Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş on Friday reiterated calls for a new, civilian and democratic constitution, urging all political parties, NGOs and segments of society to bring their proposals to the table for discussion.

Speaking during an official visit to Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, for the 14th General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TÜRKPA), Kurtulmuş highlighted that now is the “right time” to draft a new foundational text for Türkiye.

Responding to questions from journalists on the sidelines of the assembly, Kurtulmuş emphasized that if Türkiye is to undertake the process of drafting a new constitution, the legitimate platform for this debate is the Parliament itself.

“The constitution is a consensus document made on behalf of the nation. It cannot be the constitution of Party A or Party B. Parties can only present constitutional proposals,” he said.

He called for the process to be fully participatory: “Not just political parties, but NGOs and all segments of society with ideas on this issue should come forward. Proposals should be laid out, discussed, and deliberated in Parliament.”

Kurtulmuş underlined the significance of the current legislative term, stating, “The 28th term of the Grand National Assembly carries a historic responsibility in this regard.”

He acknowledged criticisms that the Constitution has already been amended numerous times, but insisted that its core – rooted in the military coup of 1980 – remains intact.

“There is a need for a new constitution that is civilian, democratic, participatory and encompassing of all segments of society,” he said. “This is not a luxury or a theoretical exercise; it is a crucial democratic threshold that Türkiye must overcome.”

He stressed that this threshold must be crossed through democratic maturity: “Everyone must refine and present their views, and this process must begin in Parliament.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government has been pushing to overhaul Türkiye’s Constitution for over a decade now, which was enforced in 1982 following a military coup that led to the detention of hundreds of thousands of people along with mass trials, torture and executions, which still represents a dark period in Turkish political history.

Dialogue, not deadlock

Recalling his first speech after being elected speaker, Kurtulmuş reiterated that, “Half of politics is struggle, and the other half is negotiation.” Political competition is natural, he added, but when necessary, parties must be able to sit together, shake hands and forge common ground.

“The public is watching. They can distinguish between constructive players and those who aim to sabotage the process,” he noted. “That’s why my advice to all parties is this: make your preparations. This includes NGOs and all who have ideas on the matter. Let the discussion begin.”

Asked whether the process could move forward without the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which has expressed skepticism toward constitutional talks involving the ruling bloc, Kurtulmuş stressed that no political party has the luxury of opting out of the process.

“I’ve said this from the beginning: The ideal outcome is a new constitution passed by over 400 votes in Parliament,” he said. “That way, the text becomes the new social contract, the new consensus document of the nation.”

He acknowledged, however, that 100% agreement is unlikely in any political process. “There will always be dissenters, but the key is to maintain democratic maturity throughout the process. This is not just my responsibility as speaker; it is a shared responsibility of all political actors in Türkiye.”

Reforming internal procedures

Kurtulmuş also touched upon a possible revision of Parliament’s internal regulations, indicating that reforms are indeed necessary. He argued that the current system should be optimized for more efficient legislative work, especially in committees, while also ensuring balanced debate in the general assembly.

“The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is one of the most hard-working parliaments in the world,” he said. “Despite criticisms to the contrary, our Parliament remains a vibrant arena of democratic activity.”

He noted that Parliament must provide more humane working conditions and create more structured deliberative spaces, particularly in committees. “We need a system where legislative proposals, once refined in committees, are discussed efficiently and respectfully in the General Assembly.”

Without necessarily changing the bylaws, Kurtulmuş said a consensus-driven approach among deputy speakers is needed to ensure fairness and consistency in managing parliamentary procedures.

“Let’s say one vice speaker gives 20 MPs one-minute speaking slots, while another allows 70 MPs in the same timeframe. That’s not sustainable,” he added. “We’ll prepare a joint statement on procedural harmony and declare it in Parliament.”

In response to a question about chairing Parliament for two uninterrupted weeks – a rare occurrence in the institution’s history – Kurtulmuş said the experience was both intense and enlightening.

“There were difficult debates, but MPs handled them with great maturity,” he said. “In fact, in one instance, about 13 articles were passed in just 45 minutes because the parties reached a consensus. When needed, it’s clear that political actors can come together and negotiate effectively.”

