Politics
Turkish UN envoy warns Islamophobia threatens social cohesion
Türkiye’s U.N. envoy on Monday warned that Islamophobia is spreading like an unchecked plague, cautioning that it is increasingly spreading at all levels of society and posing a growing threat to social cohesion.
“Across many regions today, hate crimes, racism, xenophobia and hostility against Islam have reached alarming levels,” Ahmet Yıldız said both on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and as chair of a U.N. General Assembly high-level event marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
Noting that “such acts contradict the fundamental principles of human dignity, equality, human rights and fundamental freedoms,” he said that beyond direct harm to targeted communities, Islamophobia undermines “social cohesion and poses a threat to democratic values, public order and peaceful coexistence.”
“Islamophobia continues to spread like an unchecked plague, poisoning all layers of society,” he stressed.
He noted that “Islamophobia is not a matter of legitimate criticism or intellectual debate,” and stated that “it is the expression of prejudice, discrimination and intolerance that violates the fundamental rights and dignity of Muslims.”
Pointing out the situation in the Gaza Strip and broader regional tensions, he said these developments “have contributed to one of the most profound crises the international community has faced in decades,” warning that the crises are also “fueling an alarming rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric.”
“Muslims are increasingly portrayed as outsiders, cultural threats or security risks,” Yıldız said. “Such narratives contribute to the dangerous normalization of prejudice in public discourse, and, even worse, to the dehumanization of Muslims.”
Also raising concern about rising anti-Semitism, he said that “hatred directed against any religious community is unacceptable” and that “all forms of hatred and discrimination, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, must firmly be rejected.”
On accountability, Yıldız called for better tracking of incidents, noting that “many incidents of hate crimes remain absent from official national and international records, as they are frequently categorized as ordinary criminal acts rather than manifestations of hatred and discrimination.”
He urged all nations to “adopt effective measures to prevent such acts and to ensure that perpetrators of hate crimes are held accountable.”
Türkiye on Monday criticized Israel for violating international law through illegal actions in Jerusalem and Lebanon, warning that recent steps risk further destabilizing an already fragile region.
In a statement, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran criticized Israel’s continued actions that threaten regional stability following the war in Gaza, pointing in particular to attempts to restrict worship at Al-Aqsa Mosque and the launch of a ground offensive in Lebanon.
Duran said efforts to obstruct worship at Al-Aqsa were unacceptable and represented a violation of international law as well as a disrespect toward both Muslims and humanity at large.
The statement also condemned Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon, warning that the operation risks escalating tensions and undermining the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Duran warned that such steps could intensify existing conflicts, further destabilize the already delicate balance in the Middle East and trigger a new humanitarian crisis.
He stressed that the international community must take a firm stance against actions that disregard legal principles and global norms in order to restore peace and stability in the region.
Under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Türkiye will continue to oppose attacks targeting holy sites, Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as any actions that threaten broader regional stability, Duran said.
On the 12th anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and following with “an illegitimate referendum,” Türkiye said Monday it does not recognize the situation on the peninsula, calling it “a violation of international law.”
“While strongly supporting Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, Türkiye will continue to closely monitor the situation on the Peninsula and keep it on the agenda, with particular attention to the situation of the Crimean Tatar Turks,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, a move widely viewed as illegal by the international community, including Türkiye and the U.N. General Assembly.
Annexation
Crimea became a focal point of tensions between Ukraine and Russia after the ouster of pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, following pro-Western protests that deepened divisions between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian factions. The unrest spread to the Crimean Peninsula as a new pro-Western administration came to power in Kyiv.
Around the same time, Russian military units already stationed in Crimea expanded their presence across cities on the peninsula, actions widely seen as violating agreements signed between Russia and Ukraine in 1997 and 2010 governing the basing of Russian forces there.
In February 2014, a pro-Russian crowd stormed the Crimean parliament, demanding a referendum on independence from Ukraine. The Crimean Tatar National Assembly, which supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, announced plans for a counter-rally against pro-Russian groups advocating the vote. Large demonstrations by both sides took place on Feb. 26, 2014, with more than 7,000 activists, mostly Crimean Tatars, gathering to oppose secession. Two people died in clashes during the confrontation, and the referendum was temporarily postponed.
A day later, armed pro-Russian personnel known as “little green men,” so named for their uniforms without insignia, began seizing key government buildings and soon took control of the regional parliament. Reports widely suggested the forces were Russian troops operating without official markings, though this was never formally confirmed at the time. While under the control of these forces, the parliament reconvened on March 6 and scheduled the referendum for March 16.
In the days leading up to the vote, pro-Russian authorities launched a campaign targeting pro-Ukrainian groups, particularly Crimean Tatars. Crimean Tatar leaders called for a boycott of the referendum, but the vote went ahead and produced a result favoring union with Russia.
