Politics
Top EU official visits Türkiye for $236M projects, stronger partnership
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said the European Union and Türkiye share strong ties that outweigh their differences, announcing that two projects each worth 100 million euros ($118 million) will be signed during her Feb. 5-6 visit to Ankara.
“There is really more that connects EU and Türkiye than what is dividing us, and we really should work on this,” she told Anadolu Agency (AA), stressing that “our economies are very much interdependent.”
Kos said she is “very much looking forward” to her first official visit to Türkiye, and explained that she had “intense contacts” with her Turkish counterparts “since the first day” of her mandate, especially with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
She asserted that her visit aligns with the approach of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with the aim of opening a new perspective in the relations.
“We are really living in challenging times. The world is changing around us. We are seeing the return of imperial behavior as China, Russia, and the U.S. are aggressively building their spheres of interest,” Kos said.
In the face of these geopolitical challenges, Kos urged strengthening cooperation, noting: “Our economies are very much interdependent. Whatever happens on the field of migration on each side is affecting the other side.”
Kos expressed hope that the Ukraine peace agreement would be signed soon to “change the realities in Europe and also especially in the Black Sea, where I see Türkiye as a very important partner already.”
Focusing on trust
Kos explained that she aims to foster trust during her visit as “trust is getting nowadays more and more important” while both in politics and business one needs partners “whom you can trust and build on.”
She described Türkiye as the “heart” of the EU’s Connectivity Strategy, a geopolitical approach aimed at establishing transport, energy, digital, and people-focused connections, seeking to “better Europe with Central Asia and turning this middle corridor into a very, very strong connection.”
“We can’t do this without Türkiye,” she asserted.
European Investment Bank
According to Kos, the Connectivity Strategy will allow much more for the EU and its partners “together in the Caucasus.”
“This is also why I’m very happy that the European Investment Bank (EIB) is coming back to Türkiye,” she said, referring to the multilateral financial institution owned by the EU’s 27 member states that provides funds for strategic projects.
“During my visit to Ankara, two projects, each worth of 100 million euros, will be signed as part of the re-engagement of the EIB, which wasn’t possible for some years,” she revealed.
She praised the EIB’s re-engagement as a result of the “high-level dialogue and economic discussions last year” that the “business community really, really loved to see.”
“Now it is happening,” she said, stressing that the two new renewable energy projects financed by the EIB “is now the start,” and the EU bank, as well as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank, would also play an important role in the future in new renewable energy and connectivity projects.
To support this agenda, Kos will meet with the minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.
Impact of EU trade deals
Asked about the potential impact of recently signed trade deals with the South American trade bloc Mercosur and India on the EU’s customs union with Türkiye, Kos asserted that the agreement underpins the “attractiveness” of making a free trade agreement with the EU and its 450-million-strong market, despite “some people are doubting” the bloc’s geopolitical relevance.
She called the recent free trade deals “very important,” but emphasized that “the trade between the EU and Türkiye is almost twice as much as our trade with Mercosur.”
Kos urged to look at the “bigger picture in these uncertain times, when China, Russia and the U.S. are creating their spheres of interest.”
“It will be more and more important that we do business with reliable partners. There are many things we can do to improve the bilateral trade,” she noted, and explained that she had just received a letter from the Turkish business community, also published in the Financial Times, about the future of the EU-Türkiye economic relations.
“We should make much more out of this trading relation, including the improvement of the functioning of the customs union and removing some barriers we still have there,” she asserted.
Noting that “both sides should work on this” while there is a “clear will and possibility,” she promised to put all her “energy into moving on this.”
“We really shouldn’t miss this big chance which we have today, but it needs to be our common project and both sides have to deliver,” she added.
Admitting that the customs union with Türkiye has not been updated for 30 years, Kos mentioned that all political developments, and especially relations with the Greek Cypriot administration, can help to make progress in this area.
‘Made in Europe’ initiative
The “Made in Europe” initiative, which prioritizes European companies in public procurement in EU countries, is also “in principle a response to how the world of trade is also changing,” Kos revealed.
She explained that the rules set by the World Trade Organization have been increasingly eroded and trade dependencies are used as blackmail or a weapon, which the EU wants to prevent.
“We want to be sure that if we spend public money, it actually benefits the companies that choose to work in Europe or close to Europe, who want to innovate, who also want to invest and produce in Europe and in places we can trust. This is a matter of security,” she stressed.
She reminded that the work and discussions on the “Made in Europe” initiative are still in progress, and promised to “always defend that this economic logic should be aligned with our geopolitical logic, where we have to see who is our partner and with which partner we can get a better win-win situation out of this.”
