Politics
Pope Leo hopes to visit Türkiye for Council of Nicaea anniversary
In what would be the first foreign trip of his papacy, Pope Leo hopes to travel to Türkiye later this year for the 1,700th anniversary of a major Christian Church summit.
The early centuries of Christianity were marked by a lively debate about how Jesus could be both God and man, and the Church decided on the issue at the First Council of Nicaea – now known as Iznik in Türkiye – in 325.
“I hope to be able to meet you again, in a few months, to take part in the ecumenical commemoration of the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea,” Pope Leo said Thursday in an audience with Orthodox and Catholic pilgrims from the United States.
The pilgrims visited Leo at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, before continuing their journey to Istanbul.
Earlier this month, the Turkish Presidency said the pontiff had told first lady Emine Erdoğan about his intention to visit her country.
Leo, elected on May 8 following the death of Pope Francis, has not yet embarked on any foreign travels.
Francis had been planning to go to Türkiye to celebrate the anniversary of the Nicaea Council with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
In May, after visiting Leo at the Vatican, Bartholomew told the Italian bishops’ TV2000 broadcaster that a possible date for the pope’s Turkish trip was Nov. 30.
Türkiye and 10 Arab countries on Thursday reiterated their commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, unity, stability and security, denouncing foreign interference and condemning ongoing Israeli strikes, according to a joint statement released by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry.
The statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt.
The ministers stressed support for Syria’s security, unity, stability and sovereignty and rejection of all foreign interference in its affairs.
They also welcomed a recent cease-fire agreement in the southern province of Suwayda and called for its full implementation.
The joint statement described the cease-fire deal as essential to preserving Syria’s unity, protecting civilians, and upholding the rule of law and state sovereignty.
It welcomed Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s commitment to holding accountable all individuals responsible for abuses against residents in Suwayda.
The 11 countries also voiced support for all efforts aimed at restoring security and state authority across Suwayda and the entire country, while rejecting violence, sectarianism, incitement, and hate speech.
The ministers strongly condemned repeated Israeli airstrikes on Syrian territory as blatant violations of international law and Syria’s sovereignty.
They warned that the attacks undermine Syria’s security, stability, territorial integrity, and the safety of its citizens, while obstructing the Syrian government’s efforts to build a stable future that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people.
The countries emphasized that Syria’s stability is essential to broader regional security and should remain a shared priority.
They also called on the international community to support Syria’s reconstruction process and urged the U.N. Security Council to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities by ensuring Israel’s complete withdrawal from occupied Syrian territories, halting all hostilities and interference in Syria, and enforcing U.N. Resolution 2766 as well as the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
The statement comes a day after Israeli forces launched air raids on more than 160 targets across four Syrian provinces – Suwayda, Daraa, Damascus, and Damascus countryside – killing three people and injuring 34 in the capital alone.
Israel has cited “protection of Druze communities” as a pretext for its attacks in Syria, especially in the country’s south.
However, most Druze leaders in Syria have publicly rejected any foreign interference and reaffirmed their commitment to a unified Syrian state.
Following the fall of Assad in December 2024, Israel intensified its air campaign in Syria and declared the buffer zone between the two countries defunct alongside the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday signed seven bilateral agreements during a high-level visit by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, marking a major step forward in deepening strategic cooperation across key sectors.
The signing ceremony, held in Ankara, followed a one-on-one meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Sheikh Mohammed, as well as the inaugural session of the Türkiye-UAE High-Level Strategic Council.
“We laid the foundation of our strategic partnership during my 2023 visit to Abu Dhabi,” Erdoğan said. “Thankfully, this partnership has started to bear fruit across nearly every sector — from trade and infrastructure to defense, energy, technology, and transportation.”
Erdoğan said bilateral trade has grown rapidly, noting that while a few years ago the two sides wondered whether a $10 billion trade volume was within reach, they now aim to exceed $20 billion this year. “With decisive steps from both sides, I’m confident we’ll meet our medium-term target of $40 billion,” he added.
The Turkish president said the two leaders also had a productive exchange on regional issues, particularly the situation in Gaza.
Among the agreements signed was a memorandum of understanding on investment cooperation in tourism and hospitality, signed by Ahmet Burak Dağlıoğlu, head of the Investment Office of the Presidency of Türkiye, and UAE Investment Minister Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi.
