Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş will host parliamentarians from NATO member states on June 28-29 for the NATO Parliamentary Summit in Istanbul.

The event will precede the main NATO gathering on June 7-8 in Ankara, which will bring together heads of state and government from the alliance’s members.

Lawmakers from 32 countries, including Marcos Perestrello, chair of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, will be among the participants of the summit. The summit is being co-organized by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and provides a platform to exchange ideas between countries on the parliamentary level before July’s summit.

The Ottoman-era Dolmabahçe Palace will host the summit. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also expected to attend the event and deliver a speech. The participants will also visit the National Technology Center of Baykar, Türkiye’s top drone maker.

July’s summit in Ankara could redefine the alliance’s future as it confronts mounting security challenges, trans-Atlantic tensions and growing pressure to adapt to a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. It comes 22 years after Istanbul hosted a landmark NATO meeting widely regarded as a turning point in the alliance’s transformation from a collective defense organization into a broader global security actor. Officials, NATO representatives and international analysts have increasingly described the upcoming Ankara summit as a historic gathering that may shape what some observers call the alliance’s next phase of evolution.

The alliance has undergone profound changes shaped by a series of geopolitical crises, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, China’s growing global influence, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the emergence of hybrid and cyber threats.

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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan welcomed U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland but warned that resolving the differences between the two countries may take time, and Israel was “waiting” to undermine the deal to end the conflict.

Fidan was in Egypt over the weekend where he met Egyptian officials and attended a quadrilateral meeting with foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Sunday’s talks were focused on U.S.-Iran negotiations, which unfolded around the same time in Switzerland.

The minister said he held a phone call on Sunday with U.S. special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff on U.S.-Iran talks and the matter was the main topic of the quadrilateral meeting.

He told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the U.S. and Iran had 60 days to discuss certain matters for permanent peace.

Some of these issues to be discussed are also technical matters, particularly issues related to nuclear matters. Teams need to work on these issues. Teams also need to work on matters related to sanctions. A mechanism for preventing conflict needs to be established. All of these are somewhat technical issues. However, political will has been demonstrated on the important matters. We understand that. In the coming days, I believe they will overcome these problems through intensive efforts,” he said.

Fidan, in the meantime, urged caution about “two things” on the issue. “The issues (U.S. and Iran) are discussing are truly important issues. Resolving their details, the technical details, may not be easy. We may see bottlenecks from time to time. We need to be prepared for this. Secondly, of course, there is always Israel waiting in the corner, ready to try to sabotage the issues whenever it finds an opportunity,” he warned.

On his talks in Cairo, Fidan said that the past two days saw a very intensive round of diplomatic contacts.

“Yesterday, we held an important meeting. First, as soon as we arrived, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United States held an important discussion on Libya. While discussing Libya, we also had the opportunity to bring up other issues related to the Mediterranean. We were also able to raise some issues concerning Africa. There was a very good exchange of views among the four countries. There were discussions that led us to reach certain understandings on certain issues. Today, early in the morning, we were received by President Sissi. We had the opportunity to hear from him about the positive outcomes of the format we have created by coming together as these four countries. We also had the opportunity to convey our president’s messages and greetings to him. Later, as the foreign ministers of the four countries, we had a long working session here today,” he said.

“Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt and Pakistan, these four countries are truly major countries of the region, countries with capacity and responsibility. They have large populations, vast geographies and significant capabilities. Of course, taking ownership of the problems in our region, and for these four countries to assume responsibility for the region’s political, security-related and economic challenges, seek solutions, make regional efforts and mobilize international efforts toward resolving these issues, this is currently the greatest focus of the four countries,” he added.

Fidan said a pressing matter at hand was the future of a “post-war region.” He underlined that the region should not be forced to impose a vision influenced by outside forces.

“As countries of the region, we are working to put forward a vision within the framework of international cooperation,” he said.

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The Ukrainian navy said that a “large-scale fire” broke out on the Turkish cargo vessel Victress, which was Panama-flagged, following a drone strike by Russia on Monday. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said in a Telegram post that the strike on the vessel killed one of its crew.

Moscow and Kyiv have escalated attacks on each other in recent weeks, as US-led talks on ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II remain effectively frozen.

