Türkiye and Syria have agreed to create a round-the-clock communication and coordination mechanism aimed at strengthening institutional cooperation and countering disinformation, Presidential Communications Deputy Director Ferhat Pirinççi said Thursday.

A Turkish delegation, including Ambassador to Damascus Nuh Yılmaz and senior officials from the Directorate of Communications, met with Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mustafa in the Syrian capital to discuss joint efforts and institutional cooperation in the field of communication.

Following the meeting, Yılmaz said Syria has recently gone through a critical period after years of internal conflict and has been exposed to intense disinformation campaigns, particularly during its fight against the PKK terrorist organization and in relation to developments in the coastal region and Sweida.

He noted that Türkiye has long faced similar disinformation campaigns and has developed significant experience and capacity in this field.

The two sides comprehensively evaluated how to better align their positions in combating disinformation, including through training programs, institutional capacity building and joint working mechanisms.

Pirinççi described the visit of a broad Turkish delegation as an important step and said one of the most significant outcomes of the talks was the decision to establish a continuous and clear coordination mechanism between the two institutions.

He added that the planned mechanism will facilitate regular communication, mutual exchange of experience and closer cooperation in areas such as combating disinformation, media perception management, public diplomacy and crisis communication.

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Türkiye condemned Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, specifically its actions in the West Bank, warning that recent decisions could undermine prospects for a two-state solution.

Speaking during the Turkish Defense Ministry’s weekly press briefing on Thursday, spokesperson Zeki Aktürk criticized Israel for ongoing cease-fire violations despite moving into the second phase of a Gaza peace plan.

Israel has faced global condemnation after its Security Cabinet approved measures on Sunday aimed at changing the legal and civil framework in the occupied West Bank to strengthen Israeli control, with several leaders describing it as a step toward de facto annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory.

Aktürk said Ankara condemned Israel’s decisions aimed at imposing a new legal and administrative status on the occupied West Bank following widespread destruction and attacks in Gaza. He stressed that such measures constitute a clear violation of international law and risk damaging ongoing efforts toward a negotiated settlement. “We once again emphasize that we will continue to support the Palestinian people’s efforts to establish an independent and sovereign state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Aktürk said.

The Arab League held an emergency meeting on Wednesday in Cairo to discuss recent Israeli measures aimed at expanding illegal settlement activity and tightening its control of the occupied West Bank.

A statement after the meeting said the Arab League Council urged U.S. President Donald Trump to fulfill his pledge, as part of his efforts to achieve peace, and to take “practical and clear” steps to prevent Israel from annexing the occupied West Bank.

The council said any annexation of Palestinian land constitutes a war crime, expressing its support for the Palestinians’ right to full sovereignty of their state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and including its holy sites.

According to Israeli media, the measures include repealing a law that barred the sale of land in the West Bank to illegal Israeli settlers, unsealing land ownership records, and shifting authority for building permits in a settlement bloc near Hebron from a Palestinian municipality to Israel’s civil administration.

Developments in Syria

To a question, the spokesperson said Türkiye is closely monitoring the implementation of the Jan. 30 agreement between the Syrian government and the terrorist group YPG. “We continue to closely follow on the ground the implementation of the agreement signed between the Syrian government and the YPG on Jan. 30,” Aktürk said.

Last Tuesday, Syrian security forces entered the city of Qamishli under a “comprehensive agreement,” which includes a cease-fire and a phased integration deal with the YPG that was reached in late January to end the state of division in the country and lay the groundwork for a new phase of full integration. The Syrian Army launched an operation against the YPG on Jan. 16 in areas west of the Euphrates River. The operation later expanded east of the river with the participation of tribal forces, leading to most of the territories previously occupied by the group coming under government control.

Russian drone crash

Following the briefing, the Defense Ministry also issued a statement on yet another drone incident off Türkiye’s Black Sea coast. On Wednesday, authorities discovered parts of a drone off the coast of the Ünye district of Ordu province. Local media initially reported that it was loitering munitions of Iranian origin, but the ministry said on Thursday that it was likely a Russian drone and did not contain “any explosives.”