“If we take together economic and geopolitical logic, this cannot exclude Türkiye,” Kos stated, adding that in order to participate in EU public procurements, first, the conditions enabling trade need to be “further developed.”
“We would love to see Türkiye involved deeper in some of our policies, but there are some conditions which have to be fulfilled,” she went on.
Kos said she would be meeting with Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek in Ankara, hailing that the EU and Türkiye had resumed high-level dialogues.
“Last year we had five: economy, trade, migration, security, research, innovation, agriculture,” she asserted.
“I would also be very happy if we would be able to do also the high-level dialogues on energy and transport. For the time being, it is not possible, but let’s move and see what we can do to make this possible,” she added.
She called for more trust, noting that “big changes will not come through the night until we are able to build trust.”
EU membership perspective
Asked about Türkiye’s EU membership perspective in the face of political obstacles, Kos acknowledged that “since 2018, there is a standstill in the negotiation or accession process” but underscored that the EU still “considers Türkiye as a candidate country.”
Acknowledging that they are “not starting from scratch,” Kos underlined that the latest EU enlargement reports on the progress of candidate countries had “seen steps away from EU standards, especially on the rule of law and democracy.”
“I know that Türkiye has a very long democratic tradition and also a strong civil society, and this is what we would like to strengthen, and this would build trust between the EU and Türkiye,” she underlined.
According to Kos, there are “immense possibilities” to be exploited within the 450-million-strong internal market of the EU and Türkiye’s over 80 million people.
“If we could put new energy into the development of the field of democracy, I think we could do really, really much more,” she asserted.
Kos described that the accession process is influenced by dynamics in the candidate countries and EU member states as well, and “we are engaging with our candidate countries, and the decision-making process is worked out together.”
“We know that any progress is connected to bilateral relations, not just Cyprus, but also with the Cyprus and the new Cyprus settlement talks. It is now a big opportunity to continue,” she added.
Defense cooperation
Asked about prospects of Türkiye’s contribution to the EU’s efforts in strengthening its defense industry and capabilities, Kos acknowledged Türkiye as a “very important, reliable NATO partner, the second-largest member in NATO, the institution that secured peace and security in the broader sense in Europe.”
“We also have seen how Turkish drones have been playing a decisive role at the beginning of the war in Ukraine. We have also seen the role Türkiye is playing in the war. For all of these reasons, Türkiye is a kind of natural partner for Europe, and it would be good both for us if we could work more together,” she added.
“Under certain conditions, Turkish companies can already cooperate, be part of our rearmament programs, if they have subsidies here in Europe,” she explained.
Kos also stressed: “Personally, I would like to really see strong involvement of stronger involvement of Türkiye in the security in Europe,” but warned that the development of EU security policy depends on member states.
“The new Cyprus settlement talks are a great opportunity for improvements also in this area,” she said, noting that Türkiye is “undisputably a really important NATO and security partner.”
Visa liberalization
Referring to the EU’s recently announced visa strategy, Kos underlined that due to last year’s high-level dialogue on migration, the EU could introduce the so-called cascade system, allowing Turkish citizens to more easily get multiple visas, and that “this is already showing the results.”
She highlighted that visa-free travel is one of the main topics in which she would like to see advancement, but warned that there are six conditions to be fulfilled.
Wowing to keep visa liberalization on the “high priority list” during her visit to Ankara, she explained that connectivity does not only mean “hard power in the sense of trade and transport and energy.”
“When I speak about the connectivity, I would also like to stress the connections between people,” Kos asserted.
The growing rift between the main opposition New Party (YP) and the former main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) manifested in Muğla, a southwestern city home to world-famous Bodrum and other top tourism destinations. A local CHP official suggested that Mayor Ahmet Aras should face disciplinary proceedings for his contacts with YP.
YP was formed in July by Özgür Özel, the former chair of CHP. Özel was removed from office by a court ruling over allegations of vote-buying during a 2023 intra-party election that brought him to power. He was replaced by his predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Kılıçdaroğlu’s return sparked a bitter row with supporters of Özel, who accused him of betraying the party by accepting the court’s request for his reinstatement. Özel initially appealed the verdict but decided to form the new party after receiving overwhelming support among CHP lawmakers.
Under Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP began what it called a “cleansing” process, expelling several figures accused of corruption. The new administration has been more muted about the fate of members openly supporting Özel while several mayors resigned from the party and remain independent, leaving the door open for a future switch to YP.