“A drone strike set fire to a vessel sailing under the Panama flag. A crew member was killed, a 58-year-old cook, a citizen of Egypt,” Kuleba wrote on Telegram. He said that eight sailors, including citizens of Türkiye and India, fled the attack on a life raft, and that the vessel “sustained significant damage and lost seaworthiness”.

“This incident once again demonstrates that the Russian Federation continues to violate the norms of international maritime law and to pose threats to civilian shipping,” the navy said in a Telegram post.

Russians also attacked vessels sailing under the flags of Palau and Belize, with no casualties, according to Kuleba.

Türkiye has been on alert against the spillover of Russia-Ukraine conflict in its territorial waters in Black Sea. In recent months, Türkiye intercepted several unmanned aerial and naval vehicles and discovered crashed drones near its shores. Turkish authorities have also demolished stray naval mines in Black Sea. The escalating spillover prompted Türkiye and other littoral countries of Black Sea set up a task force to demine the territorial waters.

Regional authorities in Ukraine separately reported on Monday that Russian attacks killed two people, one in a missile strike in the port city of Odesa and another in a drone attack in Zaporizhzhia in the country’s southeast.

“Three people have been wounded, another woman remains trapped in a burning house following an enemy attack on Zaporizhzhia,” Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration wrote on Telegram on Monday.

“Sadly, the death of the woman who was inside the house destroyed by the enemy drone has been confirmed,” Fedorov wrote in a later update. In Odesa, Ukraine’s emergency service said that Russian attacks set fire to an agricultural enterprise. “One person was killed as a result of yesterday’s missile strike on Odesa region’s civilian infrastructure. A further three people were wounded,” the emergency service said.

In Russia, aviation authorities briefly closed Moscow’s four airports on Monday after a flurry of drones were intercepted. Russia’s ministry of defence said on Monday morning that air defences destroyed 301 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight.

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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan joined his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Cairo at a meeting hosted by Egypt’s top diplomat, Badr Abdelatty. The meeting on Sunday came one day after Fidan’s arrival in the Egyptian capital, where he also held talks with Prince Faisal and Abdelatty on a Libya-themed meeting. Sunday’s talks focused on implementation of a deal between the United States and Iran.

Around the same hours, U.S. and Iranian delegations met in Switzerland. The ministers launched a discussion in Cairo over several topics, particularly regional developments and the way forward for implementation of a deal between Iran and the United States.

This is the fourth quadrilateral meeting of the countries. The first meeting was held in Riyadh on March 20 and was followed by another meeting in Islamabad. Fidan hosted the third meeting on April 17, in the southern Turkish city of Antalya. All meetings focused on the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict and ties between the four countries.

During his visit to Cairo, Fidan was also received by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Türkiye, along with Pakistan, is among the leading countries that mobilized diplomacy to end the conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

Top-level talks began in the Swiss mountain resort of Bürgenstock on Sunday between U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iranian representatives.

The talks were overshadowed by reports of further clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in Lebanon despite the cease-fire in the conflict.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry played down any high expectations from the talks. Speaking to state broadcaster IRIB, ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghai said there were no plans to extend them beyond a single day. Baghai said the talks would start with bilateral meetings between the Iranian representatives and the Pakistani and Qatari delegations, followed by a round with the U.S. delegation in the afternoon.

Working groups at the expert level were also planned, he said. These would deal with the release of blocked Iranian bank accounts and the possible easing of sanctions, he added.

Under the terms of the cease-fire between Washington and Tehran, a final agreement is to be reached within 60 days on Iran’s nuclear program.

However, the truce already appears to be vulnerable, with Iran’s military announcing on Saturday it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping in response to the cease-fire violations in Lebanon.

Trump meanwhile threatened to impose a U.S.-controlled transit fee in the key waterway if a deal is not achieved within the 60-day timeframe.

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Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Monday submitted a new judicial reform package to Parliament, proposing a series of measures aimed at accelerating court proceedings, reducing judicial workload and expanding the use of digital technologies in the legal system.

The bill, commonly referred to as the “12th Judicial Package,” was prepared within the framework of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Fourth Judicial Reform Strategy Document and contains 30 articles designed to improve the efficiency of the judiciary.

