Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday said he held an “open and honest” meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman as both sides discussed confidence-building steps and efforts to restart stalled Cyprus negotiations.

The meeting, which lasted about 90 minutes, took place at the residence of the head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Khassim Diagne.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Christodoulides said the leaders reviewed progress on confidence-building measures and agreed to provide guiding principles to their negotiators to help advance the process.

“We had an open and honest meeting,” he said, adding that broader substantive issues were also discussed.

Christodoulides said the two sides agreed to meet again soon to assess developments and determine whether further progress could be made toward resuming formal negotiations on the island’s future.

According to the Greek Cypriot leader, the talks included a detailed review of all confidence-building measures, including both areas of progress and points where delays have occurred. Issues related to crossing points between the two sides were also on the agenda.

He said the purpose of the contacts was to create momentum toward restarting comprehensive negotiations while preserving the framework established in previous United Nations efforts.

Christodoulides also said he has requested a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in March and plans to convene the Greek Cypriot National Council to brief political leaders and gather their views.

Christodoulides also noted that the principle of political equality between the two communities had been reaffirmed in line with recent U.N. discussions, as both sides explore ways to rebuild trust and move the long-stalled peace process forward.

The meeting comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to revive talks on the divided island. Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

The Greek Cypriot side is recognized as a political entity by most of the international community, while the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) pushes for recognition, with the support of Türkiye.

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The head of Türkiye’s parliamentary foreign affairs commission said Tuesday that growing energy trade between Armenia and Azerbaijan is paving the way for broader regional normalization, including improved ties between Ankara and Yerevan.

Fuat Oktay, chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission, made the remarks during an official visit to Baku, where he attended a trilateral meeting of the foreign affairs commissions of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Speaking to reporters, Oktay described Azerbaijan as a friendly country and a second homeland, and said the South Caucasus is undergoing rapid political and economic transformation. He pointed to the initialing of agreements related to the Zangezur corridor and what he referred to as the “Trump Corridor,” as well as steps toward normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Oil trade is taking place directly between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Oktay said. “This inevitably brings with it the start of a normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia.”

He reiterated that Ankara’s position has been that normalization with Armenia would move forward in parallel with a peace agreement and improved relations between Yerevan and Baku.

Türkiye and Armenia have already taken limited steps, including facilitating travel for holders of diplomatic passports and launching direct flights operated by Turkish Airlines (THY).

Oktay said Georgia plays a key role in regional connectivity, highlighting the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and overland transport routes linking Türkiye, Azerbaijan and the broader Turkic world. He expressed hope that expanded transport corridors would contribute to peace, prosperity and development across the region.

He added that reduced tensions could positively affect neighboring countries, including Iran and Russia, amid ongoing uncertainty fueled by the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S.-Iran tensions.

Oktay also noted that Türkiye aims to use parliamentary diplomacy alongside executive-level contacts to help lower regional tensions and support stability in the South Caucasus.

On Aug. 8, 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Washington under U.S. mediation and signed a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to ending decades of conflict. On the same occasion, the foreign ministers of both countries initialed a peace agreement, underscoring a shared determination to advance toward full normalization.

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Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry on Monday issued a joint statement with 20 countries and two regional organizations, warning that Israel’s latest decisions in the occupied West Bank further erode Palestinian rights and tighten Tel Aviv’s unlawful control over land internationally recognized as Palestinian territory.

The foreign ministers – representing Türkiye, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, France, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Luxembourg, Norway, Palestine, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden – said Israel’s reclassification of large areas as “state land” and its further expansion of illegal settlements reflect a pattern of decisions that undermine international law and worsen conditions on the ground.

The statement, also backed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the League of Arab States, said the moves advance “unacceptable de facto annexation,” complicating diplomatic efforts and eroding the viability of a future Palestinian state.

Ministers highlighted the approval and tendering of the E1 project as a particularly destabilizing step, arguing that it fragments Palestinian territory and further limits the prospects for a negotiated solution. They warned that ongoing policies risk locking in permanent changes to the legal and administrative status of the territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.

Citing mounting settler violence, the signatories urged Israel to halt attacks on Palestinians and ensure accountability, saying the escalation jeopardizes security and stability across the West Bank.

The ministers also called on Israel to immediately release tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority under the Paris Protocol, noting that the withheld funds have severely strained essential services in both Gaza and the West Bank.

With Ramadan underway, the statement underscored the need to preserve the historical and legal status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites and recognized the role of Hashemite custodianship. They warned that repeated violations risk igniting wider tensions.

The joint declaration reaffirmed support for a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines, saying only a sovereign and independent Palestinian state can deliver lasting peace and regional integration.