Aras, who was Bodrum mayor for CHP before his election as Muğla Metropolitan Municipality mayor in the 2024 elections, faces accusations of cooperating with YP while remaining in CHP. CHP’s local branch was angered when Aras temporarily handed over his duties to a YP municipal assembly member in Muğla during a recent visit to Syria. Aras also reportedly ceased contact with CHP’s Muğla branch.
Aziz Gürsoy, head of CHP’s disciplinary board in Muğla, told the Sabah newspaper that Aras has almost severed all ties with CHP.
“It is neither ethical nor legitimate for Mr. Aras to remain in the CHP under the current conditions. In fact, I believe there is bad intent here. He needs to be expelled immediately. Even during his trips abroad, he leaves the municipality (to YP). He has no communication with us. He no longer has any emotional or organic ties to the CHP,” Gürsoy stated.
Stating that they will protect the institutional structure of the CHP under all conditions and that no one is above the party, Gürsoy said: “The current picture creates serious concern among the CHP base. If this situation continues, as the president of the provincial disciplinary board, I will personally apply to headquarters for Mr. Aras’s expulsion. We will not hesitate to take any step necessary to protect the rights, rules and institutional structure of the CHP.”
According to the CHP bylaws, metropolitan mayors can only be referred to the High Disciplinary Board upon the request of the Party Assembly.
The name of Lütfü Türkkan, a lawmaker from the opposition Good Party (IP), came up in an investigation into judiciary officials accused of taking bribes. Prosecutors in Istanbul separated the case of Türkkan and referred it to Ankara on Monday for further investigation.
The Bakırköy Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul has recently ordered the arrest of eight suspects in an investigation into judges accused of taking bribes in exchange for verdicts in favor of defendants in some cases. The investigation specifically focused on a former judge working at the Court of Enforcement who was accused of receiving millions of Turkish liras in bribes.
Suspects in the case are also accused of running a criminal organization apparently thriving on bribes. Authorities are now looking into cases handled by several Istanbul courts between 2022 and 2024, on suspicion that some businesspeople, politicians and lawyers sought to influence trials and get verdicts in their favor in exchange for bribes, employing judges and court staff. In connection with the case, the Board of Judges and Prosecutors suspended five people, including judges and prosecutors.
In one instance of the suspicious cases, investigators are looking into the claim that M.Ş. and Y.A., identified only through their initials, served as mediators in a case involving lawmaker Türkkan and secured a verdict in favor of the lawmaker, reports by Turkish media outlets say.
In a social media post on Sunday, Türkkan rejected claims, though he acknowledged that a case he was party to was handled by one of the arrested judges. He said that being a party to a trial involving the suspect did not mean that he should be associated with “allegations (of bribery).” He said his lawyers were looking into the case and he never met the judge in person during the trial.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will be joined by National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu on a visit to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh on Monday.
They will attend a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the historic Mecca Joint Defense Alliance, formed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in August. The meeting comes amid rising threats to Saudi Arabia by the Houthis in Yemen.
Foreign Ministry sources said on Sunday that Fidan would reaffirm Türkiye’s strong solidarity with and support for Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi attacks and underline that provocative acts targeting sacred sites are unacceptable. Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to its most sacred site, the Kaaba, located in Mecca. Mecca has recently come under fire from the Houthis.
The Houthi group said on Saturday that it targeted Saudi oil company Aramco in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones in response to attacks on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
The operation “successfully achieved its objective,” causing fires at the targeted sites, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.
Saree added that Sanaa and other provinces had been subjected to 60 airstrikes over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of strikes to 1,420. He attributed the attacks to Saudi Arabia.
The spokesperson warned that the group would respond to “blockade with blockade, and escalation with escalation.”
Meanwhile, Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government, said in remarks carried by Saudi media, including Asharq Al-Awsat, that Houthi claims of targeting Riyadh on Saturday were “misleading.”
He added that the Houthis were trying to “divert attention from the scale of their losses and growing public anger over the militias’ conduct and their ties to foreign agendas that have brought chaos and destruction to Yemen.”
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government against Houthi forces, which have controlled Sanaa and several other governorates since September 2014.
In July this year, the Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, saying the move was in response to a Saudi naval and air siege on areas under their control in Yemen. The group has since targeted energy infrastructure in the kingdom.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud signed the Mecca agreement for joint defense in Mecca on Aug. 7, 2026. The agreement aims to bolster the security of Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia through joint deterrence and defense, and reflects the three countries’ commitment to developing regional solutions to regional issues and their shared strategic vision centered on regional security and stability.
