ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — As the war between Israel and Iran escalates, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he plans to strengthen the country’s deterrence capabilities so that no country would dare attack it.

Erdogan announced plans this week to step up Turkey’s production of medium- and long-range missiles.

Erdogan discussed the Iran-Israel war with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a telephone call on Friday. He told Merz that the Iranian nuclear issue can only be resolved through negotiations, according to Erdogan’s office.

Despite Turkey’s tense relations with Israel, analysts and officials don’t see an immediate threat of the conflict spreading into NATO-member Turkey. Still, some see the move by Erdogan as a sign that the Israel-Iran war could trigger a new arms race in the region, with countries not directly involved in the fray ramping up their military efforts to preempt future conflicts.

Ahmet Kasim Han, a professor of international relations at Istanbul’s Beykoz University, said that Turkey was reacting to what he described as an unraveling world order.

“The Turkish government is drifting toward what is the name of the game in the Middle East right now: an escalation of an arms race,” he said.

Israel and the U.S. have set a high standard in aerial warfare, creating a technological gap that Turkey and others are eager to close, Han said.

Erdogan said following a Cabinet meeting on Monday that “we are making production plans to bring our medium- and long-range missile stockpiles to a level that ensures deterrence, in light of recent developments.”

“God willing, in the not-too-distant future, we will reach a defense capacity that is so strong that no one will even dare to act tough toward us,” Erdogan said.

In an separate address days later, the Turkish leader highlighted Turkey’s progress in its domestically developed defense industry, that includes drones, fighter jets, armored vehicles and navy vessels, but stressed that continued effort was needed to ensure full deterrence.

“Although Turkey has a very large army — the second largest in NATO — its air power, its air defense is relatively weaker,” said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, a Turkey analyst at the German Marshall Fund think tank.

The ongoing conflict has reinforced the importance of air superiority, including missiles and missile defense systems, prompting “countries in the region, including Turkey to strengthen its air power,” he said.

Since the start of the conflict, Erdogan has been scrambling to end the hostilities. He has held a flurry of phone calls with leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering to act as a “facilitator” for the resumption of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

There are deep concerns in Turkey that a prolonged conflict will cause energy disruptions and lead to refugee movement from Iran, with which it shares a 560 kilometer-long (348 mile) border.

Turkey relies heavily on energy imports, including from Iran, and rising oil prices due to the conflict could aggravate inflation and further strain its troubled economy.

Turkey has strongly criticized Israel’s actions, saying Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself against Israel’s attacks, which came as nuclear negotiations were ongoing.

Once close allies, Turkey and Israel have grown deeply estranged, especially after the start of the war in Gaza in 2023, with Erdogan becoming one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fiercest critics.

Relations further deteriorated following the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, as Israel grew increasingly wary of expanding Turkish influence in Syria.

Earlier this year, Turkey and Israel however, established a “de-escalation mechanism” aimed at preventing conflict between their troops in Syria. The move came after Syria’s Foreign Ministry said that Israeli jets had struck a Syrian air base that Turkey reportedly hoped to use.

Israel hasn’t commented on Turkey’s announcement that it plans to ramp up missile production, but Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded to Erdogan’s criticisms of Israel over its attack on Iran in an X post on Wednesday. He accused Erdogan of having “imperialist ambitions” and of having “set a record in suppressing the freedoms and rights of his citizens, as well as his country’s opposition.”

Erdogan’s nationalist ally, Devlet Bahceli, suggested that Turkey was a potential target for Israel, accusing the country of strategically “encircling” Turkey with its military actions. He didn’t elaborate.

Analysts say, however, that such statements were for “domestic consumption” to garner support amid growing anti-Israel sentiment in Turkey.

“I don’t think that Israel has any interest in attacking Turkey, or Turkey has any interest in a conflict with Israel,” Han said.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday as part of the two countries’ efforts to normalize ties that were strained over historic disputes and Turkey’s alliance with Azerbaijan.

