Politics
Turkish intel chief visits Iraq for talks on security cooperation
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın discussed strengthening security and intelligence cooperation between Türkiye and Iraq during talks with Iraqi officials, according to statements released Tuesday.
Iraqi President Nizar Amedi received Kalın, head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), in the capital Baghdad, the Iraqi Presidency’s press office said in a written statement.
The meeting at the Iraqi Presidency addressed regional and international developments, as well as efforts to strengthen cooperation between Iraq and Türkiye in security and intelligence, the statement said.
Amedi said dialogue and mutual understanding are essential to resolving crises and stressed the importance of joint efforts to protect shared security against cross-border threats and create a more stable environment in the region.
Kalın said Türkiye is determined to maintain coordination and cooperation with Iraq in all fields, adding that Ankara aims to further develop working mechanisms between the relevant institutions of the two neighboring countries.
As part of his talks in Baghdad, Kalın also met with Faiq Zaidan, head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council.
According to a written statement from the council, the meeting focused on counterterrorism files related to threats to regional security, as well as improving intelligence and information sharing.
Kalın also met with National Security Adviser Basim al-Badri in Baghdad.
He later held talks with Mohammed al-Halbousi, leader of the Taqaddum Party. According to a statement from Halbousi’s press office, the meeting addressed regional and international developments, as well as ways to improve Iraq-Türkiye relations, particularly in the field of security.
The sides also stressed the importance of supporting the new Iraqi government’s efforts to track fugitives wanted on corruption charges who are abroad and secure their extradition to Iraq.
Kalın also discussed improving security cooperation between Iraq and Türkiye with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi.
According to a statement from the Iraqi Parliament Speaker’s press office, the meeting covered regional and international developments.
The sides reviewed ways to enhance cooperation between Iraq and Türkiye, particularly in security, and discussed mechanisms that would serve the common interests of the two countries while supporting regional security and stability.
Kirkuk visit
Kalın also visited the Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, where he inspected the historic Kirkuk Citadel.
He was welcomed at Kirkuk International Airport by Kirkuk Governor and Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) President Mohammed Saman Agha.
Kalın’s first stop in the city was Kirkuk Citadel, where he carried out inspections and visited the Turkish martyrs’ cemetery.
He later visited the ITC headquarters and met with Turkmen officials.
Kalın also held talks with Saman Agha at the Kirkuk Governor’s Office.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reaffirmed Tuesday that Türkiye’s European Union membership remains a strategic objective as Turkish and EU officials stress their commitment to deepening cooperation across security, trade, migration and regional diplomacy during high-level talks in Ankara.
In a statement posted on X, Fidan said he was pleased to host European Commission Executive Vice President and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner in Ankara.
Reiterating Ankara’s long-standing position, Fidan said Türkiye remains committed to its goal of joining the European Union, describing membership as a strategic priority.
“We are ready to advance our relations with the European Union on this basis,” Fidan noted.
He also called on the bloc to move relations forward on the basis of objective criteria and merit, without discrimination.
The sides discussed the full spectrum of Türkiye-EU relations, including foreign policy, connectivity, trade, migration and visa-related issues, Fidan said.
In a joint statement released after the meeting, the sides underlined the strategic importance of Türkiye-EU relations in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment, referring to Türkiye’s status as an EU candidate country and emphasizing the partnership’s role in promoting regional stability and economic resilience.
According to the statement, the discussions covered areas of shared interest, including economic and trade cooperation, connectivity, migration, security, and foreign and security policy challenges. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit.
The officials also agreed on the importance of regional stability and good neighborly relations while exchanging views on a range of international issues, including the war in Ukraine, developments in Russia, the Middle East, Africa and the South Caucasus.
Regarding Cyprus, the parties expressed support for the efforts of the U.N. secretary-general to advance the settlement process. The EU side also reiterated the importance of strengthening the rule of law, protecting fundamental rights and maintaining high democratic standards within the framework of Türkiye’s accession process.
