Politics
‘Learn from the past’: Erdoğan warns Greece to stop arming islands
“I think they’d hear us from Greece if we shout from Kaş,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told journalists when asked how Türkiye would respond to Greece’s arming of the Aegean islands.
Türkiye has recently declared an area between Kaş and Fethiye in the south, as well as several other areas in the Aegean Sea, as “marine parks” in a move that angered Greece, which has consistently contested Türkiye’s maritime borders.
Erdoğan answered questions while returning from Kyrgyzstan, where he attended a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Tuesday. In remarks published on Wednesday, he said Türkiye sought to advance relations with Greece on the basis of good neighborliness. “We have always been sincere and constructive, but this was not reciprocated most of the time,” Erdoğan said.
Türkiye opposes any Greek military deployment on the eastern Aegean islands, arguing that they should remain demilitarized under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty. Greece, however, cites a “threat” from Türkiye and says it has the right under international law to defend its sovereignty. The two countries have recently been at odds over the declaration of marine parks to preserve marine biodiversity, with both accusing each other of attempting to violate their maritime borders.
Under Erdoğan’s leadership, Türkiye has pursued a rapprochement with Greece after decades of lukewarm diplomatic ties and nearly two decades after the two countries came close to an all-out war over their Aegean dispute. Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have met several times over the past two years, but their warm meetings have done little to change the state of relations over the maritime dispute.
“Greece should know that Türkiye has no intention of grabbing the territory of any other country, but Türkiye also has no intention of allowing anyone to violate its rights. Ignoring international treaties will not benefit anyone. Anyone who interprets Türkiye’s level-headed approach based on common sense as weakness is making a grave mistake. Greece should reverse course and stop arming demilitarized islands. History is a good guide for those who can learn from the past,” Erdoğan said.
The Republic of Türkiye cemented its independence more than a century ago under the leadership of its founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, after expelling invading Greek forces. “We will continue working for peace, security and stability,” Erdoğan added.
In a related development, Israel and Greece signed a 3 billion euros ($3.48 billion) defense deal on Monday under which Israel will build a “multilayered” defense system for Greece. A supplementary deal valued at 26 million euros will see Israel sell Greece Drone Dome systems to protect strategic sites against drones and reinforce existing defenses.
Both countries are at odds with Türkiye. Ankara has repeatedly warned against Israel’s expansionist goals across the region. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has previously warned that Türkiye may be the next target of Israel after the Netanyahu administration launched a genocidal campaign in Gaza.
SCO summit
Erdoğan also commented on Türkiye’s ambitions to advance relations with the SCO to a “higher level.” He said the summit he attended in Bishkek had been a concrete indicator of Türkiye’s will to diversify its economic, political and strategic options at the international level.
“We have bilateral trade and economic relations with SCO member states. In our relations with the Organization, significant progress has been made in recent years, reflecting our multidimensional foreign policy approach. Türkiye is a country capable of developing balanced relations with both the West and the East and deepening its ties with both sides accordingly. Türkiye’s approach also strengthens our aim of finding solutions to global challenges based on cooperation and effective multilateralism. From our perspective, it is possible to take our relations with the SCO to even higher levels in the period ahead,” he said.
Türkiye is a dialogue partner of the bloc, and Erdoğan said Türkiye’s perspective on membership in the SCO “does not in any way mean breaking away from one bloc or turning its back on the West. Our goal is to increase our own weight and influence with a 360-degree vision.”
Ties with Russia
The Turkish leader also had a rare meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit. He said their talks were very fruitful and that they had particularly discussed the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He hailed significant cooperation with Russia in fields ranging from tourism to energy.
“Concluding the conflict through peace is also Mr. Putin’s expectation,” Erdoğan said. “This conflict has had bad consequences for our region and the world, and Mr. Putin is not pleased with this. I conveyed to Mr. Putin that we were ready to do anything for peace,” he said. Türkiye is among the few countries that have achieved some progress toward partial peace between the two countries.
Maritime security in the Black Sea amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict was also on Erdoğan’s agenda. Several Turkish commercial vessels have come under fire over the past two months while sailing through the Black Sea. Erdoğan said the conflict should not “come to a point where the security of civilians and trade security erode.” “We have to resolve this issue because the damage is growing. We need a mechanism for lasting security in maritime shipping in the Black Sea,” he said.
Mecca alliance
Erdoğan also commented on Türkiye’s joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The agreement evolved into the Mecca Defense Alliance as ministers from the three countries came together in Istanbul on Monday to discuss its future. Erdoğan said the meeting was very important.
