Politics
Türkiye’s Fidan joins counterparts in Egypt over US-Iran talks
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.
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.
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.
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.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday, with the two leaders discussing bilateral relations as well as regional and global developments, according to a statement from Türkiye’s Presidency.
During the meeting, Erdoğan emphasized the importance of deepening cooperation between Türkiye and Singapore, highlighting the strong potential for expanding ties across multiple sectors.
The president said Ankara would continue efforts to strengthen relations with Singapore in areas of mutual interest, underscoring the value of closer collaboration between the two countries.
The talks also covered regional and international issues, reflecting the growing importance of dialogue and cooperation amid ongoing global challenges.
Türkiye and Singapore have maintained steadily developing relations in recent years, with cooperation spanning trade, investment, defense, technology and education. The meeting reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to further enhancing bilateral engagement and exploring new avenues for partnership.
The ceremony took place at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Office, where Wong arrived as part of his visit to Türkiye.
Following the ceremony, Erdoğan and Wong held bilateral and delegation-level meetings.
Among those attending the talks were Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, Chief Adviser to the President on Security and Foreign Policy Akif Çağatay Kılıç, and Bilal Erdoğan, head of the board of trustees of the Ilim Yayma Foundation.
Turkish officials and policymakers warned Friday that climate change, water scarcity and food security are emerging as major national security challenges, calling for stronger cooperation and long-term planning to address growing environmental risks.
The remarks came during the Erciyes Summit, held under the theme “Climate, Water, Food and Security,” was organized at the Sabancı Cultural Center by the Büyük Sanat Foundation, Erciyes University, the Kayseri Governorship, the Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality and the Orta Anadolu Development Agency (ORAN).
Speaking at the opening session, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum said climate change is no longer solely an environmental issue but a challenge affecting economies, societies and national stability.
“Drought has become a global issue,” Kurum said, noting that declining water resources are affecting agricultural productivity, drinking water security and industrial output.
He warned that pressure on water resources directly affects food production and could ultimately create broader security concerns.
“When water weakens, production weakens. When production weakens, pressure on food supplies increases. As food pressure rises, social stability and public security are affected at their roots,” Kurum said.
He also highlighted preparations for the COP31 climate summit, which Türkiye is set to host in Antalya in November.
“We want COP31 to become more than a summit. We want it to be a climate mobilization where promises are transformed into projects and projects into concrete results on the ground,” Kurum said.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı stressed the importance of water management for ensuring food security and agricultural sustainability. Describing water as the foundation of life, Yumaklı said Türkiye has strengthened its water infrastructure and currently enjoys historically high reservoir levels.
“The active occupancy rate of our dams has reached 81.5%, which is a record level,” he underlined. “We currently have 26 billion cubic meters more water stored in our reservoirs.”
Yumaklı added that Türkiye aims to increase the share of closed-circuit irrigation systems from 38.5% to 45% by 2028 to improve efficiency and reduce water losses.
Parliamentary National Defense Committee Chair Hulusi Akar argued that water and food shortages should be viewed as national security concerns.
“Food and water crises are no longer merely environmental issues; they have become matters of national security and energy security,” Akar said.
He warned that food shortages could fuel instability and conflict, noting that hundreds of millions of people around the world continue to face hunger.
Akar also called for strategic agricultural planning and greater efforts to encourage younger generations to engage in farming, describing sustainable agriculture as a critical component of future resilience.
Deputy Industry and Technology Minister Oruç Baba Inan emphasized the importance of green and digital transformation in maintaining economic competitiveness while addressing environmental challenges.
He stressed that Türkiye is implementing programs to support sustainability-driven industrial growth, improve efficiency and promote local development.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has rejected the European Parliament’s controversial 2025 Türkiye Report, saying it ignores the inherent rights, sovereign will and current realities of the Turkish Cypriot people.
In a written statement released on late Thursday, the TRNC Foreign Ministry criticized the report, which was adopted by the European Parliament’s General Assembly on June 17.
“We completely reject the baseless accusations directed at our motherland Türkiye, as well as the assessments that disregard the inherent rights, sovereign will and existing realities of the Turkish Cypriot people on the island,” the ministry said.
The statement said the sections of the report concerning Cyprus once again revealed the European Union’s “biased and detached” approach to the Cyprus issue.
It stressed that the TRNC is a sovereign and independent state that continues to exist through its institutions, democratic structure and the free will of its people.
“The report’s description of the Turkish Cypriot people merely as a ‘legitimate community of the island,’ and its call on Türkiye to ‘open political space’ for Turkish Cypriots, clearly disregards the TRNC, which was founded through the democratic will of our people, as well as our people’s right to determine their own future,” the ministry said.
The statement said the EP’s continued attempt to impose a federation-based settlement model as the only option does not correspond to the political and practical realities on the island.
It added that reviving a negotiation model that has been exhausted due to the Greek Cypriot side’s uncompromising stance would not contribute to efforts to reach a settlement.
The ministry said a lasting and just agreement could only be achieved through the recognition of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.
It also rejected what it called “baseless claims” in the report regarding Akyar, Pile and Maraş, as well as property issues, missing persons, cultural heritage matters, buffer zone violations and Türkiye’s legitimate presence in Cyprus.
“All of these biased and unfounded assessments are entirely one-sided and null and void from our perspective,” the ministry said.
The ministry also criticized the report’s call for the European Commission to appoint a new special representative for Cyprus, calling the proposal “unwarranted.”
“It is not credible for the EU, which has ignored the fundamental rights of the Turkish Cypriot people for years, to claim that it can contribute to a settlement as a ‘neutral’ actor,” the statement said. “EU intervention will never be accepted.”
The statement said the EU had failed to fulfill its 2004 commitments to lift the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot people, while rewarding what it described as the uncompromising stance of the Greek Cypriot side.
It also criticized what it called attempts to obstruct the TRNC’s developing ties with the international community through the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
“These developments have once again revealed the EU’s biased position on the Cyprus issue,” the ministry said.
The TRNC called on EU institutions to abandon what it described as one-sided political approaches favoring the Greek Cypriot administration and instead adopt a constructive and balanced position based on the realities on the island.
The ministry said such an approach should respect the inherent rights, sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.
The statement added that the TRNC, in full harmony and solidarity with Türkiye, would continue to protect the sovereignty, security and welfare of its people.
It also said Turkish Cyprus would resolutely continue its struggle for the international recognition of its sovereign equality and equal international status.
The Cyprus issue has remained one of the world’s longest-running political disputes and continues to be a major point of tension between Türkiye and the EU.
The island has been divided between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots for decades despite repeated diplomatic efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement. The issue frequently resurfaces in regional geopolitics and in relations between Türkiye and European institutions.
The peace process has seen several on-and-off attempts in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland held under the auspices of the guarantor countries, Türkiye, Greece and the U.K.
The Greek Cypriot administration joined the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots rejected the U.N.-backed Annan Plan, which aimed to end the long-standing dispute.
Turkish Cyprus now supports a settlement based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two states on the island. The Greek Cypriot side, backed by the EU, continues to advocate a federation-based solution.
For Ankara and Turkish Cyprus, the EU’s stance has long been viewed as one of the key fault lines in Türkiye-EU and TRNC-EU relations. Turkish officials argue that Brussels has failed to adopt a balanced position, while using the Cyprus issue as political leverage against Türkiye and overlooking the rights and political will of the Turkish Cypriot people.
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