He expressed gratitude to all MPs for their cooperation and contributions to the legislative process during that time. “It was a valuable learning experience for me as Speaker and showed what can be achieved when Parliament works in harmony.”

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Türkiye and Azerbaijan will conduct an 11-day joint military exercise in Azerbaijan’s autonomous Nakhchivan region, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced Thursday.

Speaking at the Turkish Armed Forces’ weekly press briefing in Ankara, ministry spokesman Zeki Aktürk said the two countries plan to hold the exercise, Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK-2025, on June 20-30.

He said both countries are also holding the Indestructible Brotherhood-2025 exercise, in Nakhchivan on June 12-19, to “develop friendship, cooperation and coordination.”

“The distinguished observer day of the Indestructible Brotherhood and Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK-2025 exercises will be held simultaneously on June 30,” Aktürk added.

On Monday, the Turkish Land Forces Command announced that a flag exchange and farewell ceremony was held for personnel of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade Command, who will take part in both exercises, at the Hasret Bridge, the sole land border crossing between the two countries, connecting Türkiye to the Azerbaijani exclave.

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Ankara will thoroughly examine with all its elements the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on the property dispute in Cyprus, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, underlining that Türkiye supports the stance of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

The ministry described the ruling as a “timely response” to “politically motivated arrests” by Greek Cypriot authorities targeting those engaged in legal activities under TRNC property regulations.

It said the judgment in KV Mediterranean Tours Limited v. Türkiye would be examined thoroughly while noting the court’s reaffirmation of the Immovable Property Commission’s effectiveness.

Türkiye should speed up property claims for Greek Cypriot owners seeking compensation for land in the Turkish-controlled north of the divided Mediterranean island, the ECtHR ruled Tuesday.

The case concerns property rights related to a building complex owned by the Cypriot company KV Mediterranean Tours Limited, established in 1967.

The company abandoned its property in the Maras area following Türkiye’s 1974 military intervention on the island as a guarantor power and applied to the Immovable Property Commission in 2010 seeking compensation and restitution.

In its ruling, the European court criticised the “protracted nature of the proceedings” for compensation claims brought by Greek Cypriots in the TRNC.

The court claimed the TRNC Immovable Property Commission adopted a “passive” approach and that the authorities had stalled in preparing documents and gathering evidence.

It said the authorities in the north had not acted “coherently, diligently and quickly enough” in examining the claim brought by KV Mediterranean Tours Limited, the Greek Cypriot company that had lodged the court case against Türkiye.

“Consistent and long-term efforts had to be continued,” including “creating a remedy which secured genuinely effective redress in respect of delays,” the court said.

It called the ruling “a lesson in the face of ongoing efforts to spread fear and intimidation, undermine the economic welfare of the Turkish Cypriot people, and disregard international law.”

“We share and support the views expressed in the statements made by the TRNC authorities on this issue,” the ministry underlined.

TRNC President Ersin Tatar said Wednesday that the decision recognized the commission’s effectiveness.

“This is not just a court decision but also a warning. You cannot achieve a solution by ignoring the Turkish Cypriot side and imposing an embargo,” he said.

Property rights are a contentious issue in efforts to resolve the Cyprus conflict and one of the main reasons why decades of United Nations-backed talks have failed to reach a settlement.

The court ruled that Türkiye must pay KV Mediterranean Tours 7,000 euros ($8,000) for non-pecuniary damage and 11,000 euros in respect of costs and expenses.

In the past, the ECtHR has ruled that property claims must be submitted to the Immovable Property Commission, providing an accessible and effective framework for redress.

Cyprus has been mired for decades in a dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.

As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983. The country is fully recognized only by Türkiye, which does not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration in the south.

The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, but negotiations have been stalled since 2017.

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Türkiye will not ignore possible attempts of the PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG, to abuse the integration process into the new Syrian government, Defense Ministry sources said Thursday.

“We once again underline that there has been no decrease in Türkiye’s decisiveness on the fight against terrorism,” the sources said.

“Our main aim as Türkiye is the preservation of Syria’s unity and territorial integrity, enhancing Syria’s security capacity and ensuring cooperation between the two countries on the fight against terrorism,” they added.

