Politics
Türkiye’s National Security Council moves beyond its troubled past
The National Security Council (NSC) is back in the spotlight, but not with the notorious image it once retained. The council, whose members include the president, vice president, ministers of justice, national defense, interior, foreign affairs, the Chief of General Staff and commanders of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), recently launched a series of conferences.
The conferences aim to expand the outreach of the council from ministers and commanders to other top officials. The NSC says the conference will help deepen the knowledge of administrators from different disciplines and institutions on matters regarding national security, expand their viewpoints and boost cooperation between different public institutions.
Eray Güçlüer, a staff member at Istanbul Altınbaş University and president of Eurasian Strategic Research Center (ASAM), recounted how the NSC in the past was simply a “tool” to advance the agenda of certain circles instead of the country’s security.
“The National Security Council was one of the most powerful tools used during the Feb. 28 era to allegedly legitimize the mentality of the Feb. 28 tutelage,” Güçlüer told Daily Sabah. The so-called “postmodern” coup of 1997 in Türkiye is known as the Feb. 28 coup, as that was the day when the NSC held a lengthy meeting and ultimately decided to issue a veiled ultimatum to the government. Soon after the meeting, the government collapsed, in another blow to Turkish democracy which already suffered from coups and military memoranda since 1960.
“Because the National Security Council is related to state security, all decisions made there that ran counter to this country’s values, beliefs and culture were framed as if they were decisions of the state, as if they were legitimate, and as if they were related to security. In doing so, a perception was created to use the NSC as a tool, a seemingly legitimate tool, at all times to establish and develop this process of tutelage in Türkiye,” Güçlüer said.
“In this manner, those with backward, obsolete mindsets and foreign-directed mentalities, who sought to generate leverage through tutelage, used the NSC as a springboard and a sphere of legitimacy for themselves,” he added.
Güçlüer stated that only after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched the processes to end the military tutelage in 2001, back when the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power, did the council manage to transform itself. “Today, the NSC has attained a position that solely contemplates the nation’s security, acts in harmony with the values of its society, and proceeds along a national line,” he said.
Recent council meetings demonstrate a focus on high-stakes, authentic national security priorities instead of, for instance, the threat of “reactionary forces,” an excuse used by plotters of the 1997 coup to clamp down on conservative citizens simply seeking to practice their faith while serving the public. In the realm of counterterrorism, the NSC has coordinated vital cross-border operations against the PKK, its Syrian wing YPG, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and Daesh. On regional geopolitics, the council formulated and/or reinforced the Blue Homeland maritime doctrine and managed critical energy security in the Eastern Mediterranean. Additionally, it tackles modern hybrid warfare by addressing state-level cyber threats, misinformation campaigns and intelligence coordination.
Mert H. Akgün, researcher in law and human rights at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), said a substantial number of challenges to modern democracies over the past century have stemmed from the efforts of military elites to intervene in civilian politics. “As part of this anti-democratic pursuit of power, military autonomy was carved out at the expense of elected governments in many countries. In Türkiye’s case, one of the most important pillars of that autonomy was the National Security Council,” he told Daily Sabah.
“The post-coup constitutions conceived of the NSC essentially as an instrument for overseeing the government. In line with this approach, the council functioned not as an advisory mechanism assisting the government on national security matters, but as a platform of military tutelage through which military elites held civilian politics to account and issued directives to elected governments under the rubric of “national security policy,” Akgün said.
“The 1961 Constitution, adopted in the aftermath of the May 27 military coup, elevated the NSC to constitutional status and increased the number of military members on the council. The 1982 Constitution, drafted by the perpetrators of the Sept. 12 coup (in 1980), went even further by giving the military a majority over civilian politicians within the council,” Akgün stated.
“It is telling that the council was referred to in certain periods as a ‘shadow cabinet.’ Time and again, the media and the public saw that real power rested with the military elite. Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, the council operated as part of a military oversight structure that supervised democratically elected governments on a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues from counterterrorism to the Cyprus question, from the European Union accession process to freedom of religion and worship,” Akgün also said.
The NSC’s transformation ran parallel with the resistance of the AK Party governments to a return to a past where elected leaders were forced to bow down to an all too powerful military that also enjoyed support from other organs of the state such as the judiciary, as well as the media. Since its first victory in the early 2000s, the AK Party governments have battled threats to shut down the party, a notorious e-memorandum issued by the Chief of General Staff, and most recently, a coup attempt by infiltrators of FETÖ in the army.
Akgün pointed out that many modern democracies have similar bodies established to assist the government on matters of national security. “In liberal democracies such as the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands, these councils are composed entirely of civilians. In the United States, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is not a member of the National Security Council but serves as its military adviser. In Spain, Greece and Italy, the chiefs of general staff are among the council members. It is also notable that the secretaries-general of national security councils are predominantly civilian bureaucrats,” Akgün said.
