Parliamentary leaders from NATO member states called for stronger defense capabilities, greater allied unity and closer cooperation at the NATO Parliamentary Summit in Istanbul on Monday, underscoring the need for collective security, continued support for Ukraine and adherence to international law.

Speaking at the summit hosted by Türkiye, Bulgarian National Assembly Speaker Mihaela Dotsova said the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara presents “an opportunity to reaffirm our strong commitment to the alliance’s values, collective security and strengthening stability in the Euro-Atlantic region.”

She stressed that Bulgaria sees NATO as a cornerstone of security and pointed to growing instability and multiple conflicts in the current global environment.

Dotsova said Bulgaria continues to fulfill its commitments to collective defense and modernize its armed forces.

“Investing in defense means investing in security, resilience and the state’s ability to protect its citizens and national sovereignty,” she added.

Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, along with hybrid threats, disruptive technologies and intensifying strategic competition, are reshaping Europe’s security landscape and the functioning of societies.

“In this context, military power, of course, remains indispensable, but it is no longer sufficient on its own,” he said.

“Critical infrastructure, economic and technological progress, and political cohesion are equally important parts of the equation,” he added.

Jandrokovic stressed the need for stronger European defense capabilities in solidarity with a credible transatlantic bond.

He said Croatia is on track to allocate 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense spending by 2030 and is determined to raise that figure to 5% by 2035.

Emphasizing that NATO allies form a shared security space, Jandrokovic said any weakness within that space affects the security of all allies and underlined that the alliance must be prepared for future threats.

Dutch House of Representatives Speaker Thom van Campen said parliamentary diplomacy plays a “vital role” in building trust between countries, fostering mutual understanding and strengthening transatlantic solidarity.

“We are meeting in Türkiye, which serves as a bridge between continents and cultures, and this is no coincidence,” he said, calling on allies to continue supporting one another and demonstrate that NATO is “united, determined and ready to act.”

North Macedonian Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi said “NATO 3.0” should be viewed from the perspective of a strategic restart of the alliance and stressed the need for balanced burden-sharing and increased national investments in defense capabilities.

He also said developments in the Middle East have serious implications for peace, energy markets and humanitarian conditions and called for continued diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.

Norwegian Parliament Speaker Masud Gharahkhani said his country is increasing defense production and investing in new systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles and digital solutions.

“We need more coordination. We need to accelerate our industrial capacities and production to strengthen our collective security,” he said, adding that Norway’s long-term defense plan reflects a more serious security environment and lessons learned from the war in Ukraine.

Estonian Parliament Speaker Lauri Hussar said NATO members’ decision to allocate 5% of GDP to defense by 2035 was historic and stressed the need to deepen cooperation in regional defense planning and air defense.

“Peace is never free and weakness always comes at a cost. Unity is NATO’s center of gravity,” he said, while calling for increased pressure on Russia and continued support for Ukraine.

Finnish Parliament Speaker Jussi Halla-Aho said Finland wants to actively contribute to collective deterrence, emphasizing that NATO’s strength stems from the strength of its members and that Russia can only be persuaded to end its aggression if the economic and political costs become unsustainable.

Italian Chamber of Deputies (lower house) Speaker Lorenzo Fontana said security in the Euro-Atlantic region is shaped by interconnected crises stretching from the Mediterranean and the Middle East to the Red Sea and the Gulf.

“NATO is strong when it is united. It is credible not only when it reacts to crises but also when it can prevent them,” he said.

Polish Senate Speaker Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska called for increasing resilience against Russia and said NATO’s defense preparedness and new formats of cooperation should be strengthened.

“We must support Ukraine with all our strength,” she said, adding that Poland and Türkiye play key roles as allies on NATO’s eastern flank.

Portuguese Parliament Speaker Jose Pedro Aguiar Branco said maintaining the alliance’s internal cohesion remains essential and stressed that support for Ukraine should continue to be a priority within the Euro-Atlantic security framework.

Slovak National Council Speaker Richard Rasi said Slovakia’s foreign and security policy is based on its European Union and NATO memberships and noted that the country plans to gradually increase defense spending to 5% of GDP while seeking conditions for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

British House of Lords Speaker Michael Forsyth described Türkiye as “a valuable partner in many fields at the intersection of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia,” saying Ankara plays “a vital diplomatic role in connecting regions and mediating conflicts.”

