Politics
Türkiye strives to avoid ‘fire’ as Erdoğan calls for common sense on war
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday reiterated his criticism of Israel over the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, while he reiterated Türkiye’s intention to keep the nation out of the conflict and pursue mediation efforts.
Addressing the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara, Erdoğan said that the war, in its second month, was escalating in terms of threats.
“Our priority is that our country should come out of this stormy period without any incident. We are determined to keep Türkiye out of the fire. We are not falling for the traps of the opposition and manage this process in a cautious, balanced and rational manner,” he said.
The opposition adopted a more hawkish tone in the early days of the war and mostly called for siding with Iran while sending mixed signals about the “regime change” in Iran. The government has avoided a firebrand or one-sided approach so far, despite Türkiye seeing four missiles entering its airspace since the war began on Feb. 28. Ankara has never been harsh in its discourse toward Iran, and the missiles were intercepted by NATO’s defense systems. Instead, Türkiye has been keen on playing the role of mediator as it did in the other conflicts in the region and beyond.
Erdoğan reminded that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan joined a quadrilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan to discuss steps to stop the war. He said Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın were also exerting efforts to that extent.
Stating that Türkiye’s stance is clear and that they consider it their duty to do whatever is necessary without hesitation to ensure peace prevails in the region, Erdoğan said: “If there is even an iota of hope for stopping the bloodshed, ending the tears, silencing the guns and resolving problems through diplomacy, it is our duty of honor to pursue it. Since the beginning of the war, Türkiye’s principled stance, attitude and the messages it has given to the world and the region have been the voice of humanity and conscience.”
He said that they sincerely desire an immediate end to the suffering of brotherly and friendly countries.
“Among the primary dangers awaiting our region is the risk of the war prolonging and turning into a regional civil conflict. Unfortunately, retaliations targeting energy, transportation and civilian infrastructure increase this possibility. The primary party responsible for this unlawful war, which not only turns our region into a place of fire but also places a very heavy economic burden on the shoulders of all humanity, is the Israeli government, which is addicted to conflict, chaos and crisis. Every development that causes the war to continue by opening new fronts will serve Israel’s bloody strategy and cause our region to lose. It must not be forgotten that every drop of blood shed in the war will be the ‘water of life’ that extends Netanyahu’s political lifespan.”
Expressing that a war with Iran clearly does not serve the vision of global peace, but instead sabotages and jeopardizes it, Erdoğan said diplomacy, dialogue and compromise were keys to overcoming it.
“Reason, conscience, international law, justice and equity require this. Our hope is for common sense to prevail, thereby opening the path to peace without further bloodshed,” he stated.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance, values or position of Daily Sabah. The newspaper provides space for diverse perspectives as part of its commitment to open and informed public discussion.
Maj. Murat Kalaç, who was on the wanted list of the Interior Ministry for his involvement in the July 15, 2016, coup attempt, was captured on Wednesday, security sources said.
Kalaç was on the run since the coup attempt, instigated by military officers linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), was quelled. Authorities earlier issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, who was stationed at the Gendarmerie General Command at the time of the coup attempt.
Authorities did not disclose where Kalaç was captured, but security sources said that the suspect had contacted someone to build a secret room in the location where he was captured, to avoid pursuit.
The major’s name came up in a case related to the coup attempt. An earlier indictment against Kalaç says he was a user of Bylock, an encrypted messaging app developed and exclusively used by FETÖ. He patrolled the gendarmerie headquarters on behalf of the putschists and refused to surrender to anti-putschist forces, locking himself in his room at the headquarters. He later managed to escape.
FETÖ thrived thanks to its widespread infiltration into key public institutions for decades. The terrorist group’s members managed to disguise themselves through secretive communication methods and by conspiring against those who detected their infiltration, through blackmail, sham trials organized by prosecutors linked to the group and other methods. Once he believed he had a sizable number of military infiltrators, the group’s leader, Fetullah Gülen, ordered them to stage another coup attempt on July 15, 2016. The coup attempt, this time carried out by military infiltrators of the group, spectacularly failed due to an unprecedented public resistance. Gülen died in 2024 before his expected extradition from the U.S., where he lived for years. In the aftermath of the coup attempt, Türkiye expanded its crackdown on the group.
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran on Wednesday strongly condemned a controversial bill passed in the Israeli Parliament that envisions the death penalty exclusively for Palestinians, calling it a grave violation of justice, human rights and the rule of law.
In a sharply worded statement, Duran described the measure as “an extension of genocidal policies against innocent people,” warning that it deepens discrimination, legitimizes collective punishment and reflects a dangerous escalation in Israel’s policies toward Palestinians.
He said the move marks a new phase in the systematic pressure and violence faced by the Palestinian people, exposing the extent of occupation policies and what he called a “racist and discriminatory mindset” incompatible with legal and humanitarian principles.
Duran urged the international community not to remain silent in the face of what he described as a clear violation of international law, stressing that defending justice, human rights and universal values is an urgent and unavoidable responsibility.
