Politics
Justice Ministry says ready to give technical support to ‘terror-free Türkiye’
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said Wednesday that his office is ready to provide technical support to lawmakers as Türkiye advances its terror-free initiative, a broader effort aimed at ending decades of PKK terrorism.
Speaking to reporters before the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) parliamentary group meeting, Gürlek said the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, which oversees the process, had submitted its recommendations to the Parliament speaker’s office.
“As the Justice Ministry, we have only established a technical team for the lawmaking process,” Gürlek said. “If our Parliament needs it, our team is always ready to work alongside it.”
The initiative aims to end PKK terrorism that began in 1984 and killed more than 40,000 people, sowing discord at home and spreading violence across borders into Iraq and Syria.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU, halted attacks last year and said in May it had decided to dissolve itself in response to a February 2025 call by its imprisoned ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, to end its decades-long attacks.
Parliament passed a parliamentary commission report last week that sets out a road map for legal reforms alongside the PKK’s disbandment.
Gürlek emphasized that any legal framework related to the process would be drafted and approved solely by Parliament.
He also stressed that no general amnesty or personal legal arrangement would be introduced that could create a perception of impunity for PKK members laying down their weapons.
Addressing questions on juvenile crime, the minister said authorities had determined that criminal networks were exploiting minors. He noted that a parliamentary commission is studying the issue and that necessary amendments could be included in the upcoming 12th Judicial Reform Package.
Work on the package is ongoing and is expected to include new social media regulations aimed at preventing the misuse of anonymous and fake accounts and curbing online defamation. Separate efforts led by the Family and Social Services Ministry are focusing on protections for children under 15.
On a separate legal case involving alleged insults against the president, Gürlek said jurisdiction was determined based on the location of the alleged offense and stressed that the matter falls entirely under the authority of the independent judiciary.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the suffering people of Gaza continue to show remarkable resilience as they observe Ramadan under bombardment, describing their determination as a source of inspiration for Muslims across the world.
“Our Gazan brothers and sisters who break their fast in makeshift buildings amid the ruins, yet refuse to bow to Israeli oppression, are setting an example for all Muslims with their faith,” Erdoğan said.
He also criticized Israel for its disregard for international law, saying its attacks on Gaza and the West Bank have escalated despite the cease-fire reached on Oct. 10, which he noted was secured with Türkiye’s efforts.
“Despite the cease-fire achieved on Oct. 10 with our efforts as well, the lawless Israeli government continues to escalate its attacks on Gaza and the West Bank,” he said.
Noting that Israeli attacks have killed 615 Palestinians and wounded nearly 2,000 others since Oct. 11, Erdoğan said serious obstacles continue to hinder the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.
He noted that restrictions and Israel’s arbitrary practices at the Rafah border crossing, Gaza’s “lifeline,” remain in place despite urgent humanitarian needs.
Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s stance on supporting a just and lasting peace, urging the international community to act decisively to stop the violence and protect civilians.
Türkiye will continue to play a constructive and determined role in securing regional stability and advancing efforts toward lasting peace, Presidential Chief Adviser for Foreign Policy and Security Akif Çağatay Kılıç said Tuesday.
Kılıç made the remarks in a statement on his social media account following his meeting with Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, noting that the discussions touched on regional security, diplomatic initiatives aimed at supporting peace, and ongoing defense cooperation between Ankara and Kyiv.
Emphasizing Türkiye’s long-standing commitment to diplomacy and conflict resolution, Kılıç said the country will continue its efforts to promote stability across the region and support channels that can help pave the way for sustainable peace.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also held a meeting with Umerov in the capital Ankara, the Foreign Ministry said.
NATO member Türkiye, which has striven to maintain relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has become a key mediator amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for a deal to end the yearslong war.
Türkiye is acting with caution in a region where new crises emerge daily, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Tuesday, adding that the country is ready to neutralize any plot aimed against it, underscoring the country’s determination to safeguard national security amid escalating regional challenges.
Speaking at an iftar dinner with security forces in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan emphasized that the government’s decisions are guided by more than two decades of experience, “fine political calculation” and well-planned strategy.
Erdoğan said Türkiye’s security gains are visible across the country, noting that areas once inaccessible due to PKK terrorism now welcome shepherds, domestic and foreign tourists.
“Whoever disturbs the peace of our people, whoever threatens the security of our state, or attacks our freedoms and democracy, we will continue to press down on them,” he said.
Praising Türkiye’s security forces for their role in preserving national stability, Erdoğan credited them with dismantling terror networks, confronting organized crime, preventing human trafficking, rescuing thousands at sea and defending the state during critical moments such as the July 15 coup attempt. He said their efforts have turned Türkiye into a “rare island of stability and security” in its region.
Erdoğan vowed continued support for police, gendarmerie, coast guard and all personnel under the Interior Ministry, adding that Türkiye rejects dependence or tutelage from any power.
Reaffirming Türkiye’s long-standing principle of sovereignty, Erdoğan said the state will continue strengthening its institutions to ensure peace, order and resilience against external attempts to destabilize the country.