Forsyth said deterrence is less costly than conflict and collective defense is more effective than acting alone, adding that NATO allies must adapt to changes brought by artificial intelligence and cyber technologies.

He also said Ukraine is bearing the burden of resisting Russian aggression on behalf of the broader alliance and said NATO members owe Ukrainians “a great debt of gratitude.”

U.K. House of Commons Deputy Speaker Judith Cummins also stressed the need for closer cooperation among allies, saying: “At this most dangerous point in our history, we NATO members need each other.”

She warned that current challenges are becoming increasingly unpredictable and pointed to growing competition and emerging technological threats.

French NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation head Natalia Pouzyreff recalled that the situation in the Middle East and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz had been discussed at the recent G7 Leaders’ Summit in France, which also issued a joint statement recognizing Ukraine’s territorial integrity and calling for strengthened military assistance to Kyiv.

Pouzyreff said Ukraine’s future lies in NATO and stressed that the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration would directly contribute to regional security and stability.

Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil said every NATO member has a responsibility to allocate at least 2% of its GDP to defense spending.

“Europe should assume greater responsibility for NATO’s defense because a stronger Europe means a stronger NATO,” he said.

Vystrcil said NATO’s future rests on unity among allies, fulfilling commitments, and greater European support for collective defense.

“If we are to send one message from Istanbul, it is this: When it comes to defending our freedom and democracy, we all stand shoulder to shoulder,” he added.

Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Tomio Okamura said countries need to strengthen their defenses before crises emerge, stressing that every nation has both the right and the duty to defend its territory, citizens, borders, and way of life.

He also called for the war in Ukraine to end as soon as possible.

Danish Parliament Speaker Soren Gade said Euro-Atlantic security has become increasingly complex and underlined the importance of maintaining NATO’s strength and intervention capability.

“As a former defense minister, I have seen firsthand the immense pressure NATO is under, but NATO remains the strongest and most successful alliance in history,” he said.

“Although the international security situation is under great pressure, I believe NATO has the necessary tools to address the challenges ahead,” Gade added.

Spanish Senate First Deputy Speaker Javier Maroto said all NATO countries should defend respect for international law in every conflict, “whether in Ukraine or the Middle East.”

He also argued that NATO reform should not mean “less U.S.” but rather greater European responsibility, regional leadership, and a larger share of the traditional defense burden.

Swedish Parliament Third Deputy Speaker Kerstin Lundgren said the agenda of the upcoming NATO Leaders Summit in Ankara would include alliance capabilities, sustainable support for Ukraine, and increasing industrial production in the defense sector.

“NATO is an alliance founded on the view that democracy, human rights, the rules-based world order, and free trade are not only great ideals but also principles that make us strong today,” she said.

Albanian Parliament Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Committee Chairman Igli Hasani said security depends on the ability to act together and reiterated Albania’s support for Ukraine.

“Security is defended not only on the battlefield but also through sustained solidarity and determination,” he said, adding that investments in defense are a strategic step toward preparedness, resilience and deterrence.

NATO Parliamentary Assembly Greek delegation Deputy Head Dimitris Keridis described Istanbul as “magnificent” and said more than 2 million Turkish citizens are expected to visit Greece this year.

Keridis believes that Türkiye should be included in the Schengen Area, adding that Greece is sincere in extending a hand of friendship.

Dagur Eggertsson, member of parliament from the Social Democratic Alliance and the chair of Iceland’s NATO parliamentary delegation, said being in Istanbul, which has connected cultures, continents, and civilizations for centuries, is a privilege.

“This city reminds us that security is never built in isolation but through dialogue, cooperation, and shared responsibility,” he said.

Eggertsson said NATO exists not only to defend territories but also to protect the principles that make peace possible, stressing that trust in democratic institutions and shared values is the real foundation of the alliance.

NATO PA Montenegro delegation head Dusko Stjepovic said wars in Europe and the Middle East, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and attempts to weaken democratic institutions show that security can no longer be viewed only from a state-centered perspective.

He said NATO is more important than ever and voiced support for strengthening the alliance’s defense capacity and increasing defense investments.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly Ukraine delegation head, Yehor Cherniev, thanked Türkiye for organizing the 2022 negotiations in Istanbul, while saying the talks did not succeed because the conditions were not fair or acceptable for Ukraine.

