Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, Press and Public Relations Advisor of the Ministry of National Defense and Spokesperson of the Ministry, spoke at the weekly press briefing held at the ministry. Stating that the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) continues its duties and activities in order to establish permanent security, Aktürk said, “During the week, 6 more PKK terrorists surrendered, the work to detect and destroy mines and improvised explosives and caves, shelters and shelters in the operation areas continued, and the length of the tunnels destroyed in the Syrian operation areas reached 785 kilometers with the 8 kilometers of tunnels destroyed in Manbij.” he said. Stating that security at the borders has been established at the highest level on a 24/7 basis, Aktürk said, “198 people were caught in the last week, the number of people caught while trying to cross our borders illegally from January 1 to today is 2 thousand 430, and with 1449 people blocked, the number of people blocked at our borders this year has reached 25 thousand 618.” shared his knowledge.

Pointing out that the border troops continue their reconnaissance, surveillance and patrol activities uninterruptedly, Aktürk stated that 388 kilos of narcotics and 3 thousand 485 narcotic pills were seized during the search and screening activities carried out on the Van and Hatay border lines.

Aktürk said that while the Turkish Armed Forces guarantee national security with its high deterrence capacity, it continues to make strong contributions to regional and global peace with its cooperation with friendly and allied countries, training-consultancy activities and its active role in multinational missions.

TRAINING AND DRILLS

Rear Admiral Aktürk said that the Turkish Armed Forces continues its training and exercise activities uninterruptedly in order to maintain its high level of readiness.

Stating that the EFES-2026 Exercise, which was carried out between April 20 and May 21, under the command and management of the Aegean Army Command, with the participation of friendly and allied country elements, continued successfully in Western Anatolia, Central Aegean, Izmir Bay and Doğanbey Firing and Exercise Zone, Aktürk said:

“Our national elements and observers, troops and elements from 45 countries are participating in EFES-2026, which is one of the largest combined and joint exercises of our Turkish Armed Forces. TurAz Eagle Air Defense Exercise is being held in Azerbaijan between 27 April and 2 May, Flintlock held in Libya and Ivory Coast between 13-30 April, and Spanish held in the Western Mediterranean between 27 April and 8 May, hosted by Spain.” Participation in Minex Mine Operation exercises is provided. Our TCG Amasra mine hunting ship, which is in the NATO Standing Mine Countermeasures Task Group-2 (SNMCMG-2) participating in the Spanish Minex Exercise, will make a port visit to Spain between 1-3 May. Participation in Steadfast Deterrence in Norway and Ukrainian Volunteers Coalition Computerized Command Post exercises to be held in France between 5-13 May. is planned.”

Aktürk also stated that the Turkish Stars aerobatic team will perform a demonstration flight in Konya as part of the “Mevlana Welcoming Ceremonies” on May 3.

Stating that the General Directorate of Mapping continues to offer accurate, up-to-date and reliable data to the public by constantly improving its institutional capacity in the field of geographical information production and cartography, Aktürk said, “Our General Directorate of Mapping has updated the 1/1,000,000 scale Turkey Population Distribution and Density Map, the Turkey Population Change Map has been prepared and the Turkey Building Density Map has been published, thus three more valuable studies have been made available to the public.” he said.

Rear Admiral Aktürk also congratulated the Turkish Armed Forces Sports Force Shooting Team, which participated for the first time in the “Lapua Berlin 2026 International Shooting Competition”, which was held in Germany between 19-27 April and included 450 athletes from 22 countries, and became the champion in the Air Rifle Mixed Team category.