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Turkish security forces have detained a suspect accused of serving as a senior operative within the naval network of the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), authorities said Tuesday.

Bedrettin Günebakmaz, who was wanted on charges of membership in an armed terrorist organization, was arrested in an operation in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district carried out by counterterrorism police in coordination with the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and intelligence units, according to officials.

The Interior Ministry had listed Günebakmaz in the “yellow category” of its most-wanted terrorism suspects. Authorities allege he held a managerial role in the organization’s covert structure within the Naval Forces Command.

Investigators said technical and physical surveillance indicated that the suspect used the encrypted messaging application ByLock, had links to the now-defunct Bank Asya, and was connected to the group’s overseas network. Statements in the investigation file also identified him as a chemistry teacher who had contacts with military personnel in the northwestern city of Sakarya.

Police said the suspect had taken extensive measures to conceal his identity, including renting property under a false name, registering utilities in the names of others and keeping multiple hats, caps and glasses to avoid recognition by security cameras.

The suspect was taken into custody and transferred to police headquarters for further processing.

The terrorist group orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 were 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.

Türkiye has targeted its active members and sleeper cells nonstop, and its influence has been much reduced since 2016. However, the group maintains a vast network, including infiltrators suspected to be still operating within Turkish institutions.

FETÖ backers in army ranks and civil institutions have disguised their loyalty, as operations and investigations have indicated since the 2016 coup attempt. FETÖ is also implicated in a string of cases related to its alleged plots to imprison its critics, money laundering, fraud and forgery.

The terrorist group faces operations almost daily as investigators still try to unravel their massive network of infiltrators everywhere.

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Internal tensions within Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) escalated after a group of dissident figures held a closed-door meeting in Ankara, sharply criticizing the party leadership and signaling plans to expand their efforts.

According to a report in Turkish newspaper Sabah, citing party sources, 42 CHP members, including 13 sitting lawmakers and 13 former members of Parliament, gathered Sunday at a private location for a six-hour meeting that focused on the party’s direction and internal management. The meeting was attended by senior figures, including Istanbul Provincial Chair Gürsel Tekin.

Participants delivered strong criticism of the party headquarters, focusing on what sources described as three main areas of concern.

First, attendees voiced objections to what they see as the leadership’s blanket defense of individuals implicated in corruption investigations, calling instead for a process of “purification” within the party.

Second, the group expressed discomfort over what they described as the continued marginalization and exclusion of dissenting voices since 2023.

Third, participants criticized what they characterized as policies detached from the party’s institutional traditions and the country’s national agenda, along with what sources described as harsh or inappropriate messaging from party leader Özgür Özel.

Sources familiar with the meeting said the gathering was organized at the invitation of former Istanbul lawmaker Ali Özcan and was conducted independently of former party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. However, they said Kılıçdaroğlu would be given a detailed briefing on the discussions and conclusions.

The dissident bloc is expected to expand its activities. According to participants, more than 20 additional CHP lawmakers may attend the next meeting, on top of the 13 current MPs who were present on Sunday. Sources added that seven lawmakers had planned to attend but were unable to do so due to last-minute personal reasons.

The time and location of the next gathering have not yet been determined, but organizers indicated that such meetings would continue regularly.

The internal maneuvering comes ahead of a major party event scheduled for March 2 at CHP headquarters under the theme “Together with the Nation, at the Service of the Nation.” The program is expected to feature policy announcements and the introduction of a 350-person team presented as candidates to govern the country.

Party officials from across Türkiye, including provincial leaders and lawmakers, have been invited to attend. According to sources, Özel is expected to deliver an extended speech at the event in a format resembling that of a presidential candidate. A large group photo centered around the party leader is also planned.

Imamoğlu factor

The gathering also comes against the backdrop of continued political activity by Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who, according to sources within the party, maintains communication with members of a “shadow cabinet” structure through his legal representatives.

Members of the dissident camp argue that the leadership’s current strategy is to continue presenting Imamoğlu as a potential candidate and maintain a narrative of political pressure around him. They claim that once it becomes clear he cannot run, the party leadership may promote the idea that the party chair should become the natural presidential candidate.

The developments highlight growing factionalism within the CHP as it navigates internal power struggles and prepares for upcoming electoral challenges.

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The notorious al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria that once housed tens of thousands of women and children with alleged links to Daesh has been emptied after a government operation last month freed the area from the control of the YPG terrorist group, officials said Sunday.

Fadi al-Qassem, the Syrian Foreign Ministry representative for the al-Hol camp administration, said the final convoy left the camp Sunday morning.

Hundreds of residents have been transferred to the Akhtarin camp in Aleppo province in recent weeks and others have been repatriated to Iraq.

Officials have said the decision to empty the al-Hol camp was made because of its remote location in the desert, far from services and close to areas where the authorities do not have complete control of the territory.