A Strategic Political and Defense Committee, comprising the foreign and defense ministers and chiefs of general staff of the three countries, was established to guide activities under the agreement. The committee held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on Aug. 31, 2026. At the meeting, foundational decisions were adopted, and technical work toward institutionalizing the alliance was reviewed. Accordingly, the alliance’s secretariat is expected to be established in Riyadh as soon as possible. Retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood has been nominated to serve as its first secretary-general.
The foreign ministers of the three countries held a meeting in New York on Sept. 24, 2026, on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Regional developments were discussed at the meeting. In a joint statement issued afterward, the three countries condemned attacks targeting the holy city of Mecca and Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure. The chiefs of general staff of the three countries met in Riyadh on Sept. 25, 2026.
Turkish sources said Fidan would convey Türkiye’s views on the next steps for the alliance and its institutionalization process. He will also offer Türkiye’s assessment of threats to peace and stability in the Middle East and views on regional developments related to the joint security of the allies. He is also expected to highlight how the alliance’s progress in a short time has proved valuable for the prospects of lasting stability in the region, as well as the importance of the alliance both in building capacity for a joint and efficient response to existing threats and in preventing regional crises.
Fidan is also expected to underline the prioritization of peaceful means to resolve conflicts in the region and the need to avoid steps that may escalate tensions. He will also stress the importance of ensuring the freedom and security of navigation on international trade routes and discuss how Israel has continued to undermine efforts for regional peace and stability.
In an interview last month, Fidan said the alliance had reached an advanced stage, with efforts underway to establish its headquarters and assign personnel, describing the initiative as a “very game-changing platform.” Fidan also implied that Türkiye stood ready to provide technical assistance to Saudi Arabia amid an escalating conflict with the Houthis in Yemen.
Fidan stated that there is “a very strong will” behind the alliance and that Ankara is working to turn that political will into action.
“The Mecca alliance is really at a good stage. There’s a very strong will that has been put forward. We’re working with all our strength to put this will into action,” Fidan told broadcaster NTV last month.
He said steps toward institutionalizing the alliance are underway, particularly work to establish a secretariat envisaged under the agreement and a military headquarters affiliated with it. He added that detailed preparations for both structures have “almost been completed” and that the three countries have reached a common understanding of how they will operate.
“There are steps currently being taken toward institutionalization. In particular, the work on establishing the secretariat mentioned in the agreement and bringing an affiliated military headquarters into operation is almost complete. We have reached a common understanding. From now on, the remaining stage is to send personnel and make the headquarters operational. I am pleased with the process on this issue,” Fidan said.
He said that once institutionalization steps are completed, talks could be held with the other two founding countries on admitting new members.
“There is such a principle decision because our president said this from the beginning. If this does not grow, then it would not be an alliance area. We would have created a bloc. Our regional vision is for as many countries in the region as possible to come together and establish a common defense area.
“This defense area is not against outsiders; it is about solving problems within the region better through regional ownership and creating an environment of trust that has not existed before, in order to prevent new crises from emerging. The basic point of departure for all of this is the search for regional solutions to regional problems,” Fidan said.
He stressed that the alliance was not intended to create a new regional bloc against other countries but to establish a common defense framework based on regional ownership.
“It is an alliance open to the countries of the region,” he said.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz was among the dignitaries attending the International Bediüzzaman Symposium, held under the theme “Quranic Solutions to Global Crises,” in Istanbul on Sunday. The occasion was also a remembrance of prominent 20th-century Muslim scholar Said Nursi, who also carried the honorific Bediüzzaman, or “wonder of the age.”
Speaking at the symposium, Yılmaz explained how the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) sought to portray itself as followers of Nursi and how the scholar fought against imperialist forces during his lifetime.
The two-day event hosts scholars from across the world. Along with Yılmaz, Mohammed Abu al-Khair Shukri, Syria’s minister of Awqaf, or Endowments, in charge of managing religious affairs; Safi Arpaguş, head of Türkiye’s Presidency of Religious Affairs; and Necmettin Bilal Erdoğan, head of the board of trustees at Türkiye’s Foundation for Dissemination of Knowledge, attended Sunday’s symposium.
Nursi, who passed away in 1960, was a Kurdish scholar best known for his Risale-i Nur collection of writings on the Quran. Early in his life, he was instrumental in the fight against the Russian occupation of eastern Türkiye, where Nursi originated. He was also a staunch opponent of Western powers invading present-day Türkiye in the last days of the Ottoman Empire. Nursi inspired several movements that came to be known as “Nurcular.” FETÖ also claimed to follow Nursi’s teachings but evolved into what it is known today: a terrorist group that tried to seize power in 2016 through its military infiltrators.
