Türkiye on Wednesday strongly condemned the verbal and physical abuse by an Israeli minister against activists detained after Israel’s unlawful interception of the Global Sumud flotilla in international waters.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the Israeli minister, one of the “main actors” behind Israel’s genocide in Gaza, had once again openly exposed the “violent and barbaric mentality” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government before the world.

The ministry denounced Israel’s intervention against the flotilla and stressed that the aid convoy had been targeted unlawfully while sailing in international waters.

Türkiye also said diplomatic efforts were continuing in coordination with other countries to secure the immediate and safe release of detained Turkish citizens and other flotilla participants.

“All necessary initiatives are being undertaken together with the relevant countries for the immediate and safe release of our citizens and other flotilla participants,” the ministry said, adding that efforts were continuing “with determination” to achieve results as soon as possible.

The statement came after videos circulated showing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting detained activists following Israel’s interception of Gaza-bound aid vessels earlier this week.

European countries also condemned Ben-Gvir’s inhumane treatment of the activists.

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Türkiye on Wednesday called for stronger global cooperation and faster implementation of climate commitments as Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum outlined Ankara’s priorities for the upcoming COP31 climate summit during high-level talks in Copenhagen.

Speaking at the Copenhagen Climate Ministers Meeting, Kurum said the world must move beyond negotiating new frameworks and instead focus on translating existing climate targets into tangible national policies and investments.

“Today, the fundamental need is not to create new frameworks; it is to rapidly implement existing targets and produce concrete results,” Kurum said while chairing the “Building Resilience and Accelerating Adaptation” session. “That’s why we call it the ‘Implementation COP.’”

Türkiye is set to host the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP31, in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya in November under a joint framework with Australia. The summit is expected to focus heavily on climate adaptation, financing and implementation of commitments made under the Paris Agreement.

Kurum said climate change was no longer a distant threat but a reality directly affecting economies, infrastructure, food systems and daily life worldwide. He pointed to rising droughts, floods, wildfires and water shortages as evidence of mounting climate pressures, particularly in developing countries and vulnerable communities.

“Adaptation to climate change now centers not only on climate policies but also on development policies, economic planning and societal resilience,” he said.

The minister emphasized that adaptation investments also create economic opportunities by reducing losses, improving investment security and generating employment.

Recent international efforts, including the adaptation indicators agreed during COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and growing calls to expand climate financing, show that global momentum is shifting toward implementation, he added.

Kurum also highlighted initiatives such as the National Adaptation Plans Implementation Alliance as important mechanisms for delivering practical outcomes.

COP30 outcomes are expected to shape much of the Antalya agenda, especially discussions on climate finance, adaptation and the implementation of national climate plans.

Kurum identified three key priorities for COP31: implementing adaptation targets more effectively, increasing adaptation financing and strengthening coordination among governments, international institutions and private stakeholders.

“We must all work together to increase awareness,” he said. “As this awareness increases, governments and countries will not be able to remain indifferent to this demand.”

The Copenhagen meetings also focused on the “Global Implementation Accelerator” and the “1.5 Degree Belém Mission,” initiatives launched after COP30 to help countries translate emissions reduction and adaptation goals into practical national strategies.

Speaking during a separate COP Chairs briefing alongside COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago, Azerbaijan climate representative Mukhtar Babayev and Australian Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen, Kurum said the initiatives aimed to connect international targets with real-world implementation.

“The success of the Paris Agreement depends both on the decisions taken in negotiations and on our determination to translate them into national policies,” he said.

He described the Belém 1.5 Degree Mission as “a transparent and participatory meeting point where we can all contribute” toward strengthening national climate action plans and adaptation strategies.

Türkiye has increasingly positioned itself as a central actor in global climate diplomacy ahead of COP31, promoting themes such as resilience, sustainable urban transformation and practical implementation. Earlier this month, officials gathered in Hatay for a regional forum on resilient cities as part of the “Road to COP31” process.

The Copenhagen talks also came as the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Wednesday backing a landmark International Court of Justice opinion affirming that states have legal obligations to combat climate change.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told U.S. President Donald Trump during a phone call Wednesday that lasting stability in Syria would be a major gain for the entire region and reaffirmed Türkiye’s continued support for Damascus.