Reaffirming Türkiye’s stance, he said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the country will continue to stand with the oppressed and oppose injustice, adding that supporting the Palestinian cause remains a moral and humanitarian duty.
Israel’s controversial death penalty legislation drew international condemnation.
The law outlines that executions would be carried out by hanging, overseen by prison personnel assigned by the Israeli Prison Service, who would be granted both anonymity and legal protection.
It further stipulates that individuals sentenced to death would be held in designated high-security facilities, with visitation strictly limited to approved individuals. Access to legal counsel would also be restricted, with lawyer-client meetings conducted only via video link.
Under the proposed framework, courts would be able to hand down death sentences without a formal request from prosecutors, and decisions would not need to be unanimous, allowing verdicts to be reached by a simple majority.
The provisions would also extend to military courts handling cases involving Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, while giving the defense minister the authority to submit an opinion to the court before a ruling is made.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) held a consultation meeting with representatives of the Romani community on Wednesday in Ankara.
The party’s deputy chair, Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, told the representatives that the Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change worked on a comprehensive plan for urban transformation in neighborhoods heavily populated by the Romani community.
Türkiye’s ambitious urban transformation projects involve the construction of new residences and commercial spaces to replace decades-old, decrepit buildings at the risk of collapse. The underprivileged Romani community, the majority of members of which are impoverished and at risk of poverty, has been among the inhabitants of such buildings.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Kaya highlighted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s admiration for the Romani community and said they witnessed that the feelings were mutual. Erdoğan grew up in a working-class neighborhood of Istanbul with a large population of Romani citizens. She stated that they planned to hold a major event with the participation of Erdoğan on April 8, International Roma Day, but scrapped the plans due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Kaya stated that they aim to maintain a close dialogue with Romani citizens and Roma representatives within the ministry in the provinces. “We emphasize maintaining close dialogue and contact with you and producing solutions to your problems,” she said.
“Our Ministry of Environment has promised us a project, especially within the scope of urban transformation, aimed at the neighborhoods where our Romani brothers and sisters live. We will carry out our work,” she pledged.
Romani citizens have long been treated as second-class citizens in Türkiye, but affirmative action under the leadership of Erdoğan changed this state mindset. In 2016, Türkiye announced an action plan as part of the government’s Romani Initiative to improve the living conditions. The president, who attended Romani conventions that brought together representatives of the community, was also the first to apologize to the community in 2010 for the Turkish state’s past policies depriving the community of their rights.
Education and employment pose serious challenges to the Romani community, although their situation has improved with a string of projects in recent years. Most Romani citizens work at low-level positions and low-paying jobs due to their limited access to education. The government has worked to help them access better jobs with better social security and seeks to encourage participation in free vocational training courses where participants are automatically employed in public services and private companies once they complete the training.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) is pushing for an early election as the corruption cases pile up.
In remarks on Tuesday, the party’s leader, Özgür Özel, hinted at a new move for rescheduling the 2028 general elections. Though he did not elaborate, pro-CHP media outlets say the party may have several lawmakers resign to force Parliament to have an early election.
Özel has been vocal about his calls for an early vote as a court in Ankara handles a trial questioning the legitimacy of Özel’s leadership at Türkiye’s oldest party. On Wednesday, a new hearing was held in the trial over the CHP’s 38th Congress, which brought Özel to power in November 2023. Özel and his associates are accused of buying votes of delegates to oust then-Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The trial was postponed to May 6 amid media reports that the verdict will likely be an “absolute nullification” of the Özel administration.
Suspects testifying at Wednesday’s hearing rejected allegations that they either were paid by the close circle of Özel to vote for him or were scheming to offer gifts and cash to other delegates to sway their opinion of Özel. Testifying at the hearing, witness Veysi Uyanık, a delegate at the 2023 congress, said that the then Istanbul mayor, who was arrested last March on charges of corruption in a separate case, met him and other delegates before the congress, seeking their support for Özel. Uyanık said Özel had an election office in Ankara and his supporters were “handing out cash” to delegates. “I asked how much they pay, Özgür Karabat (one of the defendants in the case) told me that they would pay TL 100,000 ($2,250). Karabat’s chauffeur then gave me a ride to my hotel. They pulled a cache of free food coupons from the trunk and gave them to me. I later found out they were worth TL 1.5 million,” he said. Uyanık said he handed TL 20,000 to other delegates staying with him at the hotel after taking TL 100,000 from Karabat.
Mehmet Sevigen, a former lawmaker who testified at the hearing, said he heard reports of vote-buying at the congress and repeatedly warned the CHP administration to respond to the allegations. “But they did not answer,” he told the court.
If judges annul the 2023 congress where Özel was elected, the chairperson would be stripped of his mandate, and Kılıçdaroğlu, who led the party for more than a decade before narrowly losing to Özel, would automatically return as chair.
The CHP is already embattled with a series of corruption cases that saw its mayors detained or arrested on charges of widespread corruption. The party’s future presidential candidate, Ekrem Imamoğlu, is among them and faces a hefty prison term on charges of running a criminal network thriving on bribes and rigging public tenders, through collaboration between the municipal bureaucrats and businesspeople.