In his speech at the symposium, Yılmaz delved into FETÖ’s scheme to brainwash people into doing its bidding. “Unfortunately, we confronted a network exploiting the name of Bediüzzaman and his writings, a network that stirred up strife in our country. FETÖ is a terrorist network serving international powers and intelligence agencies. It is also a structure treating its members as slaves who do not question the leader. The Quran teaches us to use our minds. FETÖ held people’s minds hostage,” Yılmaz said.
Yılmaz, who also heads a board overseeing the terror-free Türkiye initiative, spoke at length about the process that aims for the full dissolution of the terrorist group PKK. The PKK, exploiting disillusioned Kurds deprived of their rights, carried out a campaign of violence since the 1980s that killed tens of thousands of people across Türkiye. In 2024, Türkiye launched the initiative by highlighting the need to strengthen unity between Turks and Kurds against external threats. Yılmaz said they wanted to remove terrorism from Türkiye’s and the wider region’s agenda permanently.
He lamented that, for a long time, the very imperialist powers Nursi fought against sought to pit people against each other in the region.
“As the Republic of Türkiye, we have to end those conflicts, this ethnic and sectarian strife, and act in unison. We have to create a region where terrorism is no longer an issue, where foreign powers are not able to exploit our resources,” he said.
“Bediüzzaman Said Nursi was a man of these lands. He fought against imperialists. He did not flee to another country to incite strife in Türkiye as certain people did,” he said, referring to Fethullah Gülen, who died in Pennsylvania, United States, where he spent his last years in a self-styled “exile” while facing multiple arrest warrants issued by Türkiye for his role in the 2016 coup attempt.
The Turkish Parliament will begin its weekly session on Tuesday, following the inauguration of the new legislative year last Thursday. Parliament’s General Assembly will debate a new bill on the Turkish Red Crescent, while the Planning and Budget Committee will hear from Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan.
The bill on the Turkish Red Crescent would make the Turkish Red Crescent, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the national Red Crescent and Red Cross societies of other countries the sole authorized entities for receiving and using in-kind and cash assistance sent to Türkiye during ordinary or extraordinary circumstances. Cash compensation will also be paid to personnel of the Turkish Red Crescent who are actively serving in the field to carry out the organization’s activities during extraordinary periods and times of disasters, war and conflict. In provinces and districts where Red Crescent branches and representative offices are located, the heads of the provincial and district Red Crescent branches will also become members of the boards of trustees of the Foundations for Social Assistance and Solidarity, the state entities overseeing social aid schemes for disadvantaged individuals.
On Tuesday, Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan will make a presentation to the Parliamentary Planning and Budget Committee. Karahan is expected to deliver a comprehensive presentation on global developments, the Turkish economy, inflation and the monetary policy framework at the meeting.
The Parliamentary Public Works, Reconstruction, Transport and Tourism Commission will also convene to discuss the bill on Foreign Digital Accommodation Platforms.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, parliamentary group meetings of the political parties represented in Parliament will be held.
Cemil Tugay, the independent mayor of Türkiye’s third-largest province, Izmir, who resigned from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), will join the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) this week, media outlets reported Sunday. Tugay met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex on Sept. 30, fueling rumors about the switch. Tugay and Erdoğan reportedly met to discuss the needs of Izmir, but media outlets said the mayor later met officials at the AK Party’s Izmir branch, leading to further speculation about the switch.
Erdoğan will officially welcome him to the party at the AK Party’s parliamentary group meeting on Oct. 7. Along with Tugay, the mayors of two district municipalities in Izmir are expected to join the AK Party, media reports said. Pro-opposition Sözcü newspaper reported that Tugay canceled all appearances after meeting with Erdoğan and has not returned calls from journalists.
If the switch takes place, it will be the first time the AK Party has taken over a municipality in Izmir, a longstanding CHP stronghold. The CHP is already in tatters after former Chair Özgür Özel founded the New Party (YP) in July, taking dozens of lawmakers from the CHP with him. The YP is now the main opposition party thanks to the sheer number of its lawmakers in Parliament, while several mayors have signaled that they would join the party soon.
The number of mayors elected under the CHP banner who have since joined the AK Party has risen to 44.
The latest switches include the mayors of the Çerkezköy, Çiğli, Elmalı, Şenkaya and Marmara districts, continuing a series of defections from the CHP since the 2024 local elections.
President Erdoğan presented party badges to the nine mayors during the party’s Expanded Provincial Chairs Meeting in Ankara last month and wished them success in their work.
The CHP won 420 municipalities across Türkiye in the 2024 elections. With 44 mayors having since resigned from the party and joined the AK Party, the figure represents roughly one in every 10 mayors elected on the CHP ticket, according to the figures.
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