DEFENSE INDUSTRY

Stating that the modern and effective defense force of the Turkish Armed Forces continues to be strengthened with the high-tech products of the domestic and national defense industry, Aktürk said:

“Various quantities of KARAOK Anti-Tank Weapon Systems have been completed and taken into inventory by the Land Forces Command after the inspection and acceptance activities have been completed. Today, the first delivery of the GÖKBEY General Purpose Helicopter, produced by TAI with local and national resources, to our Land Forces Command will be made. The delivery of various quantities and diameters of weapons and ammunition has been completed by our Machinery and Chemical Industry (MKE) Joint Stock Company within the week, and the HAR-66 Light Anti-Tank Rockets Deliveries for export to Malaysia continued, and a Memorandum of Understanding covering the maintenance, repair and technical support processes of defense products jointly produced and sold in the field of defense industry was signed between our company and the Malaysian public company ‘Melaka Corporation’ at the Asian Defense Services Fair and Conference held in Malaysia between 20-23 April.

Stating that the products of the Ministry of National Defense and its affiliates will also be exhibited at the SAHA-2026 Defense, Aerospace Industry Fair, which will be held in Istanbul under the auspices of the Presidency, Aktürk said, “Our TCG Anadolu and TCG Istanbul ships belonging to our Naval Forces Command and our TCG Pirireis submarine will also participate in SAHA-2026 and will be opened to the public. During the fair, our Mehteran Unit Command and the 1st Army, Northern Sea Field and Air Forces Command will participate in SAHA-2026.” Concerts will be performed by our Military Academy band commands.” he said.

While the accident took place in Antalya, the location where the images were taken was Göcek Merdivenli Bay, which brought about a debate about distance. The minimum journey time of 4 hours indicates a time period that can extend up to 5-6 hours with the preparation and sailing processes. This picture strengthened the claims that they left the region during the crisis.

“WE WERE FAMILY” DEFENSE STARTED A NEW DEBATE

Basarir’s words, “We were with our family”, opened the door to a new discussion rather than a defense. The resulting picture was interpreted as indicating that a previously planned organization was not cancelled. While a great disaster was occurring, the continuation of the program started a “priority questioning” in the public.

The distance between the accident point and the boat became one of the most critical topics of the discussion. Allegations intensified that some people left the crisis area early and participated in the program. This situation raises the question “was the priority rescue efforts or the planned event?” brought the question to the agenda.

TENSION IS INCREASING WITHIN CHP; EYES ON THE ORGANIZATION: “IS THE LEAK FROM THE INTERNAL?”

According to what is said behind the scenes in Ankara, it is stated that CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and Veli Ağbaba openly reacted to Basarir due to the images. The assessment that the images harmed the party and that serious mistakes were made in crisis management comes to the fore.

Allegations that the boat organization was organized by businessman Hazım Giray drew attention to this name. Giray, who is known to be close to Basarir, asked “were the images served from the inside?” The question began to be voiced louder behind the scenes.

Breaking news: The hearing prosecutor gave an opinion in the case where 414 defendants, 92 of whom are detained, are on trial regarding the İmamoğlu profit-oriented criminal organization. In the opinion, İsmet Korkmaz, data expert at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Emrah Yüksel, software coordinator at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Mehmet Çağlar Kuru, computer engineer at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, City Planner Nuri Cem Ceylan, Ulaş Yılmaz, Social Media Consultant of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Yusuf Utku Şahin, İmamoğlu’s bodyguard Çağlar Türkmen, businessman confessor Adem Soytekin, Seyhan Özcan, Private Secretary of Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, present evidence. Their release was requested, taking into account their situation and duration of detention.

REQUEST FOR RELEASE FOR 9 DEFENDANTS, INCLUDING THE CONFESSIONER

Among the defendants, Ismet Korkmaz, data specialist at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Emrah Yüksel, software coordinator at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, computer engineer Mehmet Çağlar Kuru at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, City Planner Nuri Cem Ceylan, Social Media Consultant Ulaş Yılmaz of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Yusuf Utku Şahin, İmamoğlu’s bodyguard, Çağlar Türkmen, businessman Adem Soytekin, and Seyhan Özcan, Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney’s Private secretary and their release was requested, taking into account their detention period.

The panel started with the opening speeches of Director of Communications Burhanettin Duran and Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin.