Türkiye and the EU reaffirmed their shared commitment to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to pursuing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on international law. The statement noted that the EU side also stressed the importance of preventing the circumvention of EU sanctions by all states.
The two sides also agreed to coordinate complementary efforts aimed at promoting peace, prosperity and regional connectivity in the South Caucasus through concrete joint initiatives.
On security and defense, the officials emphasized the importance of enhancing dialogue and cooperation in a manner complementary to NATO.
The statement said both sides reaffirmed their determination to improve the implementation of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union while laying the groundwork for its long-discussed modernization. They also highlighted the importance of an inclusive and reciprocal industrial policy to strengthen the competitiveness and economic security of both Türkiye and the EU.
The officials agreed that Türkiye’s possible participation in the Single Euro Payments Area, or SEPA, would bring mutual benefits.
The meeting also included discussions on the state of the Visa Liberalization Dialogue and practical issues related to visa application and processing procedures for Turkish citizens, a longstanding concern for Ankara.
Migration remained another key topic, with both sides acknowledging common challenges arising from the current geopolitical landscape and its potential impact on population movements. They pledged to strengthen cooperation on border management and combating migrant smuggling.
The joint statement also highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation in trade, energy, transportation and digitalization within the broader regional connectivity agenda. The parties welcomed the gradual resumption of the European Investment Bank’s operations in Türkiye.
The officials agreed to reconvene before the end of the year for additional high-level dialogue meetings covering the economy, trade, migration and security, as well as health, science, innovation and agriculture, signaling a renewed effort to deepen engagement despite persistent differences over some political issues.
The delegation was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier on Tuesday and also held talks with other top officials, including Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.
Türkiye’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız, warned Tuesday that the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is facing unprecedented political attacks aimed at undermining its mandate, urging stronger international support for the organization.
Speaking at the General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee’s announcement of voluntary contributions to UNRWA, Yıldız said the agency continues to face both financial and political challenges despite its critical humanitarian role.
“For over 75 years, UNRWA has remained an indispensable pillar of stability, dignity, and hope, providing education, health care, food assistance, social services, emergency relief, shelter, and protection to nearly six million Palestinian refugees,” he said.
“Today, however, chronic financial shortfalls continue to undermine the agency’s ability to provide essential services. Simultaneously, UNRWA has come under unprecedented political pressure, including systematic campaigns to undermine its credibility, question its legitimacy and constrain its operations,” he added.
Established by the U.N. General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA continues to provide humanitarian assistance, education, health care and social services to Palestinian refugees across the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Yıldız praised UNRWA staff for their work under “extraordinarily difficult” circumstances and paid tribute to employees who have been killed while carrying out their duties.
The ambassador also condemned Israel’s actions against the agency, saying Türkiye denounces “Israel’s attacks on UNRWA personnel and premises, and obstructions to UNRWA’s activities in Gaza and occupied Palestinian territories.”
“These are blatant violations of international law,” he said, adding that Israel’s actions seek “to deprive Palestinian refugees of their right to return to their land.”
As chair of the Working Group on the Financing of UNRWA, Yıldız reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to helping secure the agency’s long-term financial sustainability.
“I am pleased to announce that we have already contributed $10 million to UNRWA for 2026,” he said.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi met with his Syrian counterpart, Anas Khattab, in Damascus on Tuesday for talks focused on security cooperation, public order and strengthening Syria’s institutional capacity.
The meeting at Tishreen Palace addressed cooperation between Türkiye and Syria in areas including security, policing, migration management and emergency response, according to officials.
Çiftçi and Khattab discussed the possible installation of electronic traffic monitoring systems, the expansion of license plate recognition and fingerprint identification technologies, improvements to passport and identity card production processes, and cooperation on security equipment.
The two ministers also reviewed possible cooperation on establishing a 112 emergency call and ambulance network, sharing experience in counter-narcotics efforts and training Syrian police officers.
