Duran participated in the “Türkiye’s Peace Role in Conflict Zones from Media Perspective Panel” organized by the Directorate of Communications to discuss how the peaceful, mediator and facilitator role that Türkiye undertakes in times of international and regional crises is constructed and perceived through media discourses from a multi-dimensional communication perspective.

Duran, who made the opening speech here, started his speech by thanking everyone on behalf of humanity, especially the press members, non-governmental organization employees and healthcare personnel working in difficult conflict zones.

Stating that the efforts made by Türkiye to establish a “more just system” in every part of the world will be explained in the panel, Duran emphasized that Türkiye is both a diplomatic actor and a humanitarian solution partner in conflict zones as the voice of global conscience today.

Underlining that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for a “justice-centered world” forms the basis of Türkiye’s peace approach, Duran said:

“We know that the legitimacy of peace is not through the balance of military and political power, but through societies’ sense of justice. Nowadays, peace is not something that is gained at peace tables through negotiations alone. If peace efforts cannot find a response in the international public opinion, if their voice is muted or obscured, then we have lost the most important front. For this reason, we are and have to struggle for a fair and reliable representation in all kinds of media channels so that the voice of peace can be heard. Where facts are caught in ‘fake filters’, where oppression is suppressed.” “We all have a lot of work to do and a long way to walk together in media where attempts are made to hide it as ‘sensitive content’.”

“A WORLD FOOD CRISIS HAS BEEN PREVENTED”

Burhanettin Duran pointed out that the world is going through a period in which hybrid conflicts, proxy actors and great power competition are decisive, and said that peace can now be built not only with political agreements, but also with a holistic approach that includes security, humanitarian aid, economy and communication dimensions.

Pointing out that Türkiye’s facilitator and mediator capacity makes a difference in the world today, Duran said, “Our country is one of the rare countries with diplomatic access capacity that can talk to opposing blocks at the same time, keep contact channels open and make the basis for negotiation possible.” he said.

Noting that this role is important for carrying out technical negotiation processes, developing confidence-building measures and maintaining uninterrupted communication in times of crisis, Duran reminded that the parties in the Ukraine-Russia war, which is in its 5th year, came together many times under the mediation of Türkiye and Türkiye hosted the peace table.

Duran stated that the “Black Sea grain corridor” agreement was realized under the leadership of Türkiye, with the efforts of President Erdoğan, and that a possible food crisis that could occur all over the world was prevented in this way.

Referring to Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Duran said, “It is never a coincidence that Türkiye is the country that makes the greatest effort to bring up the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and the systematic genocide it committed in all international platforms, to open humanitarian aid corridors, to stop the occupation and massacres, and to hold Israel accountable to justice.” he said.

“WE CONSIDER THE FIGHT AGAINST DISINFORMATION AS AN ESSENTIAL”

Duran stated that Türkiye continues its peace diplomacy with many diplomatic moves such as the normalization of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations and the bringing together of Ethiopia and Somalia on the basis of dialogue in the Horn of Africa.

Stating that Türkiye has put forward a stance on the basis of justice in these regions, while discussing agreements at the table, it also carries out humanitarian diplomacy in the field with institutions such as AFAD and the Turkish Red Crescent, Duran said, “The purpose of all these efforts, in the words of our President, is ‘Our only concern is to build a Turkey that contributes to global peace and security, tranquility and stability, together with our region, at the highest level.'”

Underlining that, as the Directorate of Communications, it is one of our duties to present to conscience who is the victim, who is right and what is fair in conflict zones, Duran reminded that the Directorate carries out many activities to strengthen Türkiye’s peace narrative and accurately represent it in the communication ecosystem.

Pointing out that maintaining peace communication is a matter of security, Duran shared the following:

“Today, the perception operations we call ‘disinformation’ have reached a power that scratches social wounds, poisons stability and topples peace tables. While babies are dying in Gaza, those who ‘talk about the lands sold by the Palestinians’ on social media are unfortunately the ones who have tasted this poison. We see the fight against disinformation as indispensable for strengthening our peace narrative. Because we know that when talking about peace in conflict zones, it is not enough just to keep the guns silent, but also to lift the blockade on the truth.” “It is necessary. We have to know that peace tables are not only established on the field, but also, in a way, are shaped in data centers, algorithms and screens. I request our citizens to be very careful about such content, especially in times when emotional sensitivities escalate.”

“AS Türkiye, WE WILL STAND BY OUR SYRIAN BROTHERS”

Duran pointed out that Türkiye is one of the actors that most closely observed what the Syrian people suffered during the 13-year war and made the most effort to announce the facts to the international public.

Stating that Türkiye did not turn its back on the Syrians in the face of the massacres of the old regime in Syria and did not hesitate to take responsibility to ensure stability in the region, Duran said, “Thank God, the Syrian people realized their revolution on December 8, 2024, after suffering for 13 years, and now a brand new era has begun for both Syria and our region.” made his assessment.

Director of Communications Duran continued as follows:

“Of course, we have a very important task ahead of us. The reconstruction and reconstruction of Syria in stability. We know that this is not an easy task. At this point, there are circles that still want to sabotage the stability that has emerged in Syria in the new period, want to poison the peace environment and want to feed on instability. These actors can sometimes appear as terrorist organizations, sometimes as proxy actors, and sometimes as some state. I would like to express to them and to the whole world that we, as Turkey, will stand by the just struggle of our Syrian brothers, just as we did yesterday, today and in the future. “We will respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Syrian state and help protect it. As Türkiye, we will always continue to contribute to ensuring peace and tranquility in Syria and our region.”

After the speeches, Duran and Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mustafa also visited the photo exhibition titled “Türkiye’s Role in Peace”.

President of the Constitutional Court (AYM), Kadir Özkaya, attended the iftar program where the activities of the Constitutional Court in 2025 were evaluated. Constitutional Court Deputy Chairman Basri Bağcı and media representatives took part in the program held at Gölbaşı Provincial House. Constitutional Court President Özkaya made evaluations regarding the court’s activities in 2025. Özkaya stated that as they leave 2025 behind, they are carrying out effective and efficient work to prevent rights violations in the field of individual application and norm control, to implement constitutional principles and strengthen the rule of law, and that they will continue to work with the same determination in 2026.

“Universal legal principles are taken as basis in the investigations”

Emphasizing that justice is the primary basis that keeps the state alive, keeps the individual alive in safety and provides welfare to the society, Özkaya stated that in the investigations of the Constitutional Court, international universal approaches, principles and standards used in the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, decisions of other countries’ constitutional courts and jurisprudence