Politics
Turkish FM, Pakistan’s Dar discuss US-Iran talks
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday, diplomatic sources said. The two ministers discussed negotiations between the U.S. and Iran mediated by Islamabad, sources added. Dar was in Türkiye last week to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
A second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran had been expected this week in Pakistan, but Tehran said it would not attend the meeting until Washington ends its “illegal blockade of Iranian ports.” The U.S. had said its delegation would be led by Vice President JD Vance.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump extended a two-week cease-fire with Iran to allow time for Tehran to prepare a “unified proposal,” following a request by Pakistani officials.
Washington has called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained largely closed since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
Tehran declared the strait open Friday but closed it again a day later after Trump announced that the blockade of Iranian ports would continue. On Sunday, U.S. forces detained an Iranian cargo ship after opening fire and boarding it.
Pakistan brokered a two-week cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran on April 8, followed by critical talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12 attended by senior delegations from both countries. However, the sides did not reach an agreement to end the Middle East war.
The cease-fire had been set to expire Wednesday, but Trump extended it without announcing a new timeframe.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is embattled with uncertainty about its future.
Trailing behind the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in opinion polls, the CHP has failed to win a presidential election in the past two decades. Nowadays, it focuses on a new strategy to push for an early or by-election, but a fateful trial and a reported dissent in the party linked to that trial may prove a challenge for Türkiye’s oldest party.
Ahead of a hearing in May in a trial over alleged wrongdoings in an intraparty election in 2023, the party charts its future, which is now apparently stuck between a reported feud between two men. One is the chairperson, Özgür Özel, and the other is the prematurely announced future presidential candidate, Ekrem Imamoğlu. Former Istanbul Mayor Imamoğlu remains jailed and faces multiple corruption charges. Özel himself is at the heart of a trial over allegations of vote-buying in the 2023 election that brought him to power in the CHP.
May’s hearing in Ankara may lead to a verdict on the absolute nullification of the 2023 election. This means Özel will lose his seat. On the other hand, Imamoğlu, even if he is acquitted of corruption charges before the 2028 general election, remains ineligible to run for the presidency as a separate court verdict annulled his university diploma, a prerequisite for presidential candidates.
In the face of these developments, both men mull a future with room for their political ambitions. Dissidents in the party who spoke to the Sabah newspaper on Tuesday said May’s hearing will be decisive for the party, and they anticipated the removal of the Özel administration. They say Özel’s predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, will likely return to his post and “unite the party against those entangled in corruption,” referring to mayors and senior figures detained or arrested in the corruption investigations in the past two years.
The Sabah report says some 100 CHP lawmakers were already ready to support Kılıçdaroğlu if he were to be appointed as a trustee to the party, in the case of suspension of the Özel administration by the court verdict.
Özel and Imamoğlu, in the meantime, brace for multiple scenarios. The Sabah report says Imamoğlu favors establishing a new party if Özel is ejected from his seat and has considerable support. Yet, Özel is reportedly inclined to stay in the CHP, unless the party is “fully shut down.” Özel also plans to “resist” the nullification of his administration, like the party did when its Istanbul branch was suspended and appointed a trustee last year. Back then, CHP supporters tried to storm the party’s offices in Istanbul to prevent the trustee from taking over and confronted riot police deployed to the building. The party administration is expected to take the same stance again if Özel is suspended from office.
Encouraged by rare success in the municipal elections in 2024, the CHP also renewed its faith in winning a general election after a disastrous defeat to incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2023 elections. Özel has been pushing for an early election and consented to a by-election to fill the vacant seats in Parliament when the government shot down his hopes for a snap vote.
Özel on Tuesday challenged the government again to organize a by-election for Parliament. “Let’s hold elections in constituencies you won in the past,” he said, calling on the AK Party to take action. In remarks at the CHP’s parliamentary group meeting, hours after government ally Devlet Bahçeli ruled out an election of any kind before the normal schedule, Özel said that the government should not “dodge the ballot box.”
“If they don’t want an early election, they should accept a by-election. The Constitution allows it. If you won’t resort to tricks, we are ready to have at least 50 lawmakers resign,” he said, referring to a threshold where Parliament is required to hold a by-election to fill the seats vacated for various reasons between two legislative elections.
A few months before a critical NATO summit, the alliance’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, arrived in Ankara on Tuesday.
Rutte began his visit with a meeting with Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, before proceeding with a visit to Aselsan, the country’s leading defense company, on Thursday. He later held talks with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Rutte had nothing but pleasant words for Türkiye in terms of defense. He said the bloc’s members “can learn a lot” from Türkiye’s defense industry revolution in remarks to journalists while visiting Aselsan.
The NATO chief had no scheduled news conference, but media outlets reported that he was set to discuss several pressing issues with the Turkish officials. Among them were the invitation of the Gulf countries to July’s NATO summit in Ankara and bolstering regional cooperation, to enhance the bloc’s clout. The invitation to the Gulf comes after several countries in the region suffered from attacks by Iran in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Another issue on the table was attendance at the summit by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose remarks on the alliance marked a major fallout between his country and the alliance it led. Rutte’s meeting will also focus on Türkiye’s acquisition of F-35 fighter jets from the U.S., long stalled under the previous U.S. administration. Additionally, Rutte’s talks will concentrate on the establishment of a multinational structure led by France and the United Kingdom for the security of the Strait of Hormuz and Türkiye’s likely participation in the structure.
Rutte will also discuss the dispute between Türkiye and Greece, especially on maritime jurisdiction, the Cyprus question and improving the role of Turkish defense companies in Europe’s security architecture, media outlets reported on Tuesday.
Speaking at the headquarters of Aselsan, Rutte said there is “a lot” the sector can learn from what the country has achieved, pointing to its rapid advances in recent years. He stressed that accelerating defense industrial production alongside innovation is a “top priority” for NATO, adding that both issues will be central at the alliance’s summit in July.
He said NATO allies must “do better” and “do more,” underlining that increased defense spending alone would not ensure security without boosting output of key capabilities such as air defense systems, drones, ammunition, radars and space technologies. “Of course, we will celebrate that we are able collectively to increase the defense spending, but defense industrial production will be extremely important, because we have to do better, we have to do more, and we can learn a lot from what Türkiye is doing here,” he said.
Describing the global security environment as increasingly volatile, he pointed to a wide range of threats “from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, from outer space to the seabed,” including missile and drone attacks as well as sophisticated cyber threats.
He cited Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, China’s military modernization and nuclear expansion, and Iran’s activities in the region “as key sources of instability,” noting that Türkiye is directly affected by some of these risks.
Rutte also said NATO had recently intercepted ballistic missiles heading toward Türkiye from Iran on four separate occasions, underscoring the alliance’s readiness to defend all its members.
Reiterating his earlier remarks, he said Türkiye has gone through a “defense industrial revolution,” adding that Aselsan is “at the forefront” of these developments. He urged the defense firm to “produce and innovate even more and faster.”
He emphasized the role of the defense industry in ensuring collective security, saying that protecting “1 billion people across Europe and North America” cannot be achieved by militaries alone. It also requires strong industrial capacity, he said. Rutte highlighted growing defense cooperation across the alliance, noting that Turkish firms are expanding their footprint abroad, including exports and operations in several European countries, and called for continued collaboration “from Alaska to Ankara.”
“Just recently, as you know, Aselsan sold advanced electronic warfare systems to Poland. You have started operations in Albania and Romania, and you have equipped a vessel for the Croatian Navy,” Rutte said. He also drew attention to the role of young engineers, noting that the average age at Aselsan is around 33 – and possibly even lower. “So I’m glad to address you, the young engineers who make all of this possible,” he added.
Aselsan, headquartered in the Turkish capital Ankara, was founded in 1975 and has grown to be one of the country’s largest defense firms, ranking among the top 50 in its field worldwide. The defense giant became the first Turkish company to reach a $30 billion market value in January 2026.
Türkiye is preparing a sweeping overhaul of social media regulations that would require users to verify their identities through the e-Government (e-Devlet) system before accessing major platforms, in a move officials say will increase transparency and curb online crime, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said.
The minister said the draft legislation, described by authorities as a world first, would apply to platforms with more than 1 million daily users in Türkiye, including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X.
Speaking to Abdurrahman Şimşek and Halit Turan of Sabah newspaper, Gürlek said the regulation aims to create a safer and more accountable digital environment by preventing users from hiding behind anonymity.
“Digital chaos is growing, and this regulation has become a necessity,” he noted, pointing to the rise of disinformation, online fraud, illegal betting and cyberbullying.
Under the proposed system, users opening accounts on social media platforms would be redirected to the e-Government portal, where their identities would be verified. Instead of sharing personal data directly with the platforms, the system would generate a unique, user-specific digital key confirming the verification.
Authorities say personal identity information would not be transferred to social media companies but would be stored by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK).
Officials said the draft was prepared in coordination with multiple institutions, including the communications directorate, BTK authority and cybersecurity bodies, and has already been presented to the Cabinet.
The rollout is expected to take place over a nine-month period. In the first phase, regulations and technical infrastructure will be developed. Platforms will then be required to integrate the system, followed by a final phase in which existing users must comply with the new verification rules.
Authorities say companies that fail to meet the requirements could face escalating penalties, including administrative fines of up to 3% of their global turnover, advertising bans and bandwidth restrictions ranging from 50% to 90%.
Platforms may also be required to provide verified identity information of users involved in criminal investigations within 30 days upon request from judicial authorities.
The government says the system is designed to prevent the proliferation of fake and bot accounts and ensure that only real individuals can register on social media platforms.
Officials note that similar identity verification mechanisms are already used in certain online services in Türkiye, such as e-commerce platforms.
Parliament to take steps
Nazım Elmas, head of Parliament’s Digital Platforms Commission, said companies that fail to cooperate with state requirements could face additional regulatory responses. He added that the broader legislative package also includes measures related to digital platforms and social services.
Elmas said the initiative is part of a wider effort to address risks posed by rapidly evolving technologies, particularly for children and young users.
“This regulation alone may not solve all problems, but it is an important starting point,” he stressed.
He also noted that content initially presented as harmless such as games and applications can later be redirected toward more problematic areas driven by commercial interests, at times exposing children to harmful situations.
Members of the European Parliament criticized on Wednesday remarks by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggesting that Europe should not fall under the influence of Russia, Türkiye or China, calling the comments misleading and divisive.
Lawmakers from the Left Group in the European Parliament, including Belgian members Rudi Kennes and Marc Botenga, said the statement risks reinforcing unnecessary geopolitical polarization.
Botenga described the remarks as “both inaccurate and very strange,” emphasizing that Türkiye is not only a NATO ally but also maintains multifaceted relations with the European Union.
“Türkiye is still officially a candidate country for EU membership,” he noted.
He argued that the broader issue lies in what he characterized as a worldview that divides the globe into opposing camps. “These kinds of statements serve to split the world into ‘us’ and ‘others,’ as if there were some kind of purity test, and as if there were an intention to control the rest of the continent,” Botenga said.
Von der Leyen made the comments during a speech at an event marking the 80th anniversary of the German newspaper Die Zeit in Hamburg, where she reiterated support for EU enlargement and called for a more geopolitical approach.
Responding to her call for Europe to “complete its unity,” Botenga said the continent is already interconnected but not fully represented by the EU. He also warned that framing international relations as “friends versus enemies” poses significant risks for global stability.
The European Commission said Tuesday that Türkiye is “unquestionably an important partner” in the region, both economically and politically, following comments by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that grouped Türkiye alongside Russia and China as influential actors.
A Commission spokesperson stressed Ankara’s strategic role and significance for Europe, underscoring ongoing cooperation despite recent debate over von der Leyen’s characterization.
“Türkiye’s mention was a recognition of its geopolitical clout, size and ambitions, not least in the Western Balkans, and not meant as a comparison with any other country,” the Commission spokesperson told Anadolu Agency (AA) in response to a question about von der Leyen’s remarks.
Speaking at an event marking the 80th anniversary of the newspaper Die Zeit in Hamburg on Monday, von der Leyen mentioned her support for EU enlargement and said: “We must succeed in completing the European continent so that it is not influenced by Russia, Türkiye, or China.”
“Türkiye is unquestionably an important partner in the region both economically and politically, including in strategic areas such as the Connectivity Agenda, with the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor where Türkiye is a key anchor in the region, and on migration management where Türkiye is a long-standing partner,” said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson added: “Türkiye is also an important NATO ally and EU candidate country, and as such, a key interlocutor.”
The Turkish Defense Ministry on Wednesday highlighted Ankara’s adherence to the principle of “One Army, One Libya” after a landmark military exercise in the North African country.
“Türkiye supports the peaceful, stable existence of Libya, whose east and west act in unity,” the ministry said.
Ankara has long been a supporter of internationally recognized western administration in Libya but courted the east in recent years in its bid to support stability in the country, which still lacks unity.
Forces from the east and west-based administrations were joined by military elements from Türkiye and the U.S. earlier this month for exercises in Sirte in the first such joint event since 2014. That year, Libya was divided between forces that took part in the ouster of the Moammar Gadhafi regime. Tensions have cooled considerably since then, and the two sides recently agreed to the first unified budget in more than a decade to determine how to spend the billions of dollars of oil revenues the country earns each year. The “Flintlock” special operations exercises, run by the United States Africa Command, known as AFRICOM, included forces from both the military commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) and the U.N.-recognized Government of National Unity, which is based in Tripoli.
The Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that the Flintlock exercises demonstrated strong support by participating countries to Libya’s sovereignty and independence and contributed to the country’s ability for joint operations. The ministry also highlighted that their priority was preservation of stability, calm and balance based on the broadest dialogue and compromise in Libya.
The ministry said Türkiye always supported United Nations-led processes in Libya and maintained contacts with “all sides.” It noted Türkiye trained more than 23,000 Libyan military personnel, both in Türkiye and Libya, and was continuing to support Libya in several fields, from demining to defusal of unexploded ordnance, counterterrorism, the fight against irregular migration and smuggling.
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