Speaking at a news conference in Parliament, AK Party Deputy Chair Muhammet Emin Akbaşoğlu said the proposal seeks to ensure that trials are completed within a reasonable time and to further strengthen public confidence in the justice system.

“The effective exercise of the right to seek justice is among the strongest pillars of a strong state,” Akbaşoğlu said, emphasizing that judicial reforms have remained a priority for the government since 2002.

Among the key provisions, the package introduces a rule limiting the interval between court hearings to a maximum of three months in most cases. It also expands the use of audio and video communication technologies in judicial proceedings, allowing preliminary hearings to be conducted remotely.

The proposal includes measures intended to simplify administrative court procedures and prevent cases from being delayed because of jurisdictional disputes between courts. It also broadens the scope of disputes that can be resolved by a single judge in administrative courts, particularly in cases involving students and public officials.

Akbaşoğlu noted that the reform would also make it easier for citizens to collect receivables from public institutions by requiring a written application and bank account information to be submitted before enforcement proceedings are initiated.

The package introduces changes to inheritance-related property sales, requiring the first auction in cases involving inherited real estate to be conducted among heirs before the property can be offered more broadly.

Another provision seeks to limit the unnecessary use of expert witnesses by making referrals to experts in matters that can be resolved through judges’ and prosecutors’ legal expertise subject to disciplinary sanctions.

The bill also amends regulations governing searches and seizures of computers and digital records during criminal investigations. Under the proposal, prosecutors would be able to order searches of digital devices in urgent circumstances, subject to judicial approval within 24 hours.

Digital data obtained during investigations would be stored as judicial evidence and, unless otherwise required, destroyed 15 years after a decision not to prosecute or after a final court ruling. Individuals would also have the right to request the deletion of stored data if the purpose of retaining it no longer exists.

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The irreversible split within the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) amid a legal gridlock is both the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning for Özgür Özel. Boasting a rare success for his party in the 2024 municipal elections, the former pharmacist who made his real foray into politics only in 2009 may finally have a party truly his own. The question now is whether he will be as popular as the chair of Türkiye’s oldest party.

Özel publicly vowed to stay in CHP until the very end and he was the “last man standing” when lawyers of reinstated Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu arrived at the party’s headquarters with an eviction notice and the company of police squads. As his supporters resisted the eviction by setting up barricades and spraying police with fire extinguishers, Özel emerged hours later from his office, leaving the building in a calm manner but with a grim face. He repeatedly called CHP “father’s abode,” an affectionate description for the family home in Anatolia.

He initially opposed the idea of forming a new party with his supporters, which allegedly outnumber those of Kılıçdaroğlu, but as his options are exhausting, he started voicing the idea more and more in recent days.

While Özel maintains that his primary objective remains a multi-front political and legal struggle within the CHP, he has openly admitted to advancing a “Plan Z” to ensure a backup political entity is fully prepared. Political pundits view this dual strategy not as a genuine effort to offer a fresh alternative to the electorate, but rather as a defensive maneuver by the sidelined leadership to secure their political survival, prevent complete liquidation, and maintain their grip on CHP voters who are more left-leaning than supporters of Kılıçdaroğlu. The rush to build a backup structure reflects growing desperation within the Özel camp as internal party organs slip back under old management.

To bypass the lengthy, rigorous bureaucratic demands and strict provincial organization thresholds required to register a new political party under Turkish law, Özel’s team is pursuing an opportunistic approach by targeting established smaller parties, though these talks of “merging” the Özel camp with existing parties are never openly confirmed.

Building a grassroots movement from the ground up is not a big challenge for Özel as he appears to have the support of “old-school” CHP figures, including former chairs and their associates. Yet, taking over an existing party is far more easier. One of them was the Democratic Left Party (DSP), which was founded by the late Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. Ecevit himself has left CHP to found DSP after a sharp disagreement with İsmet İnönü. DSP was back in the opposition after the death of Ecevit and allied with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). DSP’s chairman Önder Aksakal closed the door to CHP in recent remarks, saying that his party was “not a place where dirty politicians can be cleaned,” referring to vote-buying allegations that cost Özel his seat.