The Center for Countering Disinformation, a subsidiary of the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, rejected media reports claiming that Türkiye is preparing to invade Iranian territory if the U.S. launches an attack on Iran.
“Claims in certain media outlets alleging that ‘Türkiye is planning to invade Iranian territory on security grounds in the event of a U.S. attack on Iran’ contain disinformation,” the Communications Directorate said in a social media post on Tuesday. The directorate emphasized that Türkiye maintains a longstanding commitment to respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of neighboring countries. It added that Ankara continuously takes necessary measures to safeguard the country’s borders, regardless of regional tensions.
“Türkiye, which consistently upholds respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of neighboring countries, takes all necessary measures to ensure the security of its borders on a 24/7 basis, whether in times of crisis or otherwise,” it stressed.
The directorate also urged the public to refrain from giving credence to unverified claims and instead rely on official statements issued by competent authorities.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has condemned Israeli narratives suggesting divine entitlement to land, saying no nation is “chosen” and warning that such rhetoric fuels injustice against Palestinians.
Speaking at an iftar dinner with foreign ambassadors in Ankara on Tuesday, Kurtulmuş said Türkiye rejects religious or ideological claims used to justify territorial expansion in the Middle East.
“We do not give any credence to beliefs about promised lands or the idea that a country belongs to a chosen people,” he said. “No people have been chosen by God, and no land has been divinely granted to any nation.”
Kurtulmuş was referring to recent comments by U.S. envoy in Israel, Mike Huckabee, who on Sunday sparked outrage by saying: “It would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states, including the occupied West Bank.”
Türkiye and 13 other countries condemned Huckabee’s comments, saying they constitute a “flagrant violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations” and pose a grave threat to regional security and stability.
Huckabee, named U.S. ambassador to Israel in April 2025, is an evangelical Christian who has previously spoken of expansionist claims based on what he described as a “divine right” for Israel in the West Bank.
He argued that Israel has a “biblical right” to the land stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates rivers, saying on a podcast released Friday: “It would be fine if they (Israel) took it all.”
Huckabee made the remarks in an interview with U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson, during which he defended Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip and voiced support for the idea of “divine providence” giving control of the region to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told news channel i24 last August that he feels “very attached” to the vision of a “Greater Israel.” He said he considers himself “on a historic and spiritual mission,” including “generations of Jews that dreamt of coming here and generations of Jews who will come after us.”
“Greater Israel” is a term used in Israeli politics to refer to the expansion of Israel’s territory to include the West Bank, Gaza and Syria’s Golan Heights, with some interpretations also including Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and parts of Jordan.
Kurtulmuş condemned Huckabee’s “disgraceful statements” that effectively legitimize Israel’s expansionist policies and reflect a broader collapse of the international rules-based order.
“The global system has entered a period where power overrides law and international institutions, including the United Nations, have become increasingly ineffective in preventing violations of sovereignty and human rights,” Kurtulmuş said.
He described the Palestinian issue as “the common conscience of humanity,” arguing that lasting peace in the Middle East is impossible without a two-state solution and recognition of Palestinian sovereignty.
The Turkish Parliament on Wednesday hosted a commemoration marking the 34th anniversary of the killings in Khojaly, with officials calling for remembrance and warning against future atrocities.
The event, titled the “Khojaly Genocide Commemoration Program,” was organized at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) by the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Friendship, Cooperation and Solidarity Foundation (TADIV) and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Ankara. A photo exhibition accompanied the ceremony.
Among those attending were TADIV board chair Aygün Attar, Türkiye’s Chief Ombudsman Mehmet Akarca, head of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan parliamentary friendship group Şamil Ayrım, Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Gökhan Günaydın and Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Ankara, Rashad Mammadov.
Attar, who also chairs the Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Board, said the 1992 events in Khojaly continue to shape collective memory despite the territory’s return to Azerbaijani control following the recent Karabakh war. She said the commemoration seeks to prevent “new Khojaly, Srebrenica or Gaza” tragedies and urged the international community to reject violence based on ethnic or religious identity.
Mammadov said dozens were killed in Khojaly “for being Turkish and Muslim” and noted that despite hopes after World War II that such crimes would not recur, later atrocities in Rwanda, Cambodia and Srebrenica took place.
Referring to Azerbaijan’s military gains under President Ilham Aliyev, Mammadov said the country faces the challenge of sustaining peace in the South Caucasus while ensuring similar tragedies do not happen again. He added that pursuing peace is difficult for a nation that endured such suffering but described it as a necessity to prevent further bloodshed.
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş: The issue of terrorism will be removed from the agenda
BREAKING NEWS | President Erdoğan’s harsh reaction to the murderer Israel: Our brothers from Gaza set an example with their faith
Justice Ministry says ready to give technical support to ‘terror-free Türkiye’
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş: The issue of terrorism will be removed from the agenda
BREAKING NEWS | President Erdoğan’s harsh reaction to the murderer Israel: Our brothers from Gaza set an example with their faith
Justice Ministry says ready to give technical support to ‘terror-free Türkiye’
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