The talks between the two countries, which have no formal diplomatic ties, were expected to center on the possible reopening of their joint border as well as the war between Israel and Iran.

Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan, shut down its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity with Baku, which was locked in a conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In 2020, Turkey strongly backed Azerbaijan in the six-week conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal that saw Azerbaijan gain control of a significant part of the region.

Turkey and Armenia also have a more than century-old dispute over the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey.

Historians widely view the event as genocide. Turkey vehemently rejects the label, conceding that many died in that era but insisting that the death toll is inflated and the deaths resulted from civil unrest.

The rare visit by an Armenian leader comes after Ankara and Yerevan agreed in 2021 to launch efforts toward normalizing ties and appointed special representatives to lead talks.

Pashinyan previously visited Turkey in 2023 when he attended a presidential inauguration ceremony following an election victory by Erdogan. The two have also held talks on the sideline of a meeting in Prague in 2022.

It is Ankara and Yerevan’s second attempt at reconciliation. Turkey and Armenia reached an agreement in 2009 to establish formal relations and to open their border, but the deal was never ratified because of strong opposition from Azerbaijan.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish court on Tuesday sentenced a far-right politician to more than two years in prison for inciting public hatred and hostility, but ordered his release because of time already served.

Umit Ozdag, the leader of Turkey’s Victory Party, was detained in January over accusations that he insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with comments that he made during a party meeting.

A day later, Ozdag was formally arrested and charged with inciting hatred against migrants. He was blamed for last year’s anti-Syrian refugee riots in the central Turkish province of Kayseri, during which hundreds of homes and businesses were attacked.

Ozdag, a 64-year-old former academic, is an outspoken critic of Turkey’s refugee policies, and has previously called for the repatriation of millions of Syrian refugees.

During his trial, Ozdag acknowledged advocating the return of refugees, but strongly denied that he had incited violence against them. He maintained that his imprisonment was politically motivated and aimed at silencing him.

The court sentenced him to two years and four months in prison, but ordered his release, ruling that he has already served a sufficient portion of the sentence.

The trial took place amid a widespread crackdown on the opposition to Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party.

Officials from municipalities controlled by the main opposition — the Republican People’s Party, or CHP — have faced waves of arrests this year. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, viewed as the main challenger to Erdogan’s two-decade rule, was detained in March over allegations of corruption.

Many people in Turkey consider the cases to be politically driven, according to opinion polls. However, Erdogan’s government insists that the courts are impartial and free from political involvement.

GURBULAK BORDER CROSSING, Turkey (AP) — At a border crossing between Turkey and Iran, Shirin Talebi was anxiously waiting on Monday for her children and grandchildren to arrive from Tehran. The family are planning to stay for a month or two in Turkey, seeking temporary refuge from the conflict between Israel and Iran.

“I’m here because of safety. They are bombing. My children have small children of their own,” said Talebi, who had just arrived at the Gurbulak-Bazargan border crossing from the Iranian city of Urmia.

“Hopefully, it is over in one or two months so we can return to our country,” she said.

Turkey, which shares a 569 kilometer-long (348 miles) border with Iran, has expressed deep concern over the escalating armed conflict between Iran and Israel.

Israel launched an assault on Iran’s top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent the country from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. Friday’s surprise attack came two days before Iran and the U.S. were set to hold a negotiating session for a deal over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel.

There are fears in Turkey that a prolonged conflict could threaten its security, cause energy disruptions and lead to refugee flows.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Turkey was ready to act as a “facilitator” toward ending the conflict and resuming nuclear negotiations in telephone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Observers have noted an increase in arrivals from Iran since the conflict, though Turkish officials have dismissed social media reports of a large-scale refugee influx as unfounded. Turkey has not provided any official figures for arrivals.

“Our Ministry of Interior and relevant security units confirm that there is no unusual movement, congestion or irregular crossing at both the Kapıkoy and Gurbulak border gates,” the Turkish presidential communications office said.

Turkey allows Iranians to enter the country without a visa for tourism purposes and stay for up to 90 days.

