Politics
Türkiye, Armenia sign bridge deal as VP makes historic visit
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz was in Yerevan on Monday to attend a European Political Community summit in the Armenian capital. His visit comes at a time of gradual normalization of ties between the two countries, which is also linked to a peace process between Armenia and Türkiye’s main ally, Azerbaijan. During the visit, Turkish and Armenian officials signed an agreement for the joint restoration of the Ani Bridge. The bridge, dated to the 10th century, is also known as the Silk Road Bridge and is located on the Arpaçay River in the eastern Turkish province of Kars, near the Turkish-Armenian border and near the eponymous archaeological site. It is regarded as the ancient Silk Road’s “gateway” to Anatolia.
The two countries reached an understanding in September 2025 for the restoration of the bridge and Monday’s signing sealed the deal. Ambassador Serdar Kılıç, special envoy of Türkiye for normalization with Armenia, and Armenia’s Ruben Rubinyan, signed the deal.
Yılmaz is the highest-ranking official since former President Abdullah Gül to visit Armenia. His visit is more significant though, as Yerevan and Ankara explore more ways to further cooperation and eventually, fully normalize their relations.
The vice president was welcomed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and joined heads of state and government for a family photo at the summit. More than 40 leaders are attending the summit, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On the sidelines of the meeting, Yılmaz met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store to discuss bilateral ties and areas of cooperation.
Yılmaz’s participation was singled out by Pashinyan as he hailed the visit during a speech at the summit while EU Council President Antonio Costa emphasized that the South Caucasus has entered a “transformative phase” following the normalization of relations between Armenia and Türkiye, alongside a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan Speaking at the summit, Costa highlighted growing momentum toward regional stability and cooperation. He said improved ties between Ankara and Yerevan, coupled with the Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement, are laying the foundation for a more integrated and connected region. “That agreement is a story of peace in Europe that must be celebrated, in a world where escalation and war seem to dominate. Thanks to this agreement and improved relations between Turkey and Armenia, the region has embarked on a transformative path,” he said, pointing to efforts to develop strategic industries, markets, transport corridors, digital networks and energy interconnections. According to Costa, these initiatives go beyond facilitating trade and movement, instead helping build trust among neighbors, create jobs and foster shared economic growth.
Since 2020, Türkiye and Armenia have held a string of talks at various levels to explore the way forward in relations. Most recently, delegations from the two sides met in Kars of eastern Türkiye to discuss the revival of a railway between the two neighbors. Earlier, direct passenger and cargo flights were launched mutually. Ankara and Yerevan also approved the opening of the Alican border crossing to citizens of third countries and diplomatic passport holders. Before Yılmaz’s visit, Pashinyan met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last June in Istanbul.
Azerbaijan-Armenia peace
The peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia is also crucial for progress in Turkish-Armenian normalization. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev was also present at the summit, although via videolink. He used the opportunity to criticize the European Parliament for “sabotaging” the peace process. Aliyev said the European Parliament had adopted 14 resolutions over the past five years containing offensive language directed at Baku. “This body, instead of supporting the peace process, is effectively engaged in sabotaging it. From May 2021 to April 30, 2026, the European Parliament has adopted 14 resolutions full of offensive wording against Azerbaijan. Just imagine – 14 resolutions in five years, a kind of obsession. And the latest one was adopted just four days ago,” Aliyev stated.
Aliyev said the Azerbaijani Parliament decided on May 1 to suspend cooperation with the European Parliament in all spheres and initiate procedures to terminate its membership in the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. On May 1, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned EU Ambassador to Baku Mariana Kuyuncic who was handed a protest note regarding the European Parliament resolution Supporting Democratic Resilience in Armenia. The ministry emphasized that the provisions of the resolution distort reality, contradict the principles of objectivity, as well as, the obligations to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. According to Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said the resolution distorted reality, contradicted the principles of objectivity and violated obligations to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, for his part, expressed hope that he would visit Azerbaijan in 2028 to participate in the next EPC summit.
“I hope that I will have the opportunity to visit Azerbaijan in 2028 for the EPC summit,” Pashinyan said during the gathering in Yerevan.
Pashinyan noted that Armenia and Azerbaijan had mutually supported each other’s candidacies to host future EPC summits.