The U.N. refugee agency said it assisted in the return of 191 Iraqi citizens from Syria’s al-Hol camp to Iraq Thursday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor, also reported that an unspecified number of residents “left the camp individually, without waiting for the organized convoys.”

After the defeat of Daesh in 2019, around 73,000 people were living at al-Hol, most of them Syrian and Iraqi citizens, but also including thousands from other countries. The camp’s residents are mostly women, including wives or widows of Daesh members, and their children.

Since then, the number has declined, with some countries repatriating their citizens, leaving about 24,000 as of last month.

According to the latest camp data obtained by Reuters, dated Jan. 19 – a day before the government took control of the camp – its population was ⁠6,639 ⁠families comprising 23,407 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, as well as 6,280 foreigners of more than 40 nationalities.

UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, said it had observed “a significant decrease in the number of residents in al-Hol camp in recent weeks,” adding in a statement to Reuters that there were no confirmed figures on the remaining population.

“Over the weekend, the camp administration advised UNHCR not to enter the camp due to the unrest and anxiety in the camp,” it added.

The camp’s residents were not technically prisoners and most had not been accused of crimes, but they had been held in de facto detention at the heavily guarded facility for years.

Last month, Syrian government forces captured the al-Hol camp in a weekslong offensive against the YPG terrorist group, which had been running the camp near the border with Iraq for a decade. A cease-fire deal has since ended the fighting.

During and after the fighting, many families are believed to have escaped from the camp.

A Syrian government security source said most people ​in the camp fled that day during a five-hour period when it was unguarded and that some had ​left with men who came to take their relatives to unknown destinations.

The security source and a source from a non-governmental organization working there said a section of the camp that housed ⁠its most ‌dangerous residents, ‌known as the annex, was empty.

The source added that the escapees had ⁠spread throughout Syria and that security authorities, working in cooperation ‌with international partners, had established a unit to “follow up on the matter and pursue those who are wanted.”

The fate of the similar but smaller Roj camp in northeastern Syria, which is still under YPG control, remains unclear. Most of the residents of that camp are foreigners, whose countries have largely refused to take them back.

Syrian authorities turned back a group of 34 Australian women and children on Feb. 16 after they left the Roj camp, headed toward Damascus to board a flight back to Australia. Australian authorities later said they would not repatriate the families.

A Syrian government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly said Sunday that the issue stemmed from “the lack of prior coordination with the Syrian government” by the YPG and families of the would-be returnees before attempting to send them to Damascus.

The official added that “whether they will be allowed (to return) will depend on the Australian government.”

On the other hand, Iraqi deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, and the U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack met Monday to discuss coordination and joint cooperation on combating terrorism.

Barrack expressed its appreciation for the important step taken by the Iraqi government in transferring Daesh members from detention centers abroad to Iraqi prisons, as part of strengthening Iraq’s sovereignty and fulfilling its legal responsibilities.

The minister affirmed that Iraq continues to communicate with several countries to transfer their citizens involved in terrorism cases to their countries of origin.

He also expressed appreciation for the Turkish government’s agreement to receive Turkish citizens among these individuals.

The agreement between the YPG and the Syrian Government was also discussed, with both sides affirming their support for this agreement and the need to adhere to its implementation, given its direct impact on strengthening security and stability in Syria.

Türkiye considers the Daesh terrorist group one of the biggest threats to the country’s security and peace, as the group faces nationwide raids, and was one of the first countries to declare it a terrorist group in 2013.

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) thwarted the terrorist group’s efforts for recruitment, obtaining funds and logistics support after its latest operation in the aftermath of a church shooting in Istanbul in January 2024.

Terrorists from Daesh and other groups, such as the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye.

US withdraws key base

The United States began withdrawing Monday from a major military base in northeastern Syria that remains under the control of YPG, according to a YPG official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to an AFP team, a convoy of dozens of trucks carrying armored vehicles and prefabricated structures was seen traveling along a road linking the Qasrak base in Hassakeh province to the Iraqi border.

The withdrawal follows the departure of American forces from two other bases in recent weeks, al-Tanf in southeastern Syria and Shadadi in the northeast, signaling a continued drawdown of the U.S. military footprint in the country.

Moreover, some U.S. media reports recently noted that the United States plans to withdraw all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria within the next two months.

Washington will end its presence in the country after the Syrian government extended its control over the country and the U.S.-backed YPG pledged to integrate into the state, according to reports.

Television network CBS also reported on the plan, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

The U.S. has drawn close to Syria’s new authorities since the fall of Bashar Assad in late 2024 and has transferred thousands of Daesh fighters from prisons to secure facilities in Iraq.