“While the principal function of these councils is defense policy, their agendas are not confined to purely military matters. In the U.S., the National Security Council’s agenda includes global climate change, international economic developments and pandemic threats. Likewise, in the U.K., the council’s remit covers issues such as development and energy security. The same holds true for Italy’s equivalent body, the Supreme Council of Defense,” Akgün said.
Akgün stated that the NSC was normalized through constitutional and legal reforms. “These reforms made clear that the council’s decisions were advisory in nature, opened the way for a civilian to be appointed as its secretary-general, and abolished the NSC’s authority over political matters and civilian institutions. Finally, the 2017 constitutional amendment removed the commander of the gendarmerie from the council. Through these steps, the NSC was transformed from a platform of military-civilian confrontation that repeatedly generated systemic problems into an institution focused on national and international security. Today, it is no longer a source of political crises but functions as a stabilizing mechanism in the face of multidimensional threats,” Akgün said.
Speaking at the inauguration of NSC conferences on June 9, President Erdoğan said the transformation of the NSC was one of the symbols of the “silent revolution in state administration.”
“I find it very valuable, not only for Turkish democracy but also for Türkiye’s national security, that our general secretariat has been freed from these tasks that distracted its attention and energy, allowing it to focus on its core duties. By making the best use of the advantages that (executive presidency system) has brought to our state administration and decision-making processes, we will, God willing, continue to add strength to Türkiye’s power,” Erdoğan said.
Turkish sources quoted by local media outlets confirmed on Friday that a defense pact was signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan departed for Saudi Arabia in the morning in a visit announced only hours ago.
The agreement between the three Muslim states brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia and nuclear power Pakistan as well as Türkiye, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a rapidly growing defense industry. It would increase cooperation and deterrence at a time of increased regional uncertainty and threats from the war in Iran.
“The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry and Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate said in identical statements.
“It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defense cooperation among the three States,” the statements said, adding that the agreement was called the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.”
Earlier, Turkish media reports said it is likely to allow joint military exercises and training, technology transfers and the sharing of intelligence.
Saudi Arabia, whose critical infrastructure and oil facilities have come under attack as part of the war in Iran, has been looking to diversify its defense partnerships. In September, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defense pact that also defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both. The agreement also comes amid rising tensions between Türkiye and Israel over Gaza and other regional conflicts, including the war in Iran and Lebanon.
A Turkish government official described the agreement as “purely defensive in nature,” saying the sides have pledged mutual support only for defense. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly, insisted that the deal is “not against any specific actor” and was open for other regional countries to join. The agreement does not abrogate or replace any bilateral or multilateral agreements between these states or with other states and organizations, the official added.
In Islamabad, defense analyst Abdullah Khan described the agreement as a natural evolution and formalization of decades of strategic ties among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye, saying a changing regional security environment and the evolving nature of warfare had increased the need for closer cooperation. Khan said the pact was “purely defensive” and not directed against any country, with collective deterrence intended to raise the cost of aggression and prevent conflict.
The analyst said three countries bring complementary strengths to the arrangement: Pakistan’s military experience and expertise in managing escalation, Saudi Arabia’s economic strength and regional influence, and Türkiye’s advanced defense technology and industrial capabilities. Sharif arrived on Thursday for a three-day visit accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Erdoğan traveled to Saudi Arabia on Friday. In addition to discussing ways to help defuse tensions between the United States and Iran, the three leaders were expected to explore expanding trade, economic ties and broader security cooperation, officials said. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that while Sharif’s visit took place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Gulf, it extends beyond the immediate crisis and is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and boosting coordination on regional and international issues. Pakistani officials said the pact meant that any attack against one of the parties to the agreement was an attack on all, which would prompt joint defensive action.
The three countries have been the subject of months of speculation about a possible strategic alliance.
Pakistan has sought to mediate efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war, while Türkiye has played a diplomatic role in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already announced a joint defense pact in 2025, a move that drew attention because Pakistan is the Muslim world’s only nuclear-equipped state.
The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has referred Ilkay Çiçek, the mayor of the western town of Menderes in the province of Izmir, to its disciplinary board, seeking his expulsion from the party. The party’s secretary-general, Rıfat Turuntay Nalbantoğlu, said in a social media post that Çiçek was facing disciplinary action because “his conduct and attitude did not comply with the party’s principles.” Çiçek was detained on Tuesday as part of an investigation into alleged corruption at the municipality, but it was his WhatsApp correspondence with a girlfriend that made him even more notorious.
The WhatsApp correspondence shows Çiçek telling his girlfriend that he was “walking cash” after she asked why he kept sending her photos of banknotes. “I got paid for whatever I do,” he says in one message. Çiçek then goes on to say that he was receiving “bribes left and right” and would not be caught because it was all done through “those two idiots,” he told his girlfriend, referring to two alleged associates who controlled the flow of bribes to the municipality.