Other MoUs included cooperation in pharmaceuticals, industry and manufacturing, and food and agriculture.
A separate agreement on the mutual protection of classified information was signed by Türkiye’s National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and UAE State Minister for Defense Affairs Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei. Another memorandum on cooperation in polar research was signed by Türkiye’s Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır and UAE Industry and Advanced Technology Minister Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.
Additional deals covered the formation of a joint consular committee and cooperation in polar research, with signatories from both countries’ respective ministries.
The two leaders have recently been in close contact, especially over the Iran-Israel tensions and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.
Türkiye and the UAE have repaired ties over the last three years in a rapprochement that also saw Ankara mending relations with Saudi Arabia. Since then, the sides have ramped up contacts as they sought to seize opportunities to expand their partnerships and signed deals worth billions in energy, defense and other sectors.
Ankara has played a key role in establishing the cease-fire in Syria after Israeli airstrikes targeted the capital, Damascus, as well as Suwayda and Daraa, on the pretext of protecting the Druze community.
In the process, Türkiye has undertaken significant efforts and diplomacy, engaging with several countries as well as Syrian officials.
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalın discussed the situation with interlocutors in the U.S., Syria and Israel, security sources said. He was also in close contact with the U.S. Special Representative for Syria Thomas Barrack. The leader of the Druze community was another figure with whom Kalın has negotiated to achieve the cease-fire.
In a televised speech, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa also said that despite Israeli interventions targeting civilian and public institutions, “state efforts to restore stability and expel outlaw factions have succeeded.” This would not have happened “without the effective intervention of American, Arab and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate,” he added.
On the other hand, Defense Ministry officials said on Thursday that Israel’s unrestrained actions are destabilizing the region and causing chaos. It must immediately halt aggressive moves that could lead to irreversible consequences.
Turkish forces and personnel on Syrian soil, sent there on anti-terrorist missions along the border, are not facing any setbacks following Israeli airstrikes on Syria, ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk told reporters at a briefing in the capital, Ankara.
Turkish authorities have opened an investigation into alleged threats from opposition leader Özgür Özel against prosecutor Cahit Cihad Sarı, local media reported Thursday.
An ex officio investigation has been launched against the Republican People’s Party (CHP) chair for the crimes of “threatening a judicial officer” and “openly insulting a public official due to his duty,” the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul said in a statement.
It said it had also launched an investigation into Özel’s posts on social media targeting Sarı.
Özel is being probed over remarks he made at a press conference in Istanbul’s Silivri district late Wednesday after CHP’s Istanbul mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, was handed a 20-month prison sentence on charges of “insulting a public official” and “making threats” against Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek.
The CHP leader called out a nameless prosecutor as he spoke in Silivri, seemingly Sarı, accusing him of “seizing the hard-earned properties” of individuals linked to alleged corruption at the CHP-run Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB).
Sarı, who serves in the organized crime bureau of the prosecutor’s office, is in charge of the investigation against the IBB. Over a dozen CHP district mayors, as well as Imamoğlu, have been arrested since last year in connection with graft allegations.
“Insolent man. Who does he think he is threatening? Someday, he will be begging to die for putting people through this,” Özel said in his speech.
This is the third investigation Özel is facing for his public remarks in the past month.
Last week, Turkish authorities launched a probe against Özel for “insulting the president,” “public incitement to crime,” and “insulting and threatening public officials because of their duties” after he called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a “coward” at a CHP meeting following the arrest of two CHP mayors on charges of corruption.
Separately, he is being probed for statements regarding the operation against the CHP-run municipality of an Antalya district whose deputy mayor was caught red-handed while accepting bribes in a police sting.
Özel had claimed the sting operation was “fabricated to steal Manavgat.”
Last month, authorities said Özel was under investigation for similarly targeting Gürlek.
CHP officials, chiefly Özel and Imamoğlu, have regularly targeted judicial officials for acting as a “guillotine” for Erdoğan following investigations into CHP municipalities.
The government has dismissed accusations of political interference in the cases, stating that the judiciary is independent.
Türkiye has intensified its efforts to tackle irregular migration, apprehending 32 migrant smugglers and 572 irregular migrants in a sweeping nationwide operation, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Thursday.
Authorities checked 18,390 locations in total, including nearly 5,700 residential areas, more than 4,300 abandoned buildings, over 8,000 public spaces, 446 terminals and 5,500 other sites, as part of large-scale inspections carried out nationwide, involving 27,000 personnel and more than 8,600 teams, Yerlikaya said in a statement on X.