According to a statement made by Türkiye’s Presidential Communications Directorate, Erdoğan said Ankara would continue backing constructive diplomatic initiatives and viewed the extension of the regional cease-fire as a positive development.

The two leaders discussed Türkiye-U.S. relations along with regional and global developments, including Syria and Lebanon.

Erdoğan stressed that Türkiye’s support for Syria would continue uninterrupted and warned that further deterioration in Lebanon must be prevented.

The Turkish president also said preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara were ongoing and that Türkiye was making every effort to ensure the summit’s success.

During the call, Erdoğan conveyed condolences to Trump over the recent attack on a mosque in San Diego and reiterated Türkiye’s opposition to hate crimes targeting any religious group.

For his part, Trump later said he had a “very good” call with Erdoğan, adding that the ⁠pair ‌have ‌a very good relationship.

“Isn’t it nice to ⁠have relationships with some very ‌tough people? He’s a tough guy, and I have a relationship with ​him that nobody else has,” ⁠Trump said.

“He’s been, I think, very ⁠much of an ally. Some people doubt that, but I ⁠think he’s been ​a great ally.”

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Israel is considering shutting down its consulate in Istanbul, one of its oldest diplomatic missions, following a shooting near the building in April, according to an Israeli source speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday.

Israel’s Embassy in Ankara will remain open, but still shorn of diplomatic personnel after their evacuation in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas and the subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza that has killed at least 72,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, injured over 172,000 and caused massive destruction that affected 90% of civilian infrastructure.

Diplomats were likewise pulled from the Istanbul consulate, located in a business district of Türkiye’s largest city, with both institutions staffed with Turkish personnel since.

“The issue is under discussion; no decision has been made,” insisted the source, referring to plans to demolish the building housing the Istanbul consulate as part of earthquake preparation measures.

“Some argue these vacant premises, that belong to us, are costing us a lot of money,” the source said.

It comes after a shooting took place on April 7 near the building.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, while authorities blamed a “terrorist organization which exploits religion,” without giving further details.

Türkiye downgraded diplomatic representation with Israel following the outbreak of the Gaza war, recalling its ambassador and maintaining relations at the charge d’affaires level.

Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has regularly spoken out against Israel’s response and against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he has compared to Hitler and labelled a perpetrator of “genocide.”

Relations between Türkiye and Israel have experienced repeated periods of tension and normalization over the decades since Ankara’s recognition of Israel in 1949.

The two countries re-established diplomatic links in 2016 after a six-year hiatus from May 2010, when Israeli forces raided a “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” in international waters and killed nine activists, eight of them Turkish citizens, after storming the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara vessel.

The Israeli navy last Monday intercepted a new flotilla to deliver aid for Gaza, the third since Oct. 7, 2023, after setting sail from southern Türkiye last week.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan flew into the western city of Izmir on Thursday for the Distinguished Observer Day of Efes 2026, an international exercise where the Turkish Armed Forces showcased its abilities and the country’s defense industry demonstrated its latest locally made products.

In a speech there, Erdoğan praised the Turkish army as “an army of peace which won’t harm anyone but enemies.” He noted that Türkiye was one of the actors of a new era where new alliances are being shaped.

The exercise, named after the ancient city of Ephesus located in present-day Izmir, began on April 20 in the Doğanbey region of the city’s Seferihisar district, on the coast of the Aegean Sea, which was once a hotbed of tensions between Türkiye and Greece. It brought together 50 nations, from fellow members of NATO to Libya and Syria, the latter of which participated in the first multinational exercise since the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. It is the largest combined joint live-fire exercise of the country. Beyond it, it was an opportunity to display Türkiye’s local defense industry. The products of the booming industry, widely known across the world for its unmanned aerial vehicles, were on display in an exhibition ground next to the exercise venue. Autonomous drone swarms and carrier-launched unmanned combat vehicles were highlights of the exhibition, where officers of the countries joining the exercise admired Türkiye’s homegrown innovations.

At the center stage was Steel Dome, Türkiye’s multilayered air defense system. All elements of the system developed by Aselsan were prominently displayed at the exercise, overlooking the Aegean Sea on a thin stretch of the coast, next to a banner reading “Çelik Kubbe” (Turkish words for the system). The system brings together the long-range Siper platform alongside Hisar-A, Hisar-O and Sungur in a layered configuration designed to intercept threats ranging from cruise missiles to commercial-grade drones.

