Foreign mission representatives of NATO member countries in Ankara gave a message of “unity and solidarity” regarding the “2026 NATO Ankara Summit” to be held on July 7-8.

Italian Ambassador to Ankara Giuseppe Manzo, Dutch Ambassador to Ankara Joep Wijnands, Polish Ambassador to Ankara Maciej Lang, Bulgarian Ambassador to Ankara Anguel Tcholakov and Latvian Ambassador to Ankara Bahtijors Hasans made evaluations to AA about the NATO Ankara Summit to be held on 7-8 July.

Italy’s Ambassador to Ankara, Manzo, stated that the Ankara Summit was held at a critical time for common security and said, “We are grateful for Türkiye’s leadership, we support it and we are determined to work together for a successful summit that will address all the threats we face.” he said.

Referring to the deployment of an Italian SAMP/T Air Defense System to strengthen the air defense of the Alliance, Manzo emphasized that he was proud to actively contribute to the security of friend and ally Türkiye.

“Türkiye’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE ALLIANCE IS DEFINITELY VERY IMPORTANT”

Dutch Ambassador to Ankara Wijnands reminded that the NATO Ankara Summit was held in The Hague in 2025 and said that the summit will be held in Ankara this year as well.

Some ambassadors of NATO countries in Ankara evaluated the NATO Ankara Summit | Video

Emphasizing that the summit in The Hague is aimed at increasing the financial obligations of the allies and allocating more budget for joint defense, Wijnands said, “This year, it will be about how and in what area we will use this budget.” he said.

Pointing out that security is never achieved automatically, Wijnands said, “Turkey knows this very well in the volatile region it is in. Türkiye’s contribution to the Alliance, which has the 2nd largest armed forces in NATO and a large defense industry, is absolutely very important.” he said.

Wijnands pointed out that their strongest asset is unity, and therefore, at the Ankara Summit, they should demonstrate an unwavering determination towards collective defense, support for Kiev in the Russia-Ukraine War and the common fight against terrorism.

“When we remain united, we are the strongest alliance in the world,” Wijnands concluded. He concluded with the statement:

“NATO’S UNSHAKEABLE WILL”

Poland’s Ambassador to Ankara, Lang, underlined that the summit was an “exceptional” meeting that was not only important for Ankara but also of paramount importance for the Alliance as a whole.

On this occasion, Lang expressed his gratitude to the Turkish hosts for their superior efforts, hospitality, sincere cooperation and exemplary coordination and capabilities, and said, “I have full faith that the message of unity and solidarity from Ankara will once again confirm NATO’s unshakable will and determination to act jointly in the face of changing security conditions.” he said.

Lang wished that the summit would be beneficial and productive for the entire Alliance.

“TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER”

Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Ankara, Tcholakov, said:

“At a time when uncertainties, unprecedented threats and challenges to the international order are increasing, this summit offers an extremely valuable and important opportunity to clearly reaffirm our unity among allies, demonstrate our determination and solidarity, and demonstrate our unwavering commitment to our fundamental principles and values. We are stronger together.”

“THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WE STAND TOGETHER AND NATO’S UNITY IS VITALLY IMPORTANT”

Latvia’s Ambassador to Ankara Hasans pointed out that the NATO Ankara Summit to be held on July 7-8 is an opportunity to show that the commitments made have been fulfilled concretely, and said that they have already seen some progress.

Reminding that his country is the first ally to legally commit to allocating at least 5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense starting from 2027, Hasans said:

“This demonstrates our determination. The summit should reaffirm NATO’s security, unity, collective defence, the strengthening of Article 5 and transatlantic ties. Allies are increasing defense spending as Russia, in addition to terrorism, remains the greatest threat to the transatlantic region. Europe and Canada are already doing more.”

Emphasizing the need to continue strengthening the defense industry, Hasans said, “The support given to Ukraine is of vital importance, because Ukraine’s security directly contributes to the security of the entire transatlantic area.” he said.

Pointing out that the support should be predictable and sustainable in the long term, Hasans said, “Latvia has been allocating 0.25 percent of its GDP to Ukraine for several years and we will continue this. The important thing is that we stand together and the unity of NATO is vital.” he said.

AFAD President Ali Hamza Pehlivan met with Turkish search and rescue teams working in Venezuela and reiterated Türkiye’s support to Venezuela.

The wrestler met online with Turkish search and rescue teams working in the city of La Guaira, which was most affected by the earthquake in Venezuela. At the meeting attended by Turkish Armed Forces Humanitarian Aid Brigade Commander Brigadier General Mehmet Bahtiyar and AFAD Denizli Deputy Provincial Director Haluk Önay Erten, Pehlivan talked about AFAD’s work in Venezuela.

Pehlivan said, “We work with an understanding for our people in our country and for humanity beyond our borders. We are in communication with 84 countries on 5 continents on humanitarian aid and disaster management. We strive to be with people in need of support wherever they are in the world.” he said.