Commenting on Aliyev’s remarks, he emphasized that it was the first time an Azerbaijani president had participated in an event held in Armenia, even if through videoconference.
He added that EPC summits have played an important role in facilitating contacts between the leaderships of Armenia and Türkiye.
“My first bilateral meeting with the Turkish president took place precisely on the sidelines of the first EPC summit in Prague. And now the Vice President of Türkiye is here to participate in the EPC summit and has become the first Turkish vice president to visit Armenia,” Pashinyan said.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Tuesday that Türkiye has been admitted to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a dialogue partner.
Fidan noted that only 11 countries had previously been granted this status by the bloc. The decision to accept Türkiye was taken in Manila, the Philippines, during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The three-day meeting opened on Tuesday with a focus on the U.S.-Israel-Iran war.
“Under the leadership of our esteemed President, we have achieved another significant milestone in our foreign policy, which is capable of taking a multidimensional view of the world and global developments while influencing the international agenda and the global system. This places Türkiye in the highest status within ASEAN after full membership. Following our application in 2024, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my fellow foreign ministers who supported our bid throughout the process, as well as to the Philippines, the current ASEAN chair, and the ASEAN Secretariat,” Fidan said in a social media post.
“This development is of great importance in enhancing our influence in the Asia-Pacific, the eastern pillar of our global diplomacy, advancing our long-term strategy toward the ASEAN region, and bringing our existing initiatives to fruition. Since laying the foundation of our institutional relations with ASEAN in 2010, we have expanded cooperation with ASEAN member states across all fields and increased our bilateral trade volume from $6.5 billion to $16 billion. With Dialogue Partner status, we believe our political and economic cooperation with the ASEAN region, home to nearly 700 million people and an economy worth more than $4 trillion, will deepen even further. I hope this new chapter will be beneficial for both our country and the ASEAN member states,” he added.
The Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB), run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), is setting records in the sale of its valuable assets and properties, rapidly depleting its resources, according to a report by the Sabah newspaper. Plots of land, shops and residences in prime locations are being put up for sale one after another.
The municipality, led by Mansur Yavaş, a popular figure in the party who was once regarded as a future presidential candidate, will launch a new tender on Thursday for the sale of several properties with a starting price of TL 1.3 billion ($28 million). With the latest tender, the municipality’s total real estate sales over the past seven years have exceeded TL 35 billion.
The rapid liquidation of public properties in sought-after districts such as Etimesgut, Çankaya, Altındağ and Mamak, along with the involvement of municipal subsidiaries in the process, has fueled criticism over what opponents describe as the municipality’s failure to improve public services despite the revenue generated from the sales.
According to the latest announcement by the Real Estate Branch Directorate of ABB’s Department of Real Estate and Expropriation, 11 more valuable municipal properties have been put up for sale.
When the real estate policy pursued by Mansur Yavaş since he took office in 2019 is examined through the figures, the scale of the process becomes clear. What began in 2019 with just three tenders has, by 2026, grown into 110 separate tenders, effectively becoming what critics describe as a “real estate liquidation.” Between 2019 and 2021, annual property sales averaged between TL 450 million and TL 570 million. In 2022, sales rose sharply to TL 1.4 billion. In 2023, they increased further to TL 6.5 billion before reaching a record TL 11 billion in 2024. In 2025, sales remained at approximately TL 10 billion.
Critics argue that how these enormous resources have been spent remains a major unanswered question.
The sale of municipal assets has not been limited to the main municipal budget; municipal subsidiaries have also become part of the process. In particular, through PORTAŞ Inc., which operates in the construction sector, hotels, commercial properties and land have been sold off rapidly. The total value of the properties sold by PORTAŞ has been reported to exceed TL 344 million. Critics argue that there is no corresponding major infrastructure or transportation project visible across Ankara that reflects this level of investment.
Under Yavaş (whose last name literally means “slow” in Turkish), the capital added few new metro lines, nor expanded the existing ones. Repeated delays on two major metro lines, cancelled public tenders and engineering issues add to mass transit woes of the capital, where the traffic congestion, though still far behind Istanbul, is worsening.
The municipality was also criticized by political opponents for almost regular water outages and low pressure in the water grid, something blamed on a lack of spending on infrastructure improvement.