Following the speeches, a session titled “Risks in the Digital World: Addiction, Bullying and Cyber ​​Threats” was held, moderated by Directorate of Communications Digital Media Coordinator Aslan Değirmenci.

At the session, Nazım Elmas, Chairman of the Digital Media Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Volkan Güner Güngör, Head of the Department of Combating Cyber ​​Crimes of the Gendarmerie General Command, Hasan Basri Alagöz, General Director of Children’s Services of the Ministry of Family and Social Services, Salih Gözüm, Head of the Department of Combating Cyber ​​Crimes of the General Directorate of Security, were present as speakers.

In the session, the effects of digitalization on social life, risks in the digital environment, especially for children and young people, and solution suggestions against them were discussed.

“INSTEAD OF EVILING, AWARENESS SHOULD BE RAISED”

Directorate of Communications Digital Media Coordinator Değirmenci, in his speech at the beginning of the session, pointed out that there is a very rapid change and transformation in the virtual world along with the changing world in the recent period.

Stating that it is “people” who produce the virtual world and organize the algorithms, Değirmenci said that people can fight against this virtual world in the same way.

Değirmenci stated that instead of criticizing digital media, a way to raise awareness should be found and how to reach the truth should be determined.

“PEOPLE SITTING IN THE SAME ENVIRONMENT AND LIVING IN DIFFERENT WORLDS”

Elmas, Chairman of the GNAT Digital Media Commission, emphasized that Türkiye’s biggest advantage in achieving a safe society in the digital age is the concept and ties of “family”.

Listing the requirements for a safe society in digital media, Elmas said, “Certain family members spend time with their phones in certain corners of the house. There is a lot of time spent playing games on social media and some activities in the digital field. Seeing many habits from our traditional family structure dissolve in this environment may come to our agenda as the biggest reason preventing the formation of a safe society in the digital world.” he said.

Elmas said, “For a digitally safe society, we need to stop being people sitting at the same table but not talking to each other. We need to move away from being people looking at different screens. We need to move away from being people sitting in the same environment and living in different worlds.” he said.

“THE MOST CRITICAL LINE OF DEFENSE IS THE PARENTS”

Güngör, Head of Gendarmerie General Command’s Combating Cyber ​​Crimes Department, stated that while the digital world offers many opportunities, it also brings with it invisible risks.

First touching on cyber bullying in digital media and the cases that can be seen in this context, Güngör said, “Another important topic is online games and the tendency to violence. There are many issues such as triggering violence, but the most important point I want to draw attention to is that every platform that allows children to communicate with people they do not know creates a dangerous environment.” he said.

Güngör said that in these environments, criminal organizations first identify children who are socially excluded, lonely and open to manipulation, and these people are asked to commit crimes or violate rules in order to be included in the group, and then, with the use of this, blackmail begins and complicity begins.

Pointing out the importance of raising awareness for security in digital media, Güngör said that they reached 1 million 142 thousand citizens and carried out awareness-raising activities.

Güngör emphasized that cyber patrols are carried out 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but the most critical line of defense is the parent.

“ATTENTION SPAN HAS DECREASED BY 30 PERCENT IN THE LAST 10 YEARS”

Alagöz, General Director of Children’s Services of the Ministry of Family and Social Services, stated that children on the internet are affected by endless video streams managed by algorithms and said, “We can say that our children are exposed to harmful content, virtual bullying, violent content in games, and inappropriate content. Especially the anonymity experienced by our children on these digital platforms further triggers aggressive behaviors.” he said.

Alagöz stated that 6 out of every 10 children who have access to the internet meet with people they do not know and that this can lead to being dragged into crime.

Stating that the attention span of children has decreased by 30 percent in the last 10 years, Alagöz noted that inter-institutional coordination should be strengthened for the protection of children in the digital world, and the steps taken by different institutions should define each other.

“FAMILY GUIDANCE SERVICES”

Gözüm, Head of the Cyber ​​Crimes Department of the General Directorate of Security, said that every institution should have strong structures in data and network security.