Cherniev said Ukraine is beginning to regain the initiative in the war and argued that Russia should not be given an opportunity to recover and rebuild its forces.

He also said Europe’s security would remain incomplete without Ukraine’s full NATO membership.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Monday that Yerevan sees no need to respond to any potential Israeli recognition of the 1915 events, arguing that avoiding the “weaponization” of the issue serves Armenia’s national interests.

Speaking at a briefing, Pashinyan underlined that it is in the interest of Armenia not to enter into the misuse of the issue, according to state news agency Armenpress. “We see no need to respond because,” he added.

Later in the day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the Israeli government is seeking “to cover up its own crimes” through a politically motivated decision on the 1915 events.

Türkiye objects to the presentation of the 1915 incidents as “genocide,” describing them as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.

The statements came after Israel’s Cabinet unanimously approved a proposal on June 28, recognizing the mass killings and deportations of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as genocide.

Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Türkiye and Armenia, as well as international experts, to tackle the issue.

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Three senior members of the European Commission are set to visit Türkiye on Tuesday in a rare joint trip that Ankara views as a sign of renewed momentum in relations between Türkiye and the European Union amid shifting geopolitical and security dynamics, according to Foreign Ministry sources.

European Commission Executive Vice President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner are expected to hold talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.

Foreign Ministry sources said the simultaneous visit by three European commissioners reflects the growing strategic importance the EU attaches to relations with Türkiye as Europe confronts increasing geopolitical, security and economic challenges. The visit comes one day before Ireland assumes the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and is expected to contribute to the positive atmosphere that has emerged in Türkiye-EU ties over the past year.

During his meetings, Fidan is expected to reaffirm that Türkiye’s full membership in the European Union remains one of Ankara’s strategic priorities under the vision of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The Turkish minister is also expected to stress that the enlargement process should proceed based on fairness and merit and that Türkiye should participate in all EU mechanisms and engagement processes on an equal footing with other candidate countries.

Fidan will argue that Türkiye’s eventual accession would strengthen not only the country but also the European Union by enhancing its competitiveness, resilience and geopolitical influence, the ministry said.

He is expected to call on Brussels to remove restrictions that have weighed on bilateral relations since European Union foreign ministers adopted measures against Türkiye in July 2019 over tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Economic cooperation is expected to feature prominently in the discussions. Fidan is expected to press for the long-delayed modernization of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union, saying negotiations should begin without further delay. He is also expected to underline Türkiye’s role as an integral part of European manufacturing supply chains and call for Turkish-origin goods produced within the Customs Union framework to be treated as European products.

Migration and visa liberalization are also expected to be on the agenda. Ankara is expected to call for the completion of the visa liberalization dialogue and for more effective implementation of recent measures aimed at facilitating Schengen visa applications for Turkish citizens, including commercial truck drivers.

Fidan is also expected to advocate closer cooperation on regional connectivity projects spanning the Black Sea, South Caucasus and Central Asia, describing Türkiye as a key partner in efforts to strengthen regional stability and economic resilience.

Regional security issues, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, developments in the South Caucasus, Gaza, Syria and Iran, are expected to be discussed, with Türkiye emphasizing the need for regular, action-oriented dialogue and coordination with the EU.

Since the beginning of 2026, Türkiye and the EU have resumed high-level dialogue meetings on trade, migration and security, science and innovation, climate and economic affairs. Türkiye was also invited to informal meetings of EU foreign ministers, while the European Investment Bank has partially resumed operations in the country.

European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are also expected to travel to Türkiye alongside Kallas for the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8.

The EU remains Türkiye’s largest trading partner, while Türkiye is the bloc’s fifth-largest trading partner. Bilateral trade reached approximately $233 billion in 2025.

The next Türkiye-EU High-Level Economic Dialogue is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on July 2 and is expected to focus on deepening trade, investment and financial cooperation.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss bilateral ties as well as regional and global developments, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said Monday.

During the call, Erdoğan noted Türkiye aims to further strengthen relations with Germany and underlined the importance of continuing mutual steps to advance cooperation between the two countries.

The leaders also discussed the NATO leaders’ summit scheduled to be held in Ankara. Erdoğan said Türkiye expects the summit to demonstrate a strong will to strengthen Europe’s defense within NATO while preserving the transatlantic bond.

