court.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu on Sunday accused the Greek Cypriot administration of deepening its cooperation with Israel, warning that the partnership could bring consequences for the Greek Cypriot public.
Speaking to the Sabah newspaper, he referred to the Greek Cypriot administration’s growing ties with Israel, warning that the relationship was driven by shared ideological ambitions and could eventually harm Greek Cypriots.
“The Greek Cypriot administration’s most favored ally is Israel,” he said. “Just as there is an obsession with promised lands in Zionist thinking, those who follow the Megali Idea are chasing a dream of restoring Alexander the Great’s empire.”
He added that the two sides had “discovered each other like brothers,” but said he believed the Greek Cypriot side would regret the partnership.
The minister also stressed that Türkiye’s military presence on Northern Cyprus remains the main deterrent against renewed tensions on the island, as regional crises have pushed the Eastern Mediterranean back onto the international agenda.
He noted recent steps by the Greek Cypriot administration could have turned the island into a flashpoint, but were countered by what he described as “rational moves” by Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Ertuğruloğlu underlined that the deployment of six Turkish F-16 fighter jets and air defense systems to the island last month had strengthened security and reassured Turkish Cypriots.
“We saw the excitement of the Cypriot Turkish people. We celebrated it like a holiday,” he said. “The motherland once again showed the world that it has never left us alone and never will.”
He said the Turkish Cypriot side does not see itself as a military target of any country involved in regional conflicts, citing the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) as the reason.
“The deterrent power provided by Türkiye on the island prevents the Greek Cypriots from embarking on a new adventure or bringing brutality against Turks back onto the agenda,” Ertuğruloğlu said.
He rejected claims that the Turkish military presence on the island represents an aggressive threat, saying Turkish Cypriots have historically acted in self-defense.
“The Turkish side has never taken an aggressive position on the island,” he said. “For years, we have been struggling to protect ourselves against attacks directed at us. This is why the Turkish Armed Forces are present on the island.”
Ertuğruloğlu also criticized Greek Cypriot objections to Türkiye’s latest military deployments, saying the Greek Cypriot side had complained that its approval was not sought.
“They are detached from reality to the point of saying this,” he said. “They live in another world.”
A recent drone strike on a British base underscored the island’s exposure to conflict. In response, several European countries pledged military support to the Greek Cypriot side, while France deployed naval and air defense assets to the region.
Türkiye, in turn, deployed six F-16 jets and air defense systems to the TRNC on March 9, describing the move as a deterrent against missile and drone threats.
Ertuğruloğlu warned that the increased use of British sovereign base areas on the island by the United Kingdom and the United States during regional conflicts had made Cyprus a potential target.
He also criticized what he described as renewed efforts by Greek Cypriots to glorify EOKA, reminding the events in which students repeat EOKA oaths in military uniforms and remarks by European officials praising EOKA figures had further deepened Turkish Cypriot concerns.
A terrorist faction known for massacres of Turkish Cypriots during the second half of the 20th century.
Most recently, a group of Greek Cypriot extremists tried to attack Turkish Cypriots in the buffer zone, during a rally to celebrate the anniversary of EOKA.
“Cyprus sits in a strategic geography,” Ertuğruloğlu said. “It is a region where all major powers in the world have interests.”
He said international actors’ interest in the Cyprus issue is driven by national interests rather than concern for Turkish Cypriots, who he said continue to face “inhumane embargoes” and international isolation.
“The founding equal partner that broke the partnership was rewarded, while the Turkish Cypriot people have continued to be punished,” he said.
Ertuğruloğlu said the Cyprus issue is fundamentally a question of status and cannot be resolved through talks between unequal sides.
“The problem can only be solved through negotiations between equals,” he said. “In negotiations between unequal parties, it is not possible for the unequal sides to rise from the table as equals.”
Italian experts said Türkiye remains an important partner for Europe in areas ranging from diplomacy to defense, arguing that Ankara should be viewed as part of the solution rather than a source of instability for the European Union.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) on the sidelines of a conference in Rome on Türkiye-Italy relations and their EU dimension, Stefano Braghiroli, an associate professor at the University of Tartu in Estonia, and Andrea Locatelli, a professor at Milan’s Catholic University, assessed Türkiye’s role in Europe and recent remarks by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Braghiroli said Türkiye’s participation in NATO’s Steadfast Dart 26 exercise and its presence in the Baltics were viewed positively from a security perspective.
Referring to von der Leyen’s comments, Braghiroli said they were “certainly not wise words.”
He underlined that Türkiye has a different status from China and Russia because it is both an EU candidate country and a partner of the bloc.
“Russia today is literally trying to dismantle the EU,” Braghiroli said. “I do not want to use the term ‘enemy,’ but it is a rival and perhaps the most important opposing actor for the EU.”
He noted China is not an opponent but is also “certainly not a partner,” describing it as an actor that must be managed.
“As for Türkiye, despite all bilateral problems, which of course must be addressed and managed, I think Türkiye is not part of the problem but part of the solution,” he said.
Locatelli said Europe is going through a difficult period and that greater military cooperation is needed not only among European states but also with other countries in response to threats and challenges from outside the continent.
He said Italy’s cooperation with Japan and the United Kingdom on a sixth-generation fighter jet project demonstrated this approach.
Cooperation with Türkiye, particularly in the development of unmanned aerial vehicle technologies through the partnership between Baykar and Leonardo, is also a key element, Locatelli said.
“I think every effort in this direction is a step in the right direction,” he said. “Undermining these initiatives would certainly not be useful.”