Donning a cap distributed to distinguished observers of the exercise, Erdoğan greeted the mixed audience of soldiers from around the world, which numbered around 1,300, and expressed his delight in joining them. “The Efes exercise instills confidence in our friends and disappoints those plotting against Türkiye. The exercise is being held in a land where Çaka Bey made it to the maritime history by establishing one of the most important shipyards,” Erdoğan reminded. He was referring to the legendary Seljuk commander who lived in the 11th century and ruled a vassal state of Seljuks based in Smyrna, where the modern-day Izmir is also located.

He stated that the Efes exercise, where high-tech, locally made defense industry products were utilized, was more than that, “with its planning, application, coordination of units and with the strategic mind behind it.”

“This is an example of deterrence and how maintaining peace requires good preparation, will and resolve. The Turkish army carries the memory of its nation and homeland as well as the memories and ideas of the region it is located in. The Turkish army is an army of peace, an army of calm. It is an army of stability. Throughout its history, the Turkish army never destroyed anywhere it set foot upon. On the contrary, it was repaired. Even under the most difficult circumstances, this army never hurt people except enemies, it never harmed any creature, trees or cities. It is a safety guarantee for its country and nation and guarantees peace and stability as well for the region, for the world.”

Erdoğan noted that the world was going through a sensitive period where security paradigms changed, the reputation of international law took a hit and a new security architecture was needed. “A new balance is being established, new alliances are being built, though a new global order is still absent. Our world evolves from a status quo designed by a handful of major powers to a multi-polar, multi-actor state. Türkiye is at the heart of this process. Its name comes up as one of the influential actors of the new era. In the face of pessimistic scenarios of the future, we are striving to make our country a key player in every field, particularly for the regional peace,” he said, adding that it was essential to keep the army strong and well-equipped to ensure peace and security in “a difficult region.”

“We want to boost our deterrence, strengthen our defense abilities and speed up our innovative moves in the defense industry and establish new partnerships with our friends on the basis of mutual benefit and respect. Through all these, we aim to get our country out of stormy waters and onto the coast of peace. This is what our army strives for,” he stressed.

“Türkiye will continue advocating peace and stability in the face of those investing in war and chaos. We will resolutely defend the joint values of humanity against the networks of genocide massacring children, women and the elderly, in Gaza, in Lebanon and elsewhere in our region. The history is full of examples of those who won after befriending the Turkish nation and examples of the consequences for those harboring a feud against Turks,” he added.

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Türkiye’s parliamentary commission investigating the causes of school attacks heard testimony from academics on psychological counseling, guidance services and radicalization, with experts warning that digital environments are increasingly fueling violent behavior among children.

Speaking before the commission, Prof. Hilmi Demir of TOBB University of Economics and Technology said recent school attacks in the provinces of Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa reflected patterns associated with online radicalization rather than isolated acts of violence.

Demir said some perpetrators displayed deep hostility toward society and left behind manifestos outlining ideological motivations, a phenomenon he described as increasingly visible in Türkiye.

He argued that digital platforms can expose minors to communities that normalize violence, cruelty and extremist narratives.

According to Demir, children in such online networks may reinforce one another’s behavior through competition, notoriety and imitation rather than direct coordination.

He said perpetrators often reveal intentions or discuss plans online before carrying out attacks, adding that recognizing warning signs and digital symbols requires specialized expertise.

Demir described the phenomenon as a form of organized radicalization expressed through individual acts and called for greater institutional capacity to monitor and understand emerging online threats.

Prof. Galip Yüksel of Gazi University’s Faculty of Education told lawmakers that young people who commit school attacks are often overlooked by peers and may seek recognition through antisocial behavior.

Yüksel said guidance and psychological counseling services should play a stronger role in schools, beginning in preschool and continuing through grade 12, with greater emphasis on social-emotional, academic and career development.

Commission Chair Yusuf Beyazıt said lawmakers visited Kahramanmaraş last week and would continue gathering testimony from public institutions, affected families, school administrators and teachers regarding incidents in two schools.

The commission later voted to conduct additional visits to Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa between June 12 and June 15.

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