Frequent flooding in the capital, which submerges underpasses and narrow streets, is also blamed on underwhelming investment in drainage systems.
Greece is accelerating efforts to strengthen its air force with Israeli-made weapons systems as the possibility of the U.S. resuming sales of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye raises concerns over the regional military balance, according to Israeli and Greek media reports.
The issue gained renewed attention after U.S. President Donald Trump said during this month’s NATO summit in Ankara that his administration would reconsider Türkiye’s return to the F-35 program. Ankara was removed from the program in 2019 after acquiring Russia’s S-400 air defense system.
Israeli business daily Globes, citing Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper, reported that Athens has moved into the final stage of certifying Israeli-made Rampage air-to-surface missiles and Spice precision-guided munitions for operational use on its F-16 fighter jets. Final certification is expected in the coming weeks, with live-fire testing scheduled for September.
According to the reports, Greek authorities decided to move ahead with integrating the systems before testing is completed, reflecting what analysts describe as growing concern over Türkiye’s potential acquisition of fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
The Rampage missile, jointly developed by Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Tomer, is designed to strike targets at ranges of roughly 150 to 250 kilometers and can be integrated onto multiple combat aircraft platforms.
Kathimerini also reported that the Trump administration is expected to decide in September on Greece’s request to modernize an additional 38 F-16 fighter jets. If approved, the estimated 1 billion euro ($1.14 billion) program would increase the number of Greece’s upgraded F-16s from 56 to 120.
Separately, Israel and Greece continue negotiations over the proposed “Achilles Shield” air defense project, valued at approximately 3 billion euros, according to Globes. The initiative envisions equipping Greece with a multilayered Israeli-made air defense network.
Greece and Israel have expanded military and defense cooperation in recent years, underpinned by close economic and diplomatic relations.
The two countries also operate a joint air training center in Greece and have held regular joint military exercises, reflecting a growing strategic partnership in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said Türkiye played a decisive diplomatic role in blocking U.S. and Israeli efforts to destabilize and partition Iran during the recent conflict, praising Ankara for maintaining a firm position throughout the crisis.
Speaking to Javad Moghouei during an online interview, Araghchi said Türkiye actively engaged with Washington and regional actors while opposing any attempt to fuel internal unrest or territorial fragmentation in Iran.
His remarks came as tensions between the United States and Iran continued following the collapse of the Islamabad agreement, which had previously helped reduce hostilities.
Araghchi said the risk of Iran’s fragmentation emerged during the early days of the conflict. Recalling events on the fourth day of the war, he said U.S. President Donald Trump contacted leaders in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The Iranian foreign minister said he subsequently spoke with Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Bafel Talabani and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, warning that Iran would respond to any threat originating from the Kurdish region.
He also said he held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan that same evening, describing Türkiye as a key diplomatic actor during the crisis.
“Türkiye played a very effective role. They held talks with the Americans and maintained a very firm position on this issue,” Araghchi noted. “These collective efforts prevented the plot to divide Iran and create internal unrest from succeeding.”
The conflict between the U.S. and Iran has flared up again, with the U.S. military concluding its ninth consecutive night of attacks on Iran early Monday. Iran has been responding with attacks on countries hosting U.S. military bases in the region.
The U.S. has targeted bridges, electrical facilities and other targets in Iran and Tehran has retaliated by hitting power and desalination plants in Kuwait, threatening daily life in that small, oil-rich desert nation.
Iran also has stepped up its threats to further expand the strikes, drawing a warning overnight from the United Arab Emirates.
Kuwait and Bahrain again activated air defenses Sunday morning as they warned of incoming Iranian drones and missiles.
Mossad’s plan
His comments echoed previous media reports claiming that Israel had sought U.S. backing for plans aimed at encouraging separatist unrest inside Iran during the opening phase of the conflict.
Araghchi also accused exiled Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, of supporting plans to partition the country during a visit to Israel. He alleged that Pahlavi proposed allowing border regions to be separated while seeking to rule the country’s center, although he did not provide evidence to support the claim.
Israeli media previously reported that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency proposed supporting armed Kurdish separatist groups in western Iran to increase pressure on Tehran. Those reports claimed the proposal was ultimately shelved by the White House following strong objections from Türkiye.