Several drones and unmanned maritime vehicles have been shot down or discovered crashed in recent months on Türkiye’s Black Sea coast and cities far from the coast. Authorities say it is a spillover of the raging conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as most of them were found to be of Russian or Ukrainian origin.

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Details have emerged on a draft report by a parliamentary committee on the terror-free Türkiye initiative for the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK.

The most significant sections of the report focus on legal arrangements to encourage the terrorist group to lay down its arms and references to rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and Türkiye’s Constitutional Court.

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, who also chairs the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee of Parliament behind the report, sent the draft report to political parties for consensus. The document was prepared within the framework of work carried out by the committee, which is composed of deputy parliamentary group leaders serving as coordinators. The report is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

The report recommends enacting a special law for the process and amending certain existing laws. It cites the need to establish a legal framework to encourage and accelerate the disarmament process of the PKK. It emphasizes the necessity of legal regulations to provide a basis for PKK members on the run to return home.

It proposes that necessary amendments to the Turkish Penal Code, the Law on the Execution of Sentences and the Anti-Terror Law be made in parallel with the proposed laws.

Under the heading “Democratization Steps,” the report highlights rulings by the European Court of Human Rights and Türkiye’s Constitutional Court, as well as principles of international law.

It does not explicitly mention an individualized “right to hope,” which was once proposed to be implemented for Abdullah Öcalan, jailed ringleader of the group. However, it makes an indirect reference through its emphasis on ECtHR and Constitutional Court rulings and international legal principles.

The report also assesses that certain administrative steps could be taken regarding the practice of appointing trustees to municipalities whose administrators were accused of funding the PKK and/or aiding and abetting the terrorist group.

Under the democratization heading, the report notes that amendments may be made to the laws on political parties, elections, and public meetings and demonstrations.

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Three irregular migrants died after a rubber boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Foça in western Türkiye, authorities said Thursday, as search efforts continued for four people believed missing.

The vessel set out despite stormy weather and went down early in the morning off Izmir’s Foça district. Coast Guard Command teams were dispatched to the area following an emergency call.

Rescue crews saved 38 migrants from the sea and recovered the bodies of three others. Survivors told authorities that four more people had been on board, prompting an air- and sea-backed search and rescue operation.

Türkiye is a key transit route for migrants attempting to reach Europe, and its coast guard regularly carries out rescue and interception operations along the Aegean coastline.

In a separate development, five suspected migrant smugglers were arrested in Izmir in connection with a deadly incident off the Greek island of Chios earlier this month.

Prosecutors said the boat, which departed from the Çeşme district, capsized after being struck by a Greek Coast Guard vessel on Feb. 3. Fifteen migrants, 11 men and four women, died, and 24 others were injured. Some passengers were initially reported missing.

An investigation launched by the Çeşme prosecutors led to the detention of seven suspects accused of organizing the illegal crossing. Five were formally arrested on charges including migrant smuggling and “killing with probable intent,” while two were released under judicial supervision.

Türkiye has intensified nationwide operations in recent years amid rising regional migration pressures.

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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accompanied by ministers, was welcomed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Wednesday.

Mitsotakis was in Türkiye for the 6th High-Level Cooperation Council that aims to improve occasionally strained ties between the two neighbors.

Erdoğan and the prime minister were scheduled to hold a joint news conference after their meeting.

It remains to be seen whether Mitsotakis’ visit will add further momentum to warming ties, especially after the prime minister said in an interview earlier this month that the dispute over the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean stood out as an obstacle to better ties.

Athens and Ankara have tried to overcome their differences in recent years, leaving behind a troubled past. Last month, diplomats from the two countries came together in the Greek capital for a “positive agenda” meeting.

Tensions have flared intermittently in recent years between the historic rivals, who remain divided over where their continental shelves begin and end in the Aegean, an area believed to hold significant energy potential and linked to disputes over airspace and overflights.