“In line with our approach of taking concrete steps as soon as possible, we have identified the issues that need to be addressed from a technical standpoint. Chief among these is the establishment of the secretariat and making it fully operational. Military and political issues need to be addressed here. The defense industry is an important area of cooperation. In terms of military operational cooperation, technical issues such as military training, military standardization, and the sharing of information on military threats, capabilities and capacities were also discussed. Decisions were made on when and how these initiatives will be implemented,” Erdoğan said.
“There are very few countries that have openly opposed this alliance, but there are also countries that have expressed opposition behind the scenes. In particular, the balance among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye makes it difficult for many actors to openly criticize the alliance. This alliance was established to promote stability and security in our region. We will continue on our path together with our brothers, growing stronger,” he said.
Terror-free Türkiye
Asked about the terror-free Türkiye initiative aimed at the dissolution of the terrorist group PKK, Erdoğan said that the timetable for the process was not clear. “You can’t set a schedule on such issues,” he said. “This is not about timing anyway; it is about reaching our goal. Certainly, we have a road map, and our institutions work in coordination,” he said.
Türkiye’s Parliament earlier this month passed a landmark 12-article law supporting the initiative, following months of political efforts led by Erdoğan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli.
The legislation outlines legal procedures for members of the PKK terrorist group who lay down their arms and surrender to Turkish authorities as the organization moves toward dissolution and disarmament. It includes provisions allowing the deferral of prosecution or prison sentences in certain circumstances, while establishing different legal procedures depending on an individual’s position within the organization and involvement in criminal activity.
The law does not constitute a general amnesty and does not eliminate existing convictions, change the legal classification of crimes, or broadly remove criminal liability, according to the justification accompanying the legislation.
“The monitoring board established under the leadership of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz has begun planning the steps to be taken within the framework of the duties defined by law. For the law to begin to be implemented, however, the PKK must actually lay down its arms and disband. It is clear how the necessary assessments and verification will be carried out in this regard. The process is moving forward step by step. It has not been confined to rigid parameters in every respect. There is also a degree of flexibility in this regard. We are approaching the issue with the seriousness of the state and taking our steps accordingly. Our nation has also demonstrated its support for a terror-free Türkiye. Processes that are open to such provocations should not be allowed to drag on for too long,” he said.
Türkiye also links the initiative to stability in the wider region. In this context, the dissolution of the YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, is viewed as crucial by Ankara. After two years, the YPG reached an agreement with the new administration in Damascus on its integration into the Syrian army. Erdoğan said Türkiye welcomed the news and was following the implementation of the integration agreement.
“We want more than anyone else for Syria to remain united. This is important for achieving sustainable development and building capacity in Syria. We have always stood by our Syrian brothers and sisters to this end, and we will continue to stand by them going forward. In this regard, President Ahmed al-Sharaa has successfully navigated and continues to navigate difficult challenges. We are hopeful about both the integration process and the gains the Syrian people have achieved in a short period of time. I believe this process will open the door to a new era not only for Türkiye and Syria, but for the entire region. The chapter of terrorism must now be closed; the era of weapons and violence must come to an end,” he said.
The integration was also welcomed by the United States, Türkiye’s NATO ally, which controversially supported the YPG in Syria during the Baathist era. Washington has also modified its policy toward Syria and embraced the unity approach of the al-Sharaa administration. “Obviously, the United States eventually grasped the reality in Syria,” Erdoğan said.
F-35 deal
Erdoğan also commented on Türkiye’s pursuit of a return to the F-35 fighter jet program with the United States. “The talks are underway to achieve this. We believe we will put all these issues behind us. While we pursue diplomatic efforts, we won’t abandon the development of our Kaan fighter jet. We are committed to developing our own aerial defense systems. As a matter of fact, we are diversifying the options we have. This is how Türkiye becomes stronger,” Erdoğan said.
An unprecedented meeting between Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sparked speculation about the opposition politician’s political future. In a statement on Thursday, Yavaş defended the meeting amid a barrage of rumors spreading on social media that he would defect to Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
“The only agenda of the meeting was Ankara,” Yavaş said in a statement the day after the meeting. The mayor, who represents the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said he requested the meeting with Erdoğan as part of the official welcoming protocol at the capital’s airport last month.