Separately, Araghchi described difficult negotiations with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, saying he reminded the American official that Iranian negotiators had continued diplomatic contacts despite facing the threat of military strikes.
“You cannot threaten us or buy us,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran would not back down under military or political pressure.
Meanwhile, reports from Russia suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his reported death during the conflict, could hold his first foreign contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia’s state-run TASS news agency cited an unnamed Iranian official as saying Moscow remained Tehran’s closest strategic partner. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was prepared to speak with Iran’s leadership whenever necessary.
Developments in field
Fighting between the United States and Iran continued over the weekend. U.S. Central Command said American forces targeted Iranian command centers, missile launch sites, drone facilities and communications infrastructure. Iran responded with strikes targeting locations in the Gulf region and what it described as an enemy command center in Syria.
The U.S. military also reported that one American service member was killed and another wounded in northern Iraq while attempting to safely dispose of an unexploded Iranian drone. Days earlier, two U.S. troops were killed, four were wounded and another was reported missing in Jordan.
Amid the escalating conflict, Reuters reported that mediators had proposed a 10-day pause in hostilities to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran, while assessments circulating within the Trump administration suggested U.S. munitions stockpiles had been strained by the prolonged fighting.
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said Monday efforts to resolve issues surrounding Türkiye’s Russian-made S-400 air defense system are continuing as Ankara seeks to rejoin the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet program.
In a written response to questions from lawmakers, Güler said Türkiye and the United States are pursuing solutions through dialogue amid improving bilateral ties.
The status of the S-400 system and Türkiye’s return to the F-35 program were also key topics during talks between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this month.
In 2019, the U.S. removed Türkiye from the F-35 program, where Ankara was also a production partner, following its purchase of the S-400 systems.
Washington claimed the system would endanger the jets and is incompatible with NATO systems, while Ankara repeatedly said there is no conflict between the two and proposed a commission to study the issue.
Speaking alongside Erdoğan, Trump said the time had come to remove sanctions that have strained relations between the two NATO allies.
“We’re going to lift the sanctions,” Trump said. “We don’t want to sanction our friends. I don’t want to choke my friend with sanctions.”
The sanctions were imposed under the U.S. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) over Türkiye’s purchase of the S-400s.
Güler said Ankara and Washington are working in a spirit of mutual understanding on issues that also involve third countries, an apparent reference to Russia.
“Our military and political relations with the United States are progressing with positive momentum, and we are seeking solutions through mutual understanding and cooperation,” he said.
He added that Türkiye’s defense planning continues to be shaped by current and future security threats, emphasizing that national defense plans are prepared with long-term strategic considerations in mind.
Authorities announced that Doruk Bulut, head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) branch in Istanbul’s Silivri district, was detained on Tuesday in a corruption investigation.
The investigation has focused on alleged corruption in Silivri Municipality. Bora Balcıoğlu, the CHP’s mayor of the district, was arrested last month on corruption charges.
Prosecutors said in a statement that the investigation that netted Bulut focused on alleged crimes including running a criminal organization, bribery, tender rigging and money laundering.
Based on the testimony of a suspect who collaborated with investigators, the probe found that Balcıoğlu had large sums of bribe money exchanged at various foreign exchange offices through his chief of staff, Aşkın Kaynar, and his driver, Serdar Tuna. It was also discovered that part of the laundered bribe money was sent directly to Bulut, according to a report by the Sabah newspaper on Tuesday.
The investigation, whose details were revealed by the Sabah newspaper, found that suspects in a criminal ring allegedly formed by the mayor and municipal staff were involved in several irregularities that caused losses of more than TL 21 million ($440,000) in municipal resources. The suspects are also accused of irregularities in staff recruitment, leasing procedures, zoning and permit approvals, and the sale of municipal properties.
Silivri is also home to a massive courthouse-prison complex where several CHP mayors, including former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, are held in custody following their arrests on corruption charges. Imamoğlu has faced a spate of trials, mostly stemming from corruption.
Dozens of CHP mayors and municipal bureaucrats have been detained or arrested over the past two years in investigations focusing on corruption. The majority of the allegations involve bribery in exchange for construction permits that are otherwise subject to strict regulations, as well as rigging lucrative municipal tenders.
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