Explaining that solutions to problems can be found with national solutions and practices, Gözüm stated that public-private cooperation should be increased to create a safe society in the digital age.

Gözüm said, “I would also like to emphasize that in an age where individualization is increasing so rapidly, corporate structures must be renewed, developed, and able to provide digital security in the digital age, just like an individual.” he said.

Explaining that in many families, digital media passwords are created by children, Gözüm stated that considering the parents’ inability to control this, studies such as family guidance services should be carried out for security in digital media.

CHP Islands Youth Branch President Ramazan Yıldız, who was detained for his post on social media about the Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek saying “We will carve you inch by inch. Gürlek”, was arrested on February 12 on the charge of “targeting people who took part in the fight against terrorism”. As a result of the investigation carried out against Yıldız, an indictment was filed for “targeting people who took part in the fight against terrorism” and “threats”.

HE REALIZED THAT HE HAD EXCEEDED THE LIMIT OF CRITICISM

Lawyers of detained defendant Ramazan Yıldız attended the hearing at Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court. Ramazan Yıldız, who declared that he was an Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality employee, claimed that he saw a post about Akın Gürlek on the day of the incident and that he made a critical comment as the CHP Islands Youth Branch President. The defendant stated that he realized that he had exceeded the limit of criticism and deleted the post, and requested his release, saying, “I had consumed alcohol on the day of the incident, but it had no effect.”

THE PROSECUTOR DEMANDED THAT HE BE PUNISHED

The hearing prosecutor presented his opinion on the merits. It was stated that the post made against the Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, who in the past served as the High Criminal Court, the Criminal Judge of Peace, the Deputy Minister of Justice and the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor, who was responsible for prosecuting terrorist crimes, made a targeting statement that included a threat to the safety of life. The prosecutor demanded that the defendant Ramazan Yıldız be punished for the crime of “targeting people who took part in the fight against terrorism”.

DECISION HEARING ON 22 SEPTEMBER

Ramazan Yıldız, who was promised, requested his acquittal and release. After the lawyer’s defense, the court panel announced its interim decision and decided to release the defendant Yıldız and to send him to the Conciliation Office as he was within the scope of mediation in terms of the crime of “threat”. The hearing was postponed to September 22.

Breaking news: At the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the Memorandum on Armed Intervention by the Israeli Army in the Global Sumud Fleet was unanimously accepted.

At the General Assembly, the Parliament Speaker’s Memorandum bearing the signature of the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, was read.

The memorandum stated that Israel has once again recklessly violated international law and added a new one to the genocide and war crimes it has been committing.

The memorandum reminded that Israel attacked the Global Sumud Fleet, a civilian and peaceful initiative, in international waters, and noted the following:

“WE ARE WARNING ISRAEL”

“The Israeli army, which intervened in the Global Sumud Flotilla, prevented humanitarian aid and detained a total of 175 Palestine-friendly activists, 20 of whom were citizens. The act of piracy in question is a clear war crime. We warn Israel, which has exceeded all tolerance limits of humanity, and call on it to immediately release the forcibly detained activists and citizens. As the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, together with all our political parties and deputies, we want to deliver humanitarian aid to our unlawfully detained citizens and the people of Gaza.” We express that we stand by all members of the humanitarian front who set out to fight for the future.

In addition, we will be the pioneer and persistent follower of holding accountable in international courts for all crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, especially our citizens. “We reiterate our call to all parliaments, international parliamentary assemblies and international organizations to take a stand together and raise their voices to end Israel’s crimes of occupation, genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people, for the people of Gaza to have access to uninterrupted and comprehensive humanitarian aid, and for Israel to be held accountable for the crimes against humanity it has committed.”

After the bill was read, group deputy chairmen of the political parties that had groups in the Parliament took the floor and expressed their support for the bill.

As a result of the voting, the Parliament Speaker’s Memorandum was accepted unanimously in the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.