Yavaş, a former member of the AK Party’s ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has been touted as a potential presidential contender in the next election since he ended the lengthy reign of AK Party Mayor Melih Gökçek in the 2019 local elections. At one point, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu considered him as a potential running mate in the 2023 presidential election, which he lost to Erdoğan. For the opposition, Yavaş is a strong presidential contender with the potential to attract conservative and nationalist voters who overwhelmingly support Erdoğan and the AK Party.
His muted response to the storm brewing in the CHP after Kılıçdaroğlu retook the party leadership following a court verdict that nullified Özgür Özel’s chairpersonship in May prompted rumors that he would defect to the AK Party. In his statement on Thursday, Yavaş indicated that he maintained ties with both the CHP and Özel’s New Party (YP), which he was expected to join after its establishment in July. Yavaş underlined that both Özel and Kılıçdaroğlu were notified about his meeting with Erdoğan, something Özel confirmed in an interview on Wednesday. The mayor stated that he spoke with Erdoğan about pending investments in the Turkish capital and problems facing the city, saying that he needed to discuss projects with “the central administration” to secure approval and support.
“I would like to make it clear to those trying to draw political conclusions from this meeting and create scenarios suggesting that I will switch parties: There is no possibility that I would take a stance that would hurt, upset or disappoint the people who love me, trust me and have stood by me for years. If this stance is considered a source of discomfort by the headquarters of either party, I will not hesitate to do what is necessary. However, to date, neither party leader has conveyed to me any statement indicating that they are uncomfortable with my stance,” he said.
A businessperson told an Istanbul court that he paid TL 10 million ($210,000) in bribes and was forced to hand over two plots of land worth TL 50 million while trying to collect hundreds of millions of liras owed to his company by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and its affiliates.
Serbülend Danış, owner of Danış Asfalt, made the allegations during a hearing in a corruption case involving jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu and other defendants.
Danış said he had previously told prosecutors that he was pressured into making payments while seeking to collect about TL 500 million in receivables stemming from contracts with the municipality’s Road Maintenance and Infrastructure Coordination Department and affiliated companies.
During the hearing, Danış accused former Republican People’s Party (CHP) Party Assembly member Baki Aydöner and his brother, Bulut Aydöner, of taking two plots belonging to him under the pretext of helping him collect the outstanding payments.
“Baki and Bulut Aydöner forcibly took two of my plots and victimized me,” Danış told the court, rejecting claims that he had contacted them because he wanted to enter politics. He said he planned to file a compensation lawsuit against the defendants.
Adem Tuncay, a former IBB advertising management official who cooperated with prosecutors under Türkiye’s effective remorse provisions, also testified at the hearing. Tuncay alleged that CHP-linked individuals visited him in prison and questioned him about his family circumstances.
He also claimed that after his release, he was not reinstated to his position and that his wife, who had worked for the municipality for 13 years, was dismissed.
On Wednesday, a total of 414 defendants, including suspended Mayor Imamoğlu, appeared before a judge at the 78th hearing in a corruption case involving the IBB. Fifty of the defendants are being held in pretrial detention.
Separately, Gözdem Ongun, the wife of former IBB official Murat Ongun, defended financial transactions prosecutors have cited in the case. She denied wrongdoing and said transactions totaling about TL 6 million through her company, BYZAG, stemmed from sales of jewelry and prayer beads.
The corruption investigation into Imamoğlu, was completed with a 3,809-page indictment filed on Nov. 11, 2025.
Prosecutors allege that Imamoğlu, identified in the indictment as the leader of a criminal organization, committed offenses including establishing an organization to commit crimes, bribery, money laundering, fraud causing losses to public institutions and organizations, unlawfully recording, obtaining and disseminating personal data, concealing criminal evidence, obstructing communications, damaging public property, accepting bribes, publicly disseminating misleading information, extortion by a public official, laundering assets derived from crime, bid-rigging, intentionally polluting the environment and violations of Türkiye’s tax procedure, forestry and mining laws.
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence ranging from 828 years and two months to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts.
Eight countries, including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, welcomed Britain’s decision to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to a joint statement.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia, and Jordan said they welcomed the joint statement by 12 countries on the need for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The ministers “reiterate their call for Israel to rescind all measures taken in connection with settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the statement said.
It came after Britain, France and Canada on Tuesday joined nine other European countries in issuing a joint statement saying they planned to introduce or support restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements.
The three Western allies revealed the trade curbs in response to Israel’s West Bank settlements policy and reports of increasing attacks by settlers there against Palestinians, with a U.K. minister accusing Israel of turning a blind eye to the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians there.
