Politics
Türkiye urges Pakistan, Afghanistan to negotiate, calls for dialogue
Türkiye called on Pakistan and Afghanistan to return to the negotiation table regarding the recent tension between both sides, Turkish diplomatic sources said Friday.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a series of phone calls with several of his regional counterparts on Friday to discuss the recent tensions between Islamabad and Kabul and pledged to help facilitate both sides sitting at a negotiation table, sources said.
Fidan spoke separately with Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the sources said.
The conversations focused on the latest tensions and diplomatic developments between Pakistan and Afghanistan, amid heightened regional attention to security and political dynamics between the two neighbors.
Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged heavy cross-border fire on Thursday after Kabul launched retaliatory strikes against Pakistani military positions, prompting Islamabad to accuse the Afghan Taliban administration of “unprovoked action” and insisting its forces delivered an “immediate and effective response” across multiple sectors of the frontier.
Cross-border clashes intensified Thursday along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, with both sides reporting military operations and casualties in some of the most serious fighting since recent tensions began to escalate.
The airstrikes follow months of hostilities between the two countries. The last serious flare-up was in October, after which a fragile cease-fire brokered by Türkiye and Qatar was reached.
In November 2025, Istanbul hosted the third round of Afghan and Pakistani delegations for high-level talks on a cease-fire agreement between the two neighbors.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry had previously announced that the session would bring together senior officials from both countries to address the unresolved issues. Neither side, however, has disclosed who will be representing them in Istanbul, and the lack of clarity has raised questions about the effectiveness of the dialogue.
The two-day talks in Istanbul, mediated by Türkiye and Qatar, were the third round of peace negotiations that were viewed as one of the most significant diplomatic efforts between the two neighbors since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan 2021. Despite intense back-channel diplomacy, officials said discussions stalled late Friday without tangible progress.
Throughout the second round of negotiations, which took place last year, officials from both Kabul and Islamabad traded accusations of incompetence and inefficiency, further complicating the peace process.
The talks were marked by repeated deadlocks, though the two sides ultimately managed to agree on extending the cease-fire in place.
Syria has integrated about 9,000 former members of the U.S.-backed YPG forces into its national security institutions as part of a broader effort to unify the country’s armed forces, while appointing a former senior YPG official as a deputy defense minister, according to officials familiar with the process.
The integration marks one of the most significant steps in the implementation of an agreement between Damascus and the YPG aimed at dissolving the terrorist group into Syria’s state institutions following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.
Roughly 5,000 former YPG fighters have joined the Syrian Defense Ministry, while another 4,000 have been incorporated into the Interior Ministry, officials said. Non-Syrian foreign fighters previously affiliated with the YPG have been removed from the country as part of the restructuring process.
Syrian authorities describe the process as a gradual, reciprocal approach sometimes referred to as a “zipper model,” under which security, administrative and political measures advance simultaneously to build confidence between the two sides.
The military integration has accelerated in recent months, while negotiations continue over local governance, political representation, constitutional reforms and language rights for Kurdish communities.
On Jan. 16, the Syrian army launched an offensive against YPG-controlled areas in northeastern Syria. After days of the offensive, the YPG consented to sign a new deal with Damascus on integrating both “administrative” and “military” structures of the YPG to post-Assad Syria. The terrorist group agreed that Syrian security forces would be deployed in Hassakeh and Qamishli, two key areas occupied by the YPG.
The agreement, which entered into force on Feb. 2, also includes provisions for transferring control of oil fields and border crossings to the central government. Syrian officials say it guarantees civil and educational rights for Kurdish citizens and supports the return of displaced people to their homes.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said the government distinguishes between Syria’s Kurdish population and the YPG as an armed group.
“Kurds and the YPG are two different issues,” al-Sharaa said, adding that citizenship rights previously denied under the former government had been restored, cultural rights had been recognized and Nowruz had been declared an official public holiday.
Al-Sharaa acknowledged that implementation of previous agreements with the terrorist group had faced setbacks but said the latest arrangement rests on a stronger foundation.
“We must avoid every option that could drag Syrians into a new conflict,” he said. “Every solution that prevents confrontation is valuable.”
A source close to the Syrian government told Al-Arabiya that the YPG is expected to formally announce its dissolution, along with the dissolution of the self-administration it established in parts of the country’s north and northeast.
According to the source, officials are expected to make the announcement at a news conference, although a date has not yet been finalized. The conference is expected to take place in early August, pending final logistical arrangements.