Pehlivan thanked the Turkish search and rescue teams in Venezuela and underlined that they are in solidarity with Venezuela.

Denizli Deputy Provincial Director Haluk Erten and Humanitarian Aid Brigade Commander Brigadier General Bahtiyar also talked about the search and rescue efforts in Venezuela.

Within the scope of the corruption investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, CHP Malatya Deputy Veli Ağbaba’s nephew Ahmet Can Ağbaba and Çankaya Mayor Hüseyin Can Güner’s private secretary and close friend Sadık Can Köksal were detained. The statements of both of them at the prosecutor’s office have been completed.

MONEY INPUT FROM UNKNOWN SOURCE
In the statement made by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was stated that it was determined that large amounts of money had been transferred to Yeğen Ağbaba’s account from an unknown source.

ARREST REQUEST FOR BOTH NAMES
Ahmet Can Ağbaba, the nephew of CHP Malatya Deputy Veli Ağbaba, who was detained within the scope of the corruption investigation, and Sadık Can Köksal, the private secretary and close friend of Çankaya Mayor Hüseyin Can Güner, who was detained within the scope of the drug – prostitution investigation, were referred to the court with a request for arrest after their statement at the prosecutor’s office.

(Image: Ahmet Can Ağbaba)

MUNICIPAL TENDERS, MONEY TRANSFERS AND “WHERE IS THE 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS” CORRESPONDENCE

It was learned that CHP’s Veli Ağbaba’s nephew, Ahmet Can Ağbaba, was referred to the Criminal Court of Peace with a request for arrest on the charge of “influence trading”. In the referral letter of the prosecutor’s office, it was stated that Ahmet Can Ağbaba received 150 thousand TL from Turgut Koç, who was detained in another investigation file, to his bank account on April 24, 2024. The file also included findings regarding the money traffic between Veli Ağbaba, Gökhan Cumalı, who is said to be his driver, Özlem Akyılmaz Mercan, a council employee, and Turgut Koç.

150 THOUSAND TL BRIBERY FROM TURGUT KOÇ TO YEGEN AĞBABA

In the referral letter, it was determined that Ahmet Can Ağbaba received 150 thousand TL from the suspect Turgut Koç, who was detained within the scope of another investigation, to his bank account on April 24, 2024. The prosecutor’s office also emphasized that there is no kinship bond between Ahmet Can Ağbaba and Turgut Koç.

VELİ AĞBABA, HIS DRIVER AND COUNCIL EMPLOYEES ARE ON FILE

In the arrest request, it was stated that Gökhan Cumalı, who was detained in another investigation file, was the driver of Turgut Koç and Veli Ağbaba. In the referral letter, it was noted that there were money inflows into Gökhan Cumalı’s account by Veli Ağbaba, Turgut Koç and Veli Ağbaba’s parliamentary employee Özlem Akyılmaz Mercan.

(Image: Private Secretary Sadık Can Köksal)

5 SEPARATE MONEY TRANSFERS TO COUNCIL EMPLOYEES
In the referral letter, it was stated that Turgut Koç sent money to Veli Ağbaba’s parliamentary employee Özlem Akyılmaz Mercan on different dates. Koç’s; It was determined that he sent 25 thousand TL on January 9, 2023, 10 thousand TL on August 15, 2023, 25 thousand TL on September 12, 2023, 100 thousand TL on July 4, 2024, and 100 thousand TL on July 26, 2024. It was also stated that Turgut Koç sent a lot of money to Gökhan Cumalı.

CONFESSION FROM TURGUT KOÇ “BROTHER VELI ASKED FOR MONEY”

According to the referral letter, Turgut Koç, who was arrested from another file, admitted in his statement at the prosecutor’s office that Veli Ağbaba asked him for money and that’s why he corresponded.
The prosecutor’s office stated that it was also determined that there were many photographs of Turgut Koç with Veli Ağbaba in his digital materials.

“WHERE IS THE MONEY” CORRESPONDENCE WAS ALSO IN THE FILE

Remarkable findings were also found in the examination of Gökhan Cumalı’s phone numbers. It was stated that there were conversations about money with Veli Ağbaba on Gökhan Cumalı’s phone. Accordingly, it was recorded that on January 16, 2024, Veli Ağbaba asked “where is the money?”, and in the WhatsApp correspondence with Veli Ağbaba on March 4, 2024, correspondence and photographs regarding 100 thousand dollars, which were considered to be in a cargo bag, were detected.

Presidency Defense Industry President Haluk Görgün, in his post on his social media account, stated that the BLOK-3 version of the TAYFUN missile, developed with national resources, once again proved its success in the field by hitting a moving target with full accuracy in the test firing, which further advanced its long-range precision strike capability. Görgün made the following evaluations:

“Our TAYFUN missile will make significant contributions to our security architecture as one of our strategic capabilities that strengthens our country’s deterrence. On behalf of all stakeholders of our ecosystem, I would like to express my gratitude to our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has played a historical role in helping our defense industry reach these days with his strong leadership and unwavering support. I congratulate all our subcontractors, engineers, technicians and colleagues at the Presidency of Defense Industries who contributed to this success, especially the ROKETSAN family. I congratulate all our subcontractors, engineers, technicians and colleagues at the Presidency of Defense Industries who contributed to this success. Building the Century of Türkiye “We will continue to work non-stop, with all our strength, to further carry forward the trust we have undertaken to achieve this.”