Switching to a new party with lawmakers supporting him would allow Özel to bypass regulatory delays and immediately field independent parliamentary lists or mount a presidential campaign in the event that the government calls a sudden, early election. Yet, the government and its ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), insist on holding the election in time, that is, the year 2028.

Compounding this backup planning, Özel has recently intensified his rhetoric, signaling that his patience with internal party mechanisms is nearing its end. In recent public statements, Özel openly acknowledged the mounting pressure from his supporters, stating, “The road has ended. I will ask the nation which way to go.” He noted a stark shift in public sentiment, claiming that while 90% of his supporters initially urged him never to leave the CHP, the ground reality has shifted to a 51-to-49 split between those telling him to “stay and fight” and those urging him to forge his own path. It is unclear whether this was his first intention all along and as Kılıçdaroğlu appears intent to remain in office, Özel may use this “public sentiment” excuse to justify a farewell to “father’s abode.”

In remarks to Birgün on Friday, Özel revealed the extent of his political calculations by explicitly removing himself from future presidential candidacy equations, a move critics describe as a tactical surrender disguised as a gesture for political stability. Özel has long touted former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu as CHP’s future presidential candidate and even opened a “presidential campaign office” for Imamoğlu as the latter languished in jail in pre-trial detention on charges of rampant corruption at the municipality. When Imamoğlu’s chances of leaving the prison any time soon dimmed, Özel at one point said he may run himself for future elections, before changing his mind. It is unclear whether Imamoğlu, who is also stripped of his university diploma (a requirement for presidential candidacy), will be eligible or out of prison to run in the election and Özel has no other name to readily nominate if he establishes a new party, other than himself.

As the Özel camp awaits a decisive ruling from the Supreme Court of Appeals on the absolute nullification case, which removed him from office, his loyalists are collecting signatures to force an extraordinary CHP congress as soon as possible, believing Özel will be elected once again as head of the party. Breaking away with CHP may bring in votes for Özel, but it can also clarify who really supported him and sustain the divide among the voter base of the main opposition.

In all cases, Özel’s political future is at risk. A loss to AK Party in the next election with a new party may shatter his image as a unifying force amid CHP voters disillusioned with Kılıçdaroğlu and decided to support him. A new party will also have to compete with others on the fringes of Turkish politics if Özel decides to create his own brand of politics inspired by CHP’s pillar principles. Without the institutional brand of CHP, Özel’s new party will have little difference from other opposition parties adhering to “social democrat” policies. DSP is among them.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s future

Kılıçdaroğlu will likely cling to his seat at CHP if Özel consents to found a new party. In this context, the new chair of CHP, who initially appeared unwilling to continue as the leader, may try his hand in politics again and even take the party to the presidential race in 2028.

Currently occupied with expulsion of the pro-Özel camp, Kılıçdaroğlu is also re-establishing a new administration comprised of former top figures of the party.

He hinted at the new direction of the party in a recent speech and in his tweets, where he adapted a political discourse almost too similar to the ruling party. The significant differences emerge, certainly, with AK Party but Kılıçdaroğlu seems to be trying too hard to deepen his political divide with “social democrats” of Özel, whose ideals are far closer to European liberal movements than Kılıçdaroğlu. Kılıçdaroğlu seems more closer to the “Eurasia” wing of Turkish politics in his new tenure, adapting a tone that is too nationalist for the taste of the Özel supporters. This new tone brought him closer to the Homeland Party of Doğu Perinçek, a politician advocating for Türkiye to align strictly with Russia and China. A recent meeting with Perinçek and an article he penned for a magazine associated with the Homeland Party show these may be the first signs of a new alliance between CHP and Homeland Party in the future. Homeland’s vote rate is too low, but pursuing alliances with other smaller parties as well can boost Kılıçdaroğlu’s CHP. This can even diminish the chances of an Özel-led new party in the next election.

Kılıçdaroğlu is unlikely to run for the presidency again if he stays at the helm of CHP and some media outlets suggest he may consider Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş for that position. He has announced Yavaş as his future vice president while campaigning for the 2023 general elections. Yavaş sided with Özel during the recent divide, but he never confirmed whether he would join Özel if he establishes a new party.

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