One of Türkiye’s main priorities in Syria, following the fall of Bashar Assad in December and the coming to power of a new Syrian government, is the elimination of the YPG, through its integration into the new national army.

A deal was signed in March by Syria’s interim president and Ferhat Abdi Şahin, code-named “Mazloum Kobani,” the ringleader of the YPG. Damascus shunned an open conflict with the YPG and sought a deal for their integration into the new Syrian army.

The YPG currently occupies one-third of Syria’s territory, including most of the country’s oil and gas fields. Türkiye, which suffered from cross-border attacks by the YPG, supported the Syrian opposition through military offensives in Syria’s north in the past decade and liberated parts of northern Syria from the YPG’s grip.

The sources also touched upon the process of the PKK’s dissolution, saying: “The developments on the field following the decision of the terrorist organization to lay down arms are being followed closely in coordination with all institutions while all precautions are being taken.”

The sources added that the Defense Ministry’s searches and the destruction of terrorist caves are ongoing.

Speaking on the same day, Defense Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk said that six more terrorists have surrendered in the past week following operations in northern Iraq.

In recent years, Türkiye has stepped up domestic operations and efforts across its borders against the terrorist group and convinced many members to abandon the PKK.

Protests by a group of families in front of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) headquarters in Diyarbakır demanding the return of their sons and daughters, who were recruited or kidnapped to fight for the terrorist group, have also helped increase the number of people surrendering.

Aktürk said that numerous weapons, ammunition and various materials seized in caves, shelters and shelters belonging to terrorists detected in all operation areas, especially in the Claw-Key area in northern Iraq, have been rendered unusable.

He also underlined that the borders are being protected without interruption with the most effective measures and multi-faceted security systems.

“A total of 2,559 individuals who attempted to cross illegally at our borders have been caught since Jan. 1, 112 of which were caught in the last week. This year, the number of individuals prevented has reached 37,637, with 1,634 individuals prevented in the last week. Again, 87 kilograms of narcotics were seized in the search and screening activities conducted on the Van border line this week. Within the scope of tunnel destruction activities that started on Jan. 8, 151 kilometers of tunnels in Syria’s Tal Rifaat region and 124 kilometers in the Manbij region have been destroyed to date.”

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Israel has released two Turkish activists who were detained aboard a boat attempting to breach Israel’s deadly blockade of the Gaza Strip, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said Thursday.

Yasemin Acar and Suayb Ordu have left Israel on a flight out of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the sources said.

Acar, a German citizen, and Ordu were among 12 passengers, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aboard the Madleen, a boat that sought to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid. Israel seized the vessel in international waters on Monday and deported Thunberg and three others the following day.

Six more activists were deported on Thursday, and the last two activists are expected to be deported on Friday, according to Adalah, a local human rights group representing them.

It said the activists were subjected to “mistreatment, punitive measures and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for some time in solitary confinement.”

Israeli authorities declined to comment on their treatment. Israel says it treats detainees in a lawful manner and investigates any allegations of abuse.

Israel portrayed the voyage as a media spectacle, dubbing it the “selfie yacht.”

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the journey, said it was aimed at protesting Israel’s blockade of Gaza and ongoing military campaign there, which experts say has pushed the territory to the brink of famine more than 20 months into its brutal war on Gaza.

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Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay and his Greek counterpart Alexandra Papadopoulou met Thursday in Ankara as part of an ongoing political dialogue process.

The Foreign Ministry released a joint statement following the fourth round of the political dialogue meetings between the deputy foreign ministers.

According to the statement, the two officials discussed various aspects of bilateral relations, and evaluated developments in bilateral ties since the last meeting, as part of preparations for the upcoming 6th High-Level Cooperation Council planned to be held in Türkiye.

Bozay and Papadopoulou also exchanged views on current regional and international issues.

The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening cooperation at both the bilateral and international levels, according to the statement.

After a long period of tensions marked by disputes over irregular migration, the Cyprus dispute, energy exploration and territorial sovereignty in the Aegean, Ankara and Athens have been taking confidence-building steps for a fragile normalization of their relations since late 2023.

Türkiye, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, rejects the maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, arguing their excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriots in the region.

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