Since the corruption cases emerged, Özel has been more blunt on his calls for the early elections, apparently encouraged by an unprecedented success by his party in the 2024 municipal elections. Özel told a news conference in Ankara that he would seek a meeting with Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş in the coming days. “The speaker should declare his stance on an early election. We will make a significant move soon for an early election,” he sufficed to say.
Media outlets reported that the CHP would initially seek a by-election in Parliament. The Constitution allows a legislative by-election after 30 months have passed since the last general election and one year before the scheduled date of the next election. If vacant parliamentary seats are 30 or more, Parliament is mandated to declare a by-election. Unconfirmed reports say eight seats are already vacant, and if 22 CHP lawmakers resign, Parliament may decide on a by-election. However, the resignations will be only valid if Parliament’s General Assembly approves, where the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) retains a majority. Özel will likely seek to persuade Kurtulmuş to approve the resignations, media reports say. The government has repeatedly rejected calls for an early election, although the AK Party signalled that the 2028 election may be rescheduled, but only to the last months of 2027.
Özkan Yalım, mayor of the western city of Uşak, who was arrested earlier this week in a corruption probe, reportedly used municipal funds to pay for the staff of his private company, a report by the Sabah newspaper says.
The report published on Wednesday says Yalım, a mayor for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), forged the recruitment of the staff of a nightclub he owned as “municipal personnel” and paid them wages from the municipal budget. A secret eyewitness testifying against Yalım also claimed that Yalım received a luxury vehicle as a bribe for awarding a tender, and the said vehicle was allocated for the use of the CHP Chair Özgür Özel.
Yalım was arrested on March 27, on charges of bribery and tender rigging in a well-publicized police raid where he was photographed staying in a hotel room in the capital Ankara with his mistress. The CHP branded the arrest as politically motivated, but later suspended the mayor’s party membership. Along with Yalım, nine other suspects were arrested in the investigation into the corruption at the Uşak municipality.
The Sabah report says the investigation found out that people originally employed by a nightclub and a hotel were added to the municipality’s staff roster, and their insurance premiums were paid by the municipality while they were working at Yalım’s companies in reality.
A part of the investigation is based on a report by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), and it found that Yalım made huge payments to A.A., allegedly another mistress of the mayor, while the mayor’s former chauffeur told investigators that ownership of Yalım’s companies was transferred to him to avoid financial inspection. The Sabah report said Yalım was also involved in the collection of “donations” for a local sports club from businesspeople and the donations amounting to TL 250 million ($5.62 million) were not officially billed. Another accusation the mayor faces is asking for a bribe of TL 20 million from the city’s biggest mall, and when the mall owner rejected, the municipality sealed off the place.
Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson on Wednesday highlighted Ankara’s support for cease-fire and peace in the in the U.S.-Israel-Iran war as he slammed “unjust attacks.”
“We see a systematic action where civilian infrastructure is also targeted and this constitutes a crime. The right way forward now is ensuring cease-fire and setting up a negotiations table for peace,” Ömer Çelik told reporters after an executive committee meeting of the party chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara.
He stressed that the outlook in the war was “truly horrible” and the region faced a tremendous chaos.
Ankara has so far maintained a neutral stance in the war and has joined efforts to find a diplomatic solution. It has also shot down four missiles fired from Iran since last month. Tehran has denied targeting Türkiye deliberately and warned of false flag operations.
As part of NATO efforts to bolster the country’s air defenses, an additional Patriot missile defense system is to be deployed in the southern province of Adana.
Çelik also warned against attempts to “turn away the attention from Gaza” where Israel has continued daily violations of the ceasefire agreement in force since Oct. 10, 2025, killing 709 Palestinians and injuring 1,928 others.
The cease-fire was meant to end a two-year Israeli offensive on Gaza, which left more than 72,000 dead and 172,000 wounded, and caused massive destruction to 90% of civilian infrastructure.
Çelik underlined Türkiye’s condemnation of Israel’s ban on access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and “Zionist Israel’s attempt to copy what it did in Gaza in the West Bank and Lebanon.”
Israeli authorities also continue to bar Muslims from Friday prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, for the fourth consecutive week, keeping it closed since late February under emergency measures linked to the war with Iran.
Settler attacks in the West Bank have escalated in recent weeks, with eight Palestinians reportedly killed by occupier gunfire since late February, according to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.
About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in hundreds of settlements across the West Bank, including around 250,000 in East Jerusalem. Occupiers carry out frequent attacks on Palestinians that rights groups said aim to displace them forcibly.
Violent attacks have intensified across the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, encompassing killings, demolitions, displacement, and occupier expansion.
Israel has also been under fire since Knesset approved on Monday a controversial law imposing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners in a move widely condemned as “discriminatory” and “dehumanizing.”
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NATO headquarters statement from the Ministry of National Defense: Türkiye has the second largest army in the Alliance
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