Last month, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said Greece intends to extend its territorial waters, potentially including areas of the Aegean Sea, despite long-standing Turkish objections. Greece has already expanded its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea from 6 to 12 nautical miles following agreements with Italy, and it has signed a maritime delimitation deal with Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lana Zochiou said on Tuesday the aim was “to assess the progress of bilateral cooperation” and “to keep communication channels open to defuse any potential crises.”

Ministers of the two countries will sign a series of agreements to strengthen bilateral ties and will exchange views on regional and global issues during Mitsotakis’ visit.

Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, said last week that the meeting was expected to comprehensively assess ties between the two nations and discuss ways to further enhance cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

Regarding his meeting with Erdoğan during his Türkiye visit, Mitsotakis told Skai TV earlier this month that Greece and Türkiye did not need arbitrators or intermediaries to discuss bilateral issues. He hailed improvement in relations since the Athens Declaration was signed during Erdoğan’s visit to Greece in 2023.

Mitsotakis noted that resolving their dispute in maritime delimitation would bring Türkiye closer to the European Union, of which Ankara hopes to be a member. He warned, however, that the prevalence of “casus belli” in the Aegean would prevent Türkiye’s access to European funds. Mitsotakis, quoted by the Greek TV, admitted that Athens used the issue as “leverage” against Türkiye, so that Ankara would “abandon misguided claims.”

Türkiye recently extended the navigation warnings, known as Navtex, in the wake of Greece’s violation of Türkiye’s maritime borders. Mitsotakis, who was accused by the Greek opposition of remaining silent on the issue, hit out at the warnings and claimed they were illegal and Greece would not seek Türkiye’s permission for running projects in those waters, such as electrical interconnection projects.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye and Greece remain committed to strengthening dialogue and cooperation as both neighbors pursue a more stable phase in bilateral ties, noting that issues are solvable.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Erdoğan noted that the two sides must keep communication channels open “as neighboring allies are committed to cooperation.”

Erdoğan said he conveyed to Mitsotakis Türkiye’s expectation that the Turkish minority in Western Thrace fully benefit from their religious freedoms and educational rights, calling these protections the “human dimension” of relations that must be safeguarded with historic responsibility. He added that while longstanding disputes in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean are complex, they are “not unsolvable” within the framework of international law, and said the two leaders share a common view that diplomacy is the most constructive path forward.

Erdoğan said he and Mitsotakis held frank discussions on the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, stressing that goodwill, constructive dialogue and a clear will to resolve disputes are essential.

“I was pleased to see that my dear friend Kyriakos and I agree on this,” he said, expressing confidence that the positive momentum since 2023 can help both sides make progress on interconnected issues.

The Turkish president also said he reiterated Ankara’s expectations on combating terrorism and organized crime, and highlighted the need to address minority-rights issues with historic sensitivity.

“We must act with an awareness of our responsibility toward minorities, who form the human dimension of our relations,” he said.

During the talks, Erdoğan emphasized that high-level contacts have provided “a conducive environment” for progress and said he hopes the agreements signed earlier in the day will further consolidate the legal foundation of bilateral ties. He noted that Türkiye aims to raise its trade volume with Greece from roughly $7 billion last year to $10 billion.

Business councils from both countries also met to explore new economic opportunities, he said.

Mitsotakis received a warm welcome in Ankara as the two sides convened the 6th High-Level Cooperation Council. Both governments say they want to leave behind years of strained ties and focus on a positive agenda. Last month, diplomats met in Athens to advance this track, as the neighbors work to ease friction over contested maritime boundaries and airspace in the Aegean.

Athens and Ankara have tried to overcome their differences in recent years, leaving behind a troubled past. Last month, diplomats from the two countries came together in the Greek capital for a “positive agenda” meeting.

Tensions have flared intermittently in recent years between the historic rivals, who remain divided over where their continental shelves begin and end in the Aegean, an area believed to hold significant energy potential and linked to disputes over airspace and overflights.

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