Other messages between Çiçek and his girlfriend include one in which he writes that he is “too h…” and would “f… even my driver and staff.” Çiçek initially claimed the messages were AI-generated when portions of the correspondence first surfaced a few months ago. He later changed his account and instead complained about the “leak” of his “private conversations.”
Along with corruption allegations, the CHP was mired in scandals involving the same mayors involved in illicit affairs, like Çiçek, a married man. Özkan Yalım, the CHP’s mayor in the western province of Uşak, was caught in a hotel room with a mistress in Ankara when police officers stormed the location to nab the mayor in an operation against widespread corruption at the municipality a few months ago. Yalım was also expelled from the CHP after the anti-corruption operation and his other extramarital affairs, including recruiting and putting his mistresses on the payroll at the municipality, were exposed.
The new defense pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan does not target any country and is open to other regional nations seeking peace and stability, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday, positioning the agreement as a broader framework for regional security cooperation.
Erdoğan made the remarks after Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Joint Defense Agreement in Mecca, where he met Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The president traveled to Mecca at the invitation of Mohammed bin Salman for talks with the two leaders.
Erdoğan emphasized that the agreement, built around the principle of collective deterrence, should not be interpreted as an alliance directed against another state.
He said the pact remains open to the participation of “all brotherly countries” committed to promoting peace, prosperity and stability in the region.
The agreement also reaffirms the right to self-defense enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, Erdoğan said.
Under the pact, the three countries aim to deepen security and defense cooperation, develop joint defense industry projects and strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
Erdoğan said Türkiye would continue pursuing its vision of regional ownership while advocating the resolution of conflicts and crises through dialogue and diplomacy based on respect for international law.
He expressed hope that the talks in Mecca and the newly signed agreement would benefit the wider region.
The three countries have been the subject of months of speculation about a possible strategic alliance.
Pakistan has sought to mediate efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war, while Türkiye has played a diplomatic role in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already announced a joint defense pact in 2025, a move that drew attention because Pakistan is the Muslim world’s only nuclear-equipped state
Somalia on Friday hailed a new joint defense agreement signed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, calling the pact a landmark move to bolster collective security and deepen defense cooperation.
In a statement, the defense ministry said the agreement establishes a strategic partnership capable of addressing shared security challenges and advancing long-term defense cooperation among the three countries.
The ministry expressed confidence that the pact would make a significant contribution to regional peace and stability while reinforcing the principles of cooperation, solidarity and shared responsibility.
It added that the agreement would serve the interests of the region’s peoples and support international peace and security.
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed Friday following a summit in the Muslim holy city of Mecca attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The agreement between the three Muslim states brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia and nuclear power Pakistan as well as Türkiye, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a rapidly growing defense industry. It would increase cooperation and deterrence at a time of increased regional uncertainty and threats from the war in Iran.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday hailed the new joint defense agreement with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia as a historic step toward strengthening regional peace and security.
“Honoured to sign the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement alongside my dear brothers, HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and H.E. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,” Sharif said in a post on X.
He described Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan as “three brotherly nations, united by faith, friendship and a shared resolve for peace and security.”
Sharif expressed hope that the agreement “will remain a shield of peace for generations to come” and contribute to the prosperity of the three countries as well as the wider Muslim world.
He also praised Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, for his “untiring efforts and utmost dedication,” which he said contributed significantly to the conclusion of the defense agreement.
On Friday, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement at a trilateral summit in Mecca, pledging to strengthen collective security, deepen defense cooperation and promote peace and stability in the region and beyond.
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement was signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Shehbaz Sharif during the summit held at Al-Safa Palace.
According to information obtained from Turkish officials, the agreement is a defense-oriented cooperation arrangement that targets no country and is designed to strengthen commitments to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity through burden-sharing and a common security approach.
The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries shall be regarded as an attack against them all, the officials added.
The Interior Ministry announced on Friday that 104 suspects linked to the terrorist group Daesh had been detained in operations across 30 provinces.
The ministry said in a social media post that the operations were carried out by gendarmerie forces. The suspects are accused of financing the terrorist group through so-called charities they had established and of engaging in online Daesh propaganda.
“We continue our operations against the activities and financial networks of the Daesh terrorist group with determination to ensure our country’s peace and security,” the ministry said in a statement, congratulating the gendarmerie officers and prosecutors involved in the operations.
Türkiye has conducted sustained counterterrorism operations against Daesh for years, targeting the group’s members, facilitators and financial networks both domestically and across its borders. Turkish security forces regularly carry out nationwide raids to prevent attacks and dismantle the organization’s presence in the country.
Daesh remains a threat to Türkiye, which has lost dozens of citizens in attacks carried out by the group, particularly during the period when it was active in neighboring Iraq and Syria. The country has also sought to bring Turkish nationals affiliated with the terrorist group back from abroad.
In June, Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) captured Daesh operative Ahmet Kazancı, who was linked to Özgür Altun, another Turkish national captured by MIT in cooperation with Pakistan’s intelligence services in 2025.
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