The U.N. General Assembly later declared the referendum invalid, and most U.N. member states, including Türkiye, rejected Russia’s claim to the peninsula. Moscow nonetheless proceeded with the annexation. Five days after the vote, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree formally incorporating Crimea into the Russian Federation and establishing new federal entities.
The annexation brought increased pressure on Crimean Tatars, a Turkic Muslim community Indigenous to the peninsula. Authorities cited the Feb. 26 clashes as justification for arrests and investigations targeting Tatar leaders and activists. The Crimean Tatar National Assembly was later banned after being labeled an extremist organization. Activists say some detainees died in custody or reported torture in Russian prisons, while several others were allegedly abducted by pro-Russian forces.
Crimea again became strategically significant after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, using the peninsula as a staging ground for military operations. Russian forces also seized parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions while maintaining control over areas of Donetsk and Luhansk held by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
Ukraine has since carried out strikes on military targets in Crimea using missiles and unmanned sea and aerial vehicles supplied by Western allies. British-French Storm Shadow missiles have been used to target Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and shipyard facilities in Sevastopol, damaging several warships. Ukrainian amphibious units have also conducted limited raids on the peninsula. According to Ukrainian officials, these attacks forced Russia to relocate some Black Sea Fleet vessels to the port of Novorossiysk.
Russia also organized referendums in other occupied Ukrainian regions. On Sept. 30, 2022, Putin signed decrees annexing Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Together with Crimea, the move effectively added about 15% of Ukraine’s territory to Russia and helped establish a land corridor linking the Donbas region with Crimea.
Türkiye’s bond
NATO member Türkiye has balanced ties with Kyiv and Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has maintained good ties with both, supporting Ukraine militarily and backing its territorial integrity while refusing to join sanctions on Russia.
Türkiye traces its relations with Crimea to the 15th century, when the Turkic Crimean Khanate accepted the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. Close relations continued for centuries, at least until the Russo-Turkish War of the 18th century. The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (Kuchuk-Kainarji), which marked the end of the war, also ended Crimea’s alignment with the Ottoman Empire. Shortly after the signing of the treaty, Russia annexed the peninsula.
The fifth day of hearings in the sweeping corruption case against Istanbul’s suspended mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, ended abruptly Monday after a dispute over courtroom seating escalated into disruptions involving opposition lawmakers and defense lawyers.
The hearing at the Marmara Prison and Courthouse Complex in Istanbul’s Silivri district lasted only minutes before the presiding judge suspended proceedings following heated arguments over where several lawyers and political figures were allowed to sit.
After an hourlong break, the judicial panel did not return to the courtroom. A court officer later informed lawyers that the session had been postponed until Tuesday.
The trial involves 407 defendants, including 107 who remain in detention, and centers on allegations of a wide-ranging corruption network linked to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). Prosecutors accuse Imamoğlu of leading a criminal organization that orchestrated bribery, bid-rigging and fraud schemes tied to municipal contracts.
Monday’s session had been expected to continue with the defense of detainee Ümit Polat’s legal team, followed by statements from several other defendants, including Ağaç Inc. employee Fatih Yağcı and business figures Ali Üner and Evren Şirolu.
Instead, tensions erupted before proceedings fully began.
Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Turan Taşkın Özer entered the courtroom wearing a lawyer’s robe and said he was attending in his capacity as a legal professional. Gendarmerie officers instructed him to move to the public gallery, saying he was not registered as a defense attorney in the case.
Özer refused, arguing that he had come as a lawyer and had the right to remain in the defense section of the courtroom.
The dispute continued as the panel entered the chamber. The presiding judge ordered lawyers without formal authorization in the case to sit in the spectator section, but several remained in the defense area.
As arguments intensified, the judge announced a recess and ordered the defendants temporarily removed from the courtroom.
Another CHP lawmaker, Mahmut Tanal, further heightened tensions by removing a handcuff used to secure a barrier separating the press and spectators, further disrupting the proceedings.
The confrontation forced the court to suspend the hearing shortly after it began. About an hour later, a court clerk returned to the courtroom and announced that the session would resume the following day.
Security around the courthouse had already been tightened before Monday’s hearing following disruptions during earlier sessions. Authorities set up checkpoints roughly 500 meters from the prison complex, stopping vehicles and restricting access to the courthouse area. Only journalists carrying official press accreditation were allowed into the building.
The trial marks the second week of hearings in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest corruption investigations involving a Turkish municipality.
The indictment, completed in November 2025, spans more than 3,800 pages and accuses Imamoğlu and dozens of municipal officials, business figures and associates of participating in an organized network that allegedly manipulated public tenders and siphoned off large sums from municipal projects.