Erdoğan also stressed thatTürkiye was making intensive efforts to help bring Russia’s war against Ukraine to an end through a lasting peace. He said Ankara was continuing work to revive negotiations and restart the diplomatic process between Moscow and Kyiv.

Türkiye has maintained contacts with both Russia and Ukraine throughout the war and has repeatedly offered to facilitate talks aimed at ending the conflict.

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Türkiye is indebted to people oppressed by Israel, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said while speaking at an event organized by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Sunday.

On the same day the Israeli government approved the recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide, Erdoğan told fellow party members at the event in Sakarya that they would hold those behind the Gaza genocide to account.

The Israeli government on Sunday unanimously recognized the World War I “genocide,” in an apparent rebuke to Türkiye after stalling similar efforts for recognition for years. The Netanyahu administration, which is behind the war crimes in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands since 2023 and practically razed the Palestinian enclave to the ground, had hinted earlier at the issue. In almost every instance Erdoğan spoke about the crimes of Netanyahu and “his network of murderers,” Netanyahu and his associates were quick to bring up what they called the “genocide” against Kurds and Armenians by Türkiye.

“A historic decision: the Israeli government has unanimously approved Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s proposal to recognize the Armenian genocide,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. The Cabinet’s decision must still be ratified by Parliament. Saar said at the Cabinet meeting that the “genocide” has been subject to “denial and minimization.”

Successive Israeli governments had avoided formally recognizing the so-called genocide, in part to preserve relations with Türkiye, once one of Israel’s closest strategic partners in the region. Under Erdoğan, however, the relations on the brink of revival after a period of tensions, again, under Erdoğan, took an irreversible hit. The Turkish leader garnered global admiration for standing against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and often likened Netanyahu to Hitler, the architect of the Holocaust. Saar insisted that the recognition was not an act of retaliation.

The issue of the so-called genocide has deeply affected possible ties between Türkiye and Armenia. A strong Armenian lobby touted the incidents in the Ottoman territories between 1915 and 1917, which involved the relocation of Armenians en masse as genocide. Türkiye rejects the accusations although it has acknowledged that Armenians, alongside Turks, died during the period. Türkiye also disputes the account that 1.5 million Armenians died and states that the actual death toll, often linked to diseases and other factors, was far below this figure.

Though the issue has overshadowed the possibility of normalization between Türkiye and Armenia in the past, it appears to have taken a back seat in a new push for revival of ties, in parallel with a similar process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who recently secured another term with an election victory, ties have flourished with delegations working to iron out differences. Pashinyan and his top diplomats also visited Türkiye in a rare display of steps towards normalization. Though Armenia did not abandon its claim of a genocide taking place during the last days of Ottoman Empire, the Pashinyan government is less vocal about it and focuses on the future of relations rather than the past, best symbolized in the “Real Armenia” doctrine.

“The ummah has expectations from us,” Erdoğan told the Consultation and Assessment Meeting of the AK Party, an annual retreat for lawmakers, administrators and ministers. “We made promises to the oppressed. We have a responsibility,” he said.

Erdoğan then delved into the tragic lives of Palestinians cut short by Israeli attacks. He reminded how Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl, was deliberately killed while awaiting for ambulance after Israel fired on her family’s car and killed her relatives in 2024. “They killed infants, they killed children in the parks, schools, hospitals. They massacred thousands of babies. A genocide took place in Gaza and they still attack. Undoubtedly, we will hold them accountable for this genocide. We will, we will never neglect doing so. Allah willing, people here will be able to do that,” Erdoğan told the event.

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Muhittin Böcek, the former mayor of Antalya who was arrested in a corruption probe, admitted paying 5 million euros ($5.5 million) to Ekrem Imamoğlu, another former mayor charged with corruption, for candidacy at the Turkish main opposition CHP.

Böcek came forward with more confessions this week, long after his arrest in a corruption investigation. Böcek told investigators that he had a deal with Ekrem Imamoğlu, a former mayor of Istanbul, to pay 15 million euros in exchange of securing a candidacy for Antalya in the past elections. Böcek’s statements made public over the weekend indicate the influence of Imamoğlu within the party, which declared him as a future presidential candidate following his 2025 arrest on charges of rampant corruption at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB).