In the post made by ROKETSAN, it was stated that the TAYFUN Block-3 missile, which reaches hypersonic speeds and offers high hitting power and precision, destroyed a moving surface target with surgical precision for the first time at long range. The post said, “We are increasing the capabilities of our products day by day and continuing to strengthen our strategic deterrence! May it be beneficial to our country and our beloved nation.” The statement was included.

ROKETSAN General Manager Murat İkin also stated the following regarding the test:

“TYFUN blew very hard again in the Black Sea. Our TAYFUN Block-3 missile, which hit the moving target with full accuracy at long range, once again showed the level our engineering capabilities have reached with the seeker head integration. I would like to thank all my colleagues who contributed to this critical success, which has few examples in the world and was realized for the first time in our country.”

THE FIRST TALENT IN Türkiye AND THE FEW EXAMPLES IN THE WORLD

Within the scope of the test, a free-floating unmanned marine vehicle/ship determined as an enemy element was engaged with a missile reaching hypersonic speeds. Within the scope of the test in which a live warhead was used, the target was locked with the seeker head and was successfully destroyed. With the firing test, a free-floating unmanned marine vehicle/ship at sea was targeted for the first time by a ballistic missile, and complete success was achieved.

With the launch, seeker head integration was achieved on a ballistic missile, which is the first in Türkiye and one of the few in the world, and a cruising surface target was successfully hit. The unmanned marine vehicle, approximately 7 meters long and representing a small fishing boat, was hit by TAYFUN BLOK-3 at very high speed and destroyed with surgical precision.

TAYFUN missile was developed by ROKETSAN, a rocket, missile and ammunition technologies company, as a highly reliable missile system that will have an impact on targets at depth.

TAYFUN, which is not affected by air defense system threats thanks to its cruising speed reaching hypersonic levels, also prevents unwanted damage with its high hit sensitivity.

Halime Nuray Tunç, whose left arm was amputated during the February 6 earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, received a bionic arm prosthesis with the support of the Social Development Center Education and Social Solidarity Association (TOGEMDER). In the earthquake known as the “disaster of the century”, mother Tunç’s 2 daughters, who were trapped under the rubble in Hatay with their 3 children, lost their lives. Tunç lost one of his arms in the earthquake and his spinal cord was also damaged. Various campaigns were organized so that Tunç, who needed a myoelectrically controlled above-elbow bionic arm prosthesis, could have this prosthesis. In this context, TOGEM-DER, whose Honorary President is Emine Erdoğan, stepped in to supply the bionic elbow module of the prosthesis, which costs 2 million 100 thousand liras, and the microprocessor five-fingered hand component of the prosthetic system. The necessary money was covered by the association and the elbow module was ordered. After obtaining the missing part, Tunç got the prosthetic arm he dreamed of.

EMINE ERDOĞAN’S INSTRUCTION
TOGEM-DER President Mihrimah Belma Sekmen said, “Emine Erdoğan watched Ms. Halime on television programs. They instructed us to contact her and do whatever was necessary. We did the necessary work.” Halime Nuray Tunç, who received her prosthesis, expressed her feelings as follows: “I received a phone call. They said, ‘We are calling from TOGEMDER. First Lady Erdoğan is calling us, they want us to take care of it’. When they said that the prosthesis would be completed, we were very surprised, very emotional, we did not know what to do, we were very happy. I feel very different now, I cannot express it, frankly, I am so happy.” TOGEM-DER President Sekmen also gifted a computer to Tunç’s 10-year-old daughter İrem.

Upon the request of the person who applied to the Presidential Communication Center (CİMER) for his mother, who became ill in Saudi Arabia, where he went to perform the pilgrimage, NA (70) was taken by ambulance plane and brought to the dormitory within 48 hours and received treatment. The citizen, who applied to CİMER on June 5, stated that his mother fell ill in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, while performing the pilgrimage in the organization of the Presidency of Religious Affairs, and was taken for treatment at the Saudi German Hospital, where she was diagnosed with Covid and tuberculosis and was under treatment in intensive care, and requested that their application for an ambulance plane to bring her mother to Türkiye and continue her treatment there be accepted and urgently transferred. Upon request, the necessary procedures were carried out by the Jeddah Consulate.

An ambulance plane operation was organized under the coordination of the Presidency of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health to transport NA to Türkiye. The patient, who was reported to be ill with a diagnosis of pneumonia, was taken from Saudi Arabia by ambulance plane on June 7, after completing his technical and flight permits, and was transferred to Istanbul Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital. It was learned that NA’s treatment continued in the intensive care unit and that he was conscious.