The operation included identity checks on nearly 395,000 individuals, which led to the arrest of 32 migrant smugglers, six of whom were foreign nationals, and 572 people identified as irregular migrants.
Repatriation procedures have already begun for those who have been apprehended.
Yerlikaya praised the coordinated efforts of governors, local officials, law enforcement and migration officers involved in the operation.
“Türkiye offers an exemplary model to the world in migration management,” he said. “We respect human rights and the rule of law while ensuring public safety.”
The minister also highlighted the effectiveness of mobile migration checkpoints, a program that began in July 2023.
Since the program’s launch, more than 4.5 million individuals have been screened through mobile immigration vehicles operating across all 81 provinces, he said.
Of those screened, over 213,000 were identified as irregular migrants.
The program initially showed a high detection rate of 74.5% in its first three months. However, recent figures indicate a significant drop. In the past month alone, 319,000 individuals were screened, with just over 5,600 found to be irregular migrants – a detection rate of 1.8%.
Yerlikaya attributed this drop to improved enforcement and better migration management practices.
“These mobile vehicles have made our work more visible and effective on the ground,” he said during a speech at the Mobile Migration Vehicle Commissioning Ceremony held at the Directorate of Migration Management.
He announced that 105 new vehicles are being added to the fleet, bringing the total to 375. These mobile units are now a core part of Türkiye’s migration strategy, allowing for rapid and targeted checks in high-risk areas.
Calling the system a “unique application in the world,” Yerlikaya emphasized that migration is a global issue and that Türkiye’s approach strikes a balance between compassion and strong governance.
“Türkiye is a model country that handles migration with both conscience and wisdom,” he said. “We will continue to act firmly against irregular migration.”
Quoting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Yerlikaya concluded: “Our fight against irregular migration will continue without compromise.”
The government’s strengthened approach appears to reflect its commitment to maintaining order while managing migration in a humanitarian way, demonstrating both the scale of the challenge and Türkiye’s evolving role as a key player in global migration management.
Türkiye has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants flee civil conflict or economic hardship in their home countries with the hope of reaching Europe.
Some migrants make the dangerous journey over land or sea with the assistance of smugglers, who often abandon them, especially during sea journeys, after receiving thousands of dollars from each migrant. Others are stopped by Turkish security forces before crossing the border into Europe.
The latest statistics, between 2010 and 2023, show that Türkiye rescued 184,175 irregular migrants from its seas after they put their lives in danger with the hope of reaching Europe. Some 923 migrants, on the other hand, ended up dead on perilous journeys in the same period, while 503 people remain unaccounted for after their boats sank.
In 2023, authorities intercepted 254,000 irregular migrants and arrested 3,744 migrant smuggling organizers.
The roots of the terror-free Türkiye vision were laid during the democracy resistance that the country displayed in the streets during the July 15, 2016, coup attempt, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a panel titled “July 15: Memory, Justice and Future” in Ankara, Duran said: “That night, a brand new political culture and mindset, based on the will of the people, was born. The vision of the ‘Century of Türkiye’ is being built upon this social consciousness. Nine years have passed, but everything we experienced that night is still fresh in our minds. As you know, memory is the guarantee of the future.”
He emphasized that a terror-free Türkiye means addressing the country’s most pressing issue, one that has consumed its energy for nearly 50 years. “A strengthened spirit of unity and solidarity means our country will become much more resilient to all threats.”
Duran said that following the failed coup attempt, Türkiye has become more decisive on the international arena.
“As we all witness, Türkiye is now an actor contributing to the resolution of international crises and shaping the security of its neighbors and its region. Türkiye has become a pioneer in the fight for a just and people-centered system in the international order.”
Duran said that this year, under the theme “The Name of Victory is Türkiye,” all public institutions, municipalities, civil society organizations and universities have united in their discourse and are carrying out activities befitting the spirit of July 15 and that they will continue to do so.
Duran explained that according to the Project Tracking System, which tracks activities, 2,961 projects were submitted in 2020, 3,876 in 2021, 8,988 in 2022, 9,934 in 2023 and 11,369 in 2024.
“This year, a record number of activities related to the July 15 commemorations was reached with over 21,000 projects. This is a clear sign that awareness of July 15 is growing and strengthening among our people.”
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