The Syrian president also said Damascus is actively working toward a security agreement with Israel with support from several countries, while emphasizing that any future arrangement would not require Syria to relinquish its claim to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Türkiye, on the other hand, is a major supporter of post-Assad Syria and views the YPG as a threat to its own national security.
Ankara has hinted that it may resort to a military option in Syria as it did in the past to thwart the YPG’s ambitions, but repeatedly called for dialogue to resolve the dispute between the YPG and Damascus.
Türkiye’s main opposition-run Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) came under renewed criticism Tuesday after officials from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) said a dive in the Golden Horn revealed severe pollution, accusing the city administration of failing to preserve one of Istanbul’s most iconic waterways.
The event, organized by the AK Party’s Istanbul Environment and Urban Policies Directorate to mark World Nature Conservation Day, aimed to highlight pollution in the historic estuary.
Zakire Nurdoğan Yüzbaşıoğlu, AK Party’s Istanbul deputy provincial chair and head of its environment and urban policies unit, said visibility underwater was limited to about 30 centimeters, making it difficult for divers to navigate.
“I couldn’t even see the other divers,” Yüzbaşıoğlu remarked. “We encountered thick layers of mud on the seabed and had to hold hands for safety. The sludge was extremely dense and dark. It is impossible for marine life to survive under these conditions.”
She underlined that the Golden Horn requires another comprehensive dredging and environmental rehabilitation program to restore its ecosystem, urging authorities to increase water circulation in the inlet and remove accumulated sediment.
Recalling restoration projects carried out during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s tenure as Istanbul mayor in the 1990s, she noted the Golden Horn had once regained a cleaner environment but claimed unpleasant odors had returned, particularly during humid and rainy weather.
Moreover, AK Party Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality council member Özlem Erol also criticized Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s municipal cleaning operations during the event. She said several boats operated by ISTAÇ, the municipality’s waste management company, approached the diving area but did not conduct cleanup work.
Erol alleged the boats remained near the group without carrying out cleaning activities and said the municipality should maintain regular environmental operations in the Golden Horn.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan received U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Representative for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack in Ankara on Monday. Neither side commented on the content of the meeting, but media outlets quoting diplomatic sources said they discussed negotiations between Iran and the United States. Fidan is among the top diplomats working to bring the sides to the table to end their conflict. He held phone calls with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Sunday regarding the same matter.
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it was not currently involved in negotiations with the United States, despite a halt in recent fighting between the two sides.
“Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press briefing.
“Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are fabrications that the other side circulates from time to time,” he added.
Hostilities resumed between Iran and the United States earlier this month after diplomatic efforts collapsed amid an impasse over the Strait of Hormuz.
Fighting has nonetheless paused since early Saturday, following 13 days of exchanges of fire between the two sides.
Baqaei criticized the United States, saying its conduct in recent years has “resembled that of a mafia gang that adheres to no rules or laws.”
“So long as such behavior by the United States continues, we cannot be hopeful about the emergence of a reasonable process,” he added.
Iran insists on retaining control over the management of the Strait of Hormuz, including the collection of service fees, while keeping Oman involved as a coastal state.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have turned back multiple vessels in recent days, including six earlier on Monday, that attempted to transit the strait outside the route designated by Iran.
On Monday, Baqaei reiterated that Washington had nothing to do with recent talks with Oman over the administration of the Strait of Hormuz.
“These talks have no connection with the United States. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman, and they are continuing,” Baqaei said, adding that the waterway “remains closed.”
A high-profile campaign billboard promoting an Israeli prime ministerial candidate near Larnaca Airport has caused an outcry and political friction within the Greek Cypriot administration, according to local media reports.
The promotional displays for Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israel Defense Forces chief-of-staff and leader of Israel’s Yashar party, have prompted demands for an outright ban on third-country political advertising across the island’s Greek Cypriot-controlled areas.
The advertisements have been put up ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 general election, aimed directly at the soaring numbers of Israeli tourists and expatriates on the island.
One billboard greeting arrivals read, “Israelis, enjoy! You deserve it,” while a second sign placed along the return highway to the airport urges travelers to “Come back and win!”, reported the English-language daily, Cyprus Mail on Monday.
Eisenkot’s campaign headquarters confirmed to the Cyprus Mail that the billboards were an official strategy to mobilize Israeli voters vacationing abroad.
However, the unprecedented sight of foreign political propaganda has exposed growing public unease over the expanding footprint of Israeli capital, real estate buys, and businesses in southern coastal hubs like Larnaca and Limassol, the newspaper reported.