Türkiye and Italy have enjoyed a positive momentum in bilateral ties in recent years, which was particularly demonstrated in closer defense cooperation as the Turkish drone giant Baykar launched a joint venture with Leonardo last year.
Italy, with a 4.5% share in Türkiye’s total exports, stood as the fourth largest export destination for Ankara in 2025.
Speaking last month at an event marking the 80th anniversary of German newspaper Die Zeit in Hamburg, von der Leyen said the EU should complete the European continent so that it does not fall under “Russian, Turkish or Chinese influence.”
The Greek-Turkish rivalry in the Mediterranean Sea stretched toward Libya in 2019 when Türkiye signed a maritime accord with the North African country.
Speaking on Sunday, a week after Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis visited Libya, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece and Libya agreed to advance discussions through technical committees for delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
One year after the Tripoli-based government’s deal with Ankara, Libya and Greece agreed to form a joint technical committee for maritime delimitation. Last year, tensions between Athens and Tripoli escalated when Greece launched an international tender for oil and gas exploration south of the island of Crete, in an area disputed with Libya.
Türkiye’s 2019 maritime boundary agreement with Libya includes provisions for Turkish hydrocarbon exploration within Libya’s territorial waters, but it is still not fully implemented. In 2022, the two countries signed a hydrocarbon memorandum of understanding, paving the way for Turkish companies to conduct seismic surveys and drilling operations.
The agreement took a new turn on June 25, 2025, when the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) signed a memorandum of understanding with Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) for a 2D seismic survey in the Libyan waters. Under the memorandum, the TPAO will conduct surveys in four offshore blocks off the Libyan coast, over an area covering 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles). The data collected during the surveys will be processed within nine months.
Ekrem Imamoğlu, the disgraced former mayor of Istanbul for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), attempted to disrupt the court on the 31st day of his trial in Istanbul on charges of corruption.
The new week of the trial against what prosecutors call “the Imamoğlu criminal organization” began in the city’s Silivri district in the early hours of Monday with testimony of Ahmet Güldü, one of the defendants. Barın Kaya, a lawyer for one of the co-defendants, intervened in and accused the judges of not heeding their demands. The chief judge of the trial told the lawyer to wait for the turn of his defendant. However, a heated argument broke out in the hearing anyway. When the judges accused lawyers of disrespect, tensions escalated. In the face of the developments, the chief judge ordered the suspension of the hearing.
As the defendants and plaintiffs were leaving, Imamoğlu and his lawyer, Mehmet Pehlivan, defied the judge. The former mayor insisted on not leaving the court and requested the gendarmerie troops providing security to “force” him out. Imamoğlu was among the last ones to leave while gendarmerie troops waited. On his way out, he claimed that it was the judges who tried to drag down the trial.
The corruption investigation into Imamoğlu, who was suspended from his post as Istanbul metropolitan mayor and jailed, was completed with the preparation of a 3,809-page indictment on Nov. 11, 2025.
In the indictment, he is identified as the alleged “leader of a criminal organization” and is accused of several offenses, including establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes, bribery, laundering criminal proceeds, fraud against public institutions and organizations, recording personal data, illegally obtaining and disseminating personal data, concealing criminal evidence, obstructing communications, damaging public property, receiving bribes, publicly spreading misleading information, extortion, laundering assets derived from crime, rigging tenders, deliberately polluting the environment, violating the Tax Procedure Law, violating the Forestry Law and violating the Mining Law.
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence ranging from 828 years and two months to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts. The first hearing was held on Monday, March 9.
In the last hearing, contractor Adem Soytekin, a key witness in the case, testified. He alleged in court that bribes were paid in connection with municipal tenders and project payments, saying the system operated through informal arrangements involving cash, apartments and commercial units.
Soytekin, who benefited from effective remorse provisions, told the court he decided to cooperate after he was “left alone” by the municipality. He alleged that contractors were pressured to make payments in order to receive money owed to them for work carried out on municipal projects. “I paid bribes in exchange for tenders. This is how the system works,” Soytekin was quoted as saying in court.
According to Soytekin’s testimony, the general manager of IBB’s real estate subsidy KIPTAŞ, Ali Kurt, allegedly demanded $500,000 from him in connection with project payments. Soytekin said he did not have the full amount in cash at the time and asked an associate to collect $400,000, later completing the sum himself. He alleged that the money was delivered to Kurt through the suspect Murat Eren.
Soytekin said contractors believed they would not receive the payments they were owed unless they complied with the demand.
“If we had not given the money they wanted, we would not have received the money we were entitled to on time,” Soytekin told the court. “It was made clear to us that if the requested money was not paid, the funds that should have been transferred to contractors from KIPTAŞ accounts would not be sent to us for a long time.”
Soytekin also described what he called an informal payment and offsetting system inside the municipality. He said contractors were directed to build nurseries, cultural centers and dormitories, then collect their receivables through checks, apartments, shops or cash from third parties.
In another part of his testimony, Soytekin said three apartments in the Deniz Istanbul Project’s Mercan residences were transferred to his company in February 2020 without direct payment. He claimed the apartments were given in return for renovation work at the CHP’s Istanbul provincial headquarters in the Ayazağa district, a building previously linked in public debate to footage showing cash counting.
Soytekin further said municipalities often do not construct public buildings solely through their own resources, adding that projects are sometimes carried out under what he described as “voluntary donations.”
During questioning, the presiding judge asked Soytekin about his earlier statement that $1.5 million had been sent to Kurt. Soytekin initially did not provide details, prompting the judge to say the court was having difficulty communicating with him. “Bribe, Mr. President, bribe,” Soytekin replied.
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