Prosecutors say the alleged scheme caused public losses totaling around TL 161 billion ($3.6 billion) through 143 acts involving bribery, fraud and other offenses.
Imamoğlu, who was removed from office and jailed pending trial, is described in the indictment as the “leader of a criminal organization for profit.” The charges against him include forming and leading a criminal organization, bribery, bid-rigging, fraud against public institutions, laundering criminal proceeds and illegally obtaining and distributing personal data.
If convicted on all counts linked to 142 alleged acts, he could face prison sentences ranging from about 828 years to more than 2,300 years.
Imamoğlu and his main opposition party deny the accusations.
The court began hearing the case on March 9 and has been taking testimony from detained defendants. During the first week of proceedings, suspects including former officials and municipal employees presented their defenses before the court.
According to the defense schedule prepared by the court, hearings are expected to continue with statements from additional defendants connected to allegations involving the municipal company Ağaç Inc. once the trial resumes.
Proceedings will pause later this week due to the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Despite Monday’s brief session, the case is expected to stretch over months as judges hear testimony from hundreds of suspects and examine evidence tied to the sprawling investigation into alleged corruption within the municipality.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday hailed ties with Türkiye as an “absolutely new type of interstate interaction” built on equality, respect for sovereignty and mutual consideration of fundamental interests.
In a statement marking the 105th anniversary of the signing of the 1921 Moscow Treaty between Russia and Türkiye, the ministry said the agreement can be called “a true cornerstone in the foundation of Russian-Turkish relations.”
“Proclaiming in its preamble the principles of ‘the brotherhood of nations and the right of peoples to self-determination,’ the Treaty marked a decisive break with the policy of imperialist claims of the past and laid the foundations for a completely new type of interstate interaction based on equality, respect for sovereignty, and consideration of each other’s fundamental interests,” the ministry said.
It emphasized that these principles, laid down more than a century ago, retained their “creative energy” and further developed in modern realities.
“The political dialogue at the highest levels is confidential and intensive,” it noted.
Adherence to the spirit of the 1921 Moscow Treaty is the key to the further progressive development of relations between the two countries in the interests of the well-being and prosperity of their peoples, it said.
“A bloodthirsty network continues striking schools and hospitals in Iran and Lebanon as it did in Gaza,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at an event held for the March 14 Medicine Day at Istanbul University’s Faculty of Medicine. Erdoğan’s remarks were a continuation of his relentless criticism of Israel’s “genocidal regime,” whose attacks claimed tens of thousands of lives since October 2023.
Speaking about the escalating regional tensions, Erdoğan said Türkiye stands among the countries advocating reason, dialogue and diplomacy.
“Against this state of madness, Türkiye is among the leading countries defending humanity, advocating reason, and seeking solutions to crises through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.
Referring to the humanitarian toll of the conflict in Gaza, Erdoğan said the world has witnessed scenes where human life is disregarded and civilians, including babies in incubators and children sent to school with smiles, have been killed in bombings. He said during the Gaza war, doctors, nurses and other health care workers were also targeted, with nearly 1,700 health care personnel killed as a result of Israel’s “state terror.”
Regional tensions have flared since Israel and the U.S. launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and more than 150 children at a girls’ elementary school. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “U.S. military assets.”
Erdoğan said Türkiye’s approach to regional developments is guided by humanitarian values and justice rather than geopolitical or economic interests.
“We will maintain our humanitarian stance that looks at events not through the value of oil, gold, natural gas or minerals, but through the lens of justice, compassion, mercy and human dignity,” he said.
Speaking about the value of human life, Erdoğan also cited Verse 32 of Surah Al-Ma’idah in the Quran, which states that saving a life is akin to saving all humanity.
He emphasized that Türkiye’s governing philosophy places the protection of human life at its core, recalling the principle, “Let the people live so that the state may live.”
The Israeli military recently warned that it may strike ambulances and medical facilities in Lebanon, which it said were being used “unlawfully” by Hezbollah, though it did not provide evidence for the claim. A Hezbollah official said that the group was not using ambulances and medical facilities for military purposes.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request to provide evidence that Hezbollah was using medical facilities or ambulances “unlawfully.” At least 26 medics and first responders have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The Israeli military says it takes precautions to try to reduce any harm to civilians.
On Friday, Israeli aircraft dropped flyers over Beirut threatening to inflict damage on Lebanon similar to the devastation wrought on Gaza during Israel’s two-year war with Hamas. Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and its population killed and largely displaced.
During its genocidal campaign in Gaza, Israel launched numerous raids and attacks on hospitals, claiming they were being used by Hamas. Hamas has denied embedding among Gaza’s civilians.
Civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, are protected sites under international law. Both attacking hospitals and their use for military purposes are typically considered a breach of law, though they can lose their protected status under certain conditions.