This photo was not taken in Israel, but in my country, Cyprus.
This time is political propaganda, but it is also becoming increasingly common to see billboards advertising real estate in Hebrew across the island.
This is simply not right. We must defend Cyprus’s sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/wGTBjC1Qaw
— Fidias Panayiotou (@Fidias0) July 26, 2026
Independent Member of the European Parliament Fidias Panayiotou spearheaded the political backlash, calling the development “particularly concerning” in a video broadcast on social media.
Panayiotou argued that the campaign demonstrates foreign political strategists now consider the concentration of Israeli nationals in southern Cyprus vast enough to justify overseas campaign spending.
“This is unacceptable,” Panayiotou said, proposing new legislation to ban third-country electioneering within government-controlled areas. He warned that safeguards are urgently needed to ensure foreign influence does not place Cyprus at a future “political or geostrategic disadvantage.”
Despite the political uproar, local authorities in the south admitted to a complete regulatory vacuum regarding foreign political displays.
The Greek Cypriot administration’s Interior Ministry said it has no legal framework under its competence to govern campaign advertisements, referring inquiries to the country’s Advertising Regulation Organisation (Caro).
Caro similarly acknowledged to the local media that commercial billboard content remains entirely at the discretion of private landowners and advertising firms, provided general codes are respected.
Too much water or none, the Turkish capital Ankara is challenged by the liquid that sustains life. All can be blamed on the municipality run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who has been a popular name in the party and splinter New Party (YP) as well.
Despite recent downpours that left streets across the city flooded, the municipality’s water utility Ankara Water and Sewage Administration (ASKI) increased the frequency of water shortages in the city, citing “water pump problems.”
This week, ASKI warned of “unplanned cuts” due to problems with the utility’s facilities in the Altındağ district, but soon the cuts expanded to other districts, from Yenimahalle to Etimesgut and Gölbaşı. The cuts primarily stem from the P10 pumping station of the grid, which also broke down on May 31, at that time due to fluctuations in the electric grid. As a matter of fact, it has been only seven weeks since the said station was renovated.
Locals speaking to the Sabah newspaper say the cuts have been continuing infrequently since winter, and the problems linked to low pressure in water supplies also led their water heaters to malfunction.
The Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) was under the spotlight in winter amid frequent water cuts in the districts of Mamak and Çankaya. Back then, the municipality blamed the government for cuts, linking them to the government not supplying water to the capital, while authorities responded that the municipality in fact was responsible for the delivery of water throughout the capital.
New Party Chairperson Özgür Özel acknowledged that they were broke but insisted that they may exceed 40% in any election.
Özel on Monday night gave his first televised interview since he announced the formation of the party last Friday to Halk TV, a network which historically aligned with Republican People’s Party (CHP), before Özel’s predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu took over in May.
“We left all the money in butlan,” Özel said, using the Turkish word for “absolute nullification” verdict by a court that paved the way for reinstatement of former CHP chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. “We have logistics needs, we need to pay the party’s staff. But we have no fundraising campaign. I advise all supporters not to fall for any fake campaigns. Follow our official social media accounts only to learn about any campaign,” he said. Devlet Bahçeli, leader of government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has earlier called for a regulation for access for YP to CHP funds provided by the government’s treasury to all political parties, arguing that the party, founded by former CHP lawmakers, was entitled to aid. Özel said they don’t want any cash from CHP but supported any such regulation.
Özel, who carried CHP to a rare victory in the 2024 municipal elections, months after he was elected as its chair, still believes that New Party can go further. “If New Party can explain itself to the public better, if we can meet people’s expectations and if people continue their support, we can exceed 40% of the vote in the next election,” he said, referring to the 2028 general election. Özel claimed they were now in a stronger position than where they had left the CHP.
“The New Party is the first party in Turkish political history to be founded as the main opposition. It is not a splinter party formed by people leaving another party in search of something else. It is actually a party built around an understanding, and around resistance and struggle against the coup that was carried out,” he stated. Özel also claimed that they would grow stronger, adding that more than 200 mayors of the CHP would join them. “Such a wave is coming that we can’t say, ‘Stop.’ There is an unprecedented level of desire and support in political history,” he confidently underlined. It is still unclear whether Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who was once viewed as CHP’s future presidential candidate, would join YP, but Özel said it was “enough for them as long as any mayor does not support butlan.”
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