The moves prompted a furious Israel to unveil immediate countermeasures targeting Britain.
Later Tuesday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian leader Mark Carney warned in another joint declaration that the settlements “pose a direct and urgent threat” to a two-state solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said Ankara welcomed and supported measures taken by the 12 countries targeting commercial ties with illegal settlements.
“Israel’s efforts to eliminate the two-state solution are intensifying by the day,” the ministry said, warning that illegal settlements have evolved into a “systematic policy of occupation” that threatens the existence of a Palestinian state.
The ministry also said violence by illegal Israeli settlers had reached the level of “ethnic cleansing.”
Ankara argued that an adequate international response to Israel’s occupation policies has become essential to achieving a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.
Against this backdrop, Türkiye called on other responsible members of the international community to adopt similar measures against illegal settlements.
Türkiye reiterated that it would continue working toward the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with territorial integrity, based on the 1967 borders and with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack and U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa in Ankara, as diplomatic contacts between Türkiye and the United States intensify over regional developments.
Erdoğan met Barrack, Issa and the congressman’s wife at the Presidential Complex, according to Turkish officials.
Following the meeting, Barrack said he was “honored” to meet President Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex and hailed the strength of ties between the two NATO allies.
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its independence and the two countries approach a century of diplomatic relations, Barrack said the Türkiye-U.S. alliance “has never been stronger.”
He said the two countries share deep ties as NATO allies, economic partners and longstanding friends, adding that the talks with Erdoğan reaffirmed their commitment to regional security, economic cooperation and the enduring bilateral partnership.
The talks came a day after Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Barrack and Issa in Ankara. The Foreign Ministry did not disclose details of their discussions, which took place as Ankara and Washington maintain close diplomatic engagement on regional issues, particularly developments in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
Türkiye is fighting on multiple fronts on social media, where disinformation and criminal activities threaten national security. The issue was under the spotlight again when a video of a man bragging about his lavish wedding surfaced, triggering a debate about the source of his income. The man was arrested on Tuesday after an investigation found that he was involved in money laundering. Commenting on the matter, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said social media cannot operate outside the law and cannot be left unchecked.
In a statement Wednesday, Gürlek stated that judicial authorities were investigating content “that attempts to cover up the source of illicit gains or content attempting to promote (a lifestyle) through illicit gains.”
“Our stance is clear: Virtual fame cannot be a front for hiding crimes and criminal gains,” Gürlek said.
Authorities have stepped up their crackdown on organized crime thriving on social media and messaging apps in the past few years. Investigations have particularly focused on gangs luring impressionable minors through social media with promises of quick cash in exchange for carrying out hits on rivals and extorting businesses. In July, security forces detained 216 suspects in a nationwide operation against social media accounts promoting organized crime gangs.
Elsewhere, the Communications Directorate of the Turkish Presidency is conducting a campaign titled “Stop Disinformation” to raise awareness about manipulative content and the dissemination of disinformation, particularly on sensitive issues. In the past two months, Türkiye blocked access to 2,034 social media accounts spreading terrorist propaganda, disinformation and provocative content.
The issue was also on the agenda of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, who spoke at a panel in Ankara on the fight against illegal betting and gambling, particularly on online platforms.
Pointing out that digitalization, while providing significant opportunities in many areas of life, is also transforming forms of crime and addiction, Yılmaz noted that the proliferation of online platforms, easier access via mobile devices and the diversification of new payment methods have enabled illegal betting and gambling activities to expand more rapidly, reach wider audiences and take on a cross-border nature.
Yılmaz said the promise of easy money is targeting young people in particular, through vast exploitation mechanisms operating under the guise of games and entertainment. “A loss that begins in one person’s account can turn into serious consequences that erode trust within the family, working life, social relationships and hopes for the future,” he said.
Yılmaz explained that illegal betting and gambling networks intersect with unregistered financial structures and organized crime groups, posing a threat to public order and economic security as well. “The multifaceted threat we face requires coordinated action across security, law, finance, health, education, social policy and communications,” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, with talks focusing on major transportation investments and other projects planned for the Turkish capital.
Yavaş said he briefed Erdoğan on ongoing and planned projects, particularly metro investments aimed at strengthening Ankara’s transportation infrastructure.
He also thanked Erdoğan for his support for investments in the capital and his commitment to hosting the NATO summit in Ankara.
The mayor said he shared assessments of projects currently being carried out by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality as well as investments planned for the coming period.
Yavaş thanked Erdoğan for the meeting and his close interest in Ankara.
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