The U.S.-Israel-Iran war has no prospects of ending any time soon, as Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan acknowledged that there was no serious initiative to resume negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, but he added that he believed Iran was open to back-channel talks.
The comments by Fidan to The Associated Press (AP) in an exclusive interview came as Ankara is striving to stay out of the widening war in the Middle East.
Ankara, which has good relations with both Washington and Tehran, had attempted to mediate a solution between them before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran two weeks ago, triggering the war.
“The conditions are not very much conducive” to diplomacy now, Fidan said. The Iranians “feel betrayed” because for a second time they were attacked while in active negotiations with the U.S. over their nuclear program, he said, but added, “I think they are open to any sensible back-channel diplomacy.”
Fidan served as Türkiye’s intelligence chief for more than a decade before being appointed foreign minister in 2023. In that role, he played a key part in shaping Türkiye’s policy in the Middle East, particularly toward Syria, Iraq and Iran.
Türkiye has maintained a neutral position in the war, criticizing both the U.S and Israeli strikes against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory actions against Gulf states that host U.S. bases. Fidan said he has been attempting to persuade the Iranians to halt those attacks.
Fidan said Türkiye’s top priority is to remain outside of the conflict, even after three missiles believed to come from Iran were intercepted over Türkiye by NATO defenses. Türkiye is a NATO member, and an air base in southern Türkiye is used by NATO forces, including U.S. troops.
Iranian officials have insisted that they did not fire at Türkiye, although the available data shows that the missiles came from Iran, the Turkish foreign minister said.
He ruled out a military response at this stage, saying that NATO’s defenses were effective and that Ankara’s “primary objective” is to stay out of the conflict.
“I know that we are being provoked and we will be provoked, but this is our objective,” he said. “We want to stay out of this war.”
Fidan, who has regular contact with Iranian officials, said he does not know the severity of the wounds suffered by Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in a strike earlier in the war, but that, “What we know is that he is alive and functioning.” Khamenei was appointed to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 during the war’s opening salvo. Fidan said “the process of electing a new leader and the medical conditions of the new leader, it created a gap” in Iran’s power structure, and “I think that gap has been filled by the high command of the Revolutionary Guards,” referring to the paramilitary force reporting to the Supreme Leader.
Before the conflict, Türkiye tried to avert a war by offering to host talks in Istanbul that would have brought the U.S., Iran and other regional countries together. Iran later opted for talks mediated by Oman, without the participation of regional actors and focusing solely on its nuclear program, talks that ultimately failed.
Fidan said that Iran had refused to discuss its missile program and the proxy armed groups it backs in the region, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and a group of Iraqi militias, both of which have now waded into the regional war.
Türkiye had proposed that “the Americans and the Iranians can discuss the nuclear issue fully, and we as regional countries can come together to discuss the other two with Iran” as part of an initiative to build trust within the region.
Türkiye and Israel have tense relations, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan becoming one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Türkiye has cut trade ties with Israel and frequently accuses Israel of committing genocide.
Since Israel launched its strikes on Iran, some have gone as far as to suggest that Türkiye could be the next target. Fidan dismissed that possibility, while acknowledging that the war in Iran gave Türkiye an increased incentive to step up its own production of weapons and air defenses.
“As long as Netanyahu is there, (Israel) will always identify somebody as an enemy,” he said. “Because they need it to advance their own agenda. If not Türkiye, they would name some other country in the region.”
He criticized Israel’s role elsewhere in the region, including in Syria, where both countries have strategic interests.
Türkiye has been a strong backer of the current government in Damascus, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Since the new Syrian government took power in December 2024, Israeli forces have seized control of a swathe of land in southern Syria and launched airstrikes on Syrian military facilities, wiping out much of the country’s arsenal. Israel has said its presence in Syria is meant to secure its border from attacks.
Israel after more land
“They are after not security, they are after more land,” Fidan said. “So as long as they don’t give up this idea, there will always be a war in the Middle East.”
Türkiye has also sought to play an active role in postwar Gaza. It has joined U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and has offered to supply troops for an international stabilization force in the battered enclave.
Fidan said it was important for Türkiye to join the Board of Peace, as an “opportunity” to stop the war, although “we are not under the illusion that the Board of Peace will address all the existing issues.”
Fidan said Türkiye has not received a request to contribute troops to the stabilization force, which he attributed to the Israeli opposition, but added, “I think the Americans are quietly trying to settle the issue with the Israelis to allow Türkiye to participate.”
Fidan said, however, that Türkiye’s priority was the establishment of an administration committee for Gaza, which is to be made up of 15 politically independent Palestinian administrators.
“We expect them to go into Gaza and start their work,” he said. “This has not started yet, so we need to start from somewhere.”
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