In his earlier statements where he sought a leniency in his future sentencing, Böcek has admitted making a payment to party’s headquarters for candidacy in municipal elections. He has claimed that the party’s then chair, Özgür Özel, instructed him to deliver 950,000 euros to Ferdi Zeyrek, the late mayor of western city of Manisa and a close associate of Özel, to contribute to his campaign for candidacy. In his new statement, Böcek said Imamoğlu asked for 15 million euros and he used “hawala” system to pay 5 million euros of the request and skipped the rest of the payment when Imamoğlu was arrested in March 2025. Böcek also claimed that Imamoğlu asked him to cover his expenses for the Mediterranean leg of his future presidential campaign.

In his statement to prosecutors in Antalya, Böcek repeated his previous statement and explained that he traveled to Manisa upon the direction of Özel, before the 2024 local elections. Böcek said he went to Manisa on Jan. 15, 2024, before his candidacy had been officially announced.

In his statement, Böcek claimed that after a meeting in Ankara, Özel instructed him to provide financial and project support to Zeyrek. Böcek said that while traveling to Manisa, he carried approximately 950,000 euros in a bag. He stated that after a social project presentation, he was briefly alone with Ferdi Zeyrek and left the money next to his desk during that time.

Muhittin Böcek also described another process he experienced regarding his candidacy for Antalya Metropolitan Municipality during the 2024 local elections. Böcek said that the mayor of Muratpaşa Municipality had met İmamoğlu, received certain assurances regarding the candidacy process in return of payments.

Böcek said that, in order to clarify his own candidacy, he traveled to Istanbul on Nov. 30, 2023, and held a meeting lasting approximately one hour with Imamoğlu at a hotel. Böcek stated that his private secretary Yasin Yellice witnessed the meeting and that afterward they took a photo together on the hotel balcony, which he shared on his social media account.

According to Böcek’s statement, İmamoğlu told him during the meeting that he had not promised the candidacy to anyone else and that he would choose Böcek. However, the most notable part of the meeting was the alleged financial support requested for the election campaign and İmamoğlu’s presidential ambitions. Böcek claimed that İmamoğlu told him he needed financial resources for his election campaign and also said that he was planning to run for the presidency in the future, sharing his political roadmap. According to his account, İmamoğlu said that Antalya would take on important responsibilities both economically and socially during this process and that Böcek needed to be prepared for this.

Böcek said that after returning to Antalya, he told a friend that he needed €5 million and would use the money to make a payment in Istanbul. According to his statement, a few days later the person he met took a photo of a 100 Turkish lira banknote and gave him a piece of paper inside an envelope with a name and phone number written on it. Böcek said he was told that the payment could be collected at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar using the banknote and the paper.

Böcek stated that he believed this method was a secret payment system known as “hawala” and said he had no way of knowing from which currency exchange office the money was collected.

The former mayor said that, in order to cover part of the requested amount, he called İmamoğlu on Dec. 16, 2023, and traveled to Istanbul the next day, to meet with him again. Böcek stated that he went to a building used by İmamoğlu as an election campaign office, describing it as an office located on the ground floor of a high-rise plaza.

Böcek claimed that during their private meeting, he handed the banknote and the paper containing the phone number to İmamoğlu and said that he would settle the remaining part of the requested money over time. He also said that he pledged to win many districts of Antalya in the election and presented his work regarding the districts to İmamoğlu.

Another notable detail in Böcek’s statement concerned the remaining portion of the money he had pledged. Muhittin Böcek said that he did not provide the remaining support he claimed he had promised to İmamoğlu because İmamoğlu was arrested. He also stated that the same payment method was used to cover the election advertising expenses arranged by his son, Gökhan Böcek.

The former mayor also talked about the political ambitions of Imamoğlu and how his influence spread across the party. He said Imamoğlu began working on plans for the presidency after his success in the Istanbul elections and soon “turned into a political power by himself above the power of the party” and intervened to selection of mayoral candidates. He claimed that the Özel administration was dependent on Imamoğlu’s opinion in most of the work they’ve done in the party.

He also referred to new CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s recent statement that “Municipalities are not places that should meet the demands of party headquarters and leaders.” Böcek argued that these words reflected the essence of the ongoing debate, saying that one reason CHP municipal governance’s strong public support had weakened was that political ambitions had been placed ahead of municipal services.

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