At Gurbulak, one of the busiest crossings between Turkey and Iran, bus driver Ferit Aktas had just brought a group of Iranians to the border gate from Istanbul and was waiting to pick up others.

“About a week or 10 days ago, there would be between three and five people (Iranians) who would come for shopping or tourism. But now, I can say, that there are at least 30 Iranians in my vehicle per day,” he said.

“They say, ‘We are not safe there and we are forced to come.’ Most of them want to go to Europe, they want to go to Europe through Turkey,” Aktas said.

Mejid Dehimi, also from Umria, arrived in Turkey for a week-long break, not to escape the conflict. He expressed support for his country’s leaders.

“We are not afraid of death,” he said. “We will stand against Israel until our last breath and for as long as our lives allow.”

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish far-right politician accused of inciting public hatred and hostility went on trial Wednesday in a case critics view as an effort to suppress opposition to the president.

Umit Ozdag, the leader of Turkey’s Victory Party, was detained in January over accusations he insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with comments he made during a party meeting in Antalya.

A day later Ozdag was formally arrested and charged with inciting hatred against migrants. He was blamed for last year’s anti-Syrian refugee riots in the central Turkish province of Kayseri last year, during which hundreds of homes and businesses were attacked.

Prosecutors have presented a series of posts from Ozdag’s social media as evidence against him. He faces up to four years in prison if found guilty.

Ozdag, a 64-year-old former academic, is an outspoken critic of Turkey’s refugee policies and has previously called for the repatriation of millions of Syrian refugees.

Ozdag acknowledged advocating the return of refugees at the opening hearing of his trial at a prison complex on the outskirts of Istanbul. He denied he had incited for violence against them and told the court he had worked to calm tensions in Kayseri.

In his defense statement, Ozdag maintained that his imprisonment was politically motivated and aimed at silencing him over his criticism of the government’s recent effort to end a decades-long conflict with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

“The reason why I am here … is because I criticized the talks held with the PKK terrorist organization’s chief,” Ozdag said.

The Victory Party strongly opposes any concessions to the PKK which Turkey, along with many Western states including the United States, Britain and the European Union, considers a terrorist organization. The conflict with the PKK has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths since the 1980s.

When the trial opened Wednesday, Ozdag’s lawyers requested more time to prepare, and the proceedings were adjourned until Tuesday.

The politician’s trial comes amid a widespread crackdown on the opposition to Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party.

Officials from municipalities controlled by the main opposition — the Republican People’s Party, or CHP — have faced waves of arrests this year. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained in March over allegations of corruption.

Many people in Turkey consider the cases to be politically driven, according to opinion polls. However, Erdogan’s government insists the courts are impartial and free from political involvement.

Imamoglu is widely viewed as the main challenger to Erdogan’s two-decade rule and is the CHP’s candidate for the next presidential election. The election is due in 2028 but could be held earlier.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey will export 48 of its nationally-produced KAAN fighter jets to Indonesia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday, marking the first export deal for the advanced aircraft that is still in the development stage.

Erdogan said in an X post that the 48 KAAN fighter jets would be manufactured in Turkey and exported to Indonesia, adding that Indonesia’s “local capabilities” would be integrated into the production process.

The Turkish leader didn’t elaborate or disclose the financial details of the agreement.

The deal came on the sidelines of the defense industry exposition, Indo Defence 2025, in Jakarta, Turkey’s Sabah newspaper reported.

“This agreement showcases the progress and achievements of our domestic and national defense industry,” Erdogan said. He also praised Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for his role in securing the agreement.

Turkey’s first indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN successfully completed its maiden flight in 2024. Its first units are expected to be delivered in 2028.

The deal came amid growing economic and defense ties between Turkey and Indonesia. Earlier this year, the two countries agreed on the joint development of a Baykar combat-drone factory in Indonesia.

Pakistan and Azerbaijan, which also have strong defense ties with Turkey, are reported to be interested in purchasing KAAN fighters.