The Turkish delegation included Gendarmerie General Commander Gen. Ali Çardakçı, National Police Chief and Governor Ali Fidan, Migration Management President Muhammed Selami Yazıcı and Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) President Ali Hamza Pehlivan.
The Syrian side was represented by Deputy Interior Minister Abdulqadir Tahan, Deputy Minister for Administrative and Financial Affairs Basim al-Mansour, Deputy Human Resources Minister Hussam Fattouh, Migration and Passport Department Director Osman Hilal and other officials.
The two ministries signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) after the completion of delegation-level talks.
Following his meeting with Khattab, Çiftçi was expected to hold talks with Emergency and Disaster Management Minister Raed al-Saleh and later be received by President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
The visit comes as part of Ankara-Damascus agenda to intensify contacts following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in 2024 and the formation of Syria’s new administration under al-Sharaa. The new Syrian leadership has sought to revive state institutions, restore basic services and expand cooperation with regional and international partners after years of civil war.
Türkiye has been among the countries most actively engaged with Damascus during the transition. Turkish officials have repeatedly said that Syria’s stability, territorial integrity and reconstruction are essential for the wider region, arguing that a stronger Syria would contribute to regional security and prosperity.
Ankara backed the Syrian opposition during the civil war and hosted millions of Syrians who fled the conflict. Since the end of Assad’s rule, Türkiye has signaled its readiness to support Syria’s recovery through institutional cooperation, technical assistance and training in several fields.
In recent months, officials from the two countries have held talks across a range of areas, including transportation, education, trade, migration, border security, disaster management and public services. The contacts are part of broader efforts to normalize working ties between the two neighbors and support Syria’s postwar reconstruction.
For Türkiye, cooperation with Syria also carries major domestic and regional significance. Ankara shares a long border with Syria and has long stressed the need to prevent instability and terrorist groups from threatening border security. Turkish officials have also said that improved conditions inside Syria are key to enabling the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Syrian refugees.
Türkiye’s highest appeals court has upheld multiple life sentences handed to three brothers convicted for their roles in the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt, finalizing one of the country’s most prominent cases involving members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) orchestrating the coup.
As the Sabah newspaper reported, the Court of Cassation approved convictions against former military officers Hasan, Hüseyin and Furkan Aslanbay, ruling that the sentences imposed by lower courts should stand.
According to court rulings, the three brothers served in different branches of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and participated in separate operations carried out by coup plotters on the night of July 15.
Former First Lt. Hasan Aslanbay was assigned to the Search and Rescue (MAK) unit based in Izmir and took part in the team that traveled to the southwestern resort of Marmaris, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had been staying before leaving shortly before the attack. Prosecutors said Hasan Aslanbay served as a machine gunner aboard a Sikorsky helicopter used during the operation.
He was convicted of violating the constitution, attempting to assassinate the president, and two counts of intentional killing. The court sentenced him to four aggravated life prison terms and upheld an additional 24-year prison sentence for offenses including unlawful deprivation of liberty and causing injury.
Former First Lt. Hüseyin Aslanbay was convicted of leading a team that raided the Moda Sea Club in Istanbul, where then-Air Force Commander Abidin Ünal and several senior military commanders were attending an event on the night of the coup attempt.
According to the court, Hüseyin Aslanbay was found guilty of unlawfully detaining the commanders and received an aggravated life sentence. He was also sentenced to a total of 120 years in prison on multiple counts of unlawful deprivation of liberty.
Former noncommissioned officer Furkan Aslanbay served in the Special Forces Command and was convicted for participating in the operation led by Brig. Gen. Semih Terzi, who was fatally shot by Sgt. Maj. Ömer Halisdemir after arriving at the command headquarters in Ankara during the coup attempt.
The court sentenced Furkan Aslanbay to aggravated life imprisonment for intentional killing and life imprisonment for attempting to overthrow the constitutional order. The Court of Cassation upheld both sentences.
Turkish authorities have previously said five brothers from the Aslanbay family had been placed in military schools and strategic positions through FETÖ’s alleged infiltration of state institutions. While Hasan, Hüseyin and Furkan were convicted over their roles in the coup attempt, two other brothers, Rıdvan and Enes Aslanbay, were dismissed from the military after the failed putsch.
The terrorist group orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 wounded. Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
On the other hand, Turkish police detained seven people, including five suspects wanted or under investigation for alleged links to the FETÖ, while they were allegedly attempting to cross the country’s western border illegally, authorities said Monday.
The suspects were stopped during a joint operation by intelligence, counterterrorism and anti-migrant smuggling units on the Keşan-İpsala highway in Edirne province near the Greek border.
Among those referred to court were a dismissed specialist from the Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM), a former chief auditor at the Court of Accounts, a dismissed gendarmerie officer and former teachers, authorities said.
Following questioning by prosecutors and their appearance before a court, six suspects were arrested pending trial, while judicial proceedings continued for the remaining suspect.
Türkiye and Kyrgyzstan will hold the seventh meeting of their Joint Strategic Planning Group in Ankara on Wednesday, with talks expected to focus on political ties, trade, energy, defense and regional developments.
The meeting will be co-chaired by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources.
During one-on-one and delegation-level talks, Fidan is expected to underline satisfaction with the current level of political relations and high-level contacts between the two countries.
Connectivity and logistics infrastructure, including the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor, will also be on the agenda. The ministers are expected to exchange views on regional and international issues, including developments related to Ukraine, Iran and Palestine.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides are expected to adopt a joint declaration and sign a cooperation program between their foreign ministries for 2026-2027.
Türkiye was the first country to recognize Kyrgyzstan’s independence on Dec. 16, 1991. The two countries established diplomatic relations on Jan. 29, 1992, and opened embassies in Ankara and Bishkek the same year. Türkiye was also the first country to open an embassy in Bishkek.
Relations were elevated from strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership during a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting co-chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek on Nov. 5, 2024. The two sides signed 19 agreements in areas including defense industry, economy, agriculture, health and trade.
Türkiye is Kyrgyzstan’s seventh-largest trade partner. Bilateral trade volume rose 6.3% in 2025 from the previous year to $1.645 billion.
Turkish direct investments in Kyrgyzstan reached $1.6 billion between 1995 and 2025, making Türkiye the country’s third-largest investor after China and Russia. Around 350 Turkish companies operate in Kyrgyzstan in sectors including mining, finance, tourism and construction.
Education is also a key area of cooperation. Since 1992, 4,676 Kyrgyz students have received scholarships to study in Türkiye.
Turkish authorities said Monday that 134 members of the PKK terrorist group have surrendered to security forces since the beginning of the year through government outreach and persuasion efforts.
The Interior Ministry noted the surrenders resulted from operations coordinated by the intelligence units of the Gendarmerie General Command and the National Police, together with the Police Department’s Counterterrorism Division.
According to the ministry, those who surrendered include two members listed in the group’s gray category and one listed in the yellow category, classifications used by Turkish authorities to rank the wanted.
The ministry said 115 of the surrendered suspects have been arrested pending trial, while 14 were released under judicial control measures. Judicial proceedings are continuing for the remaining five individuals.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry said security forces would continue operations against terrorist groups targeting Türkiye’s security and national unity.
Türkiye, the United States and the European Union have designated the PKK as a terrorist group. The PKK has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.
The PKK announced in October 2025 that it had started withdrawing from Türkiye as part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative, months after it began abandoning arms in northern Iraq.
The terror-free initiative launched by a government ally in 2024 has entered into a new phase: the withdrawal. In a ceremony in Iraq, the group made a statement about the process, with some members, reportedly those who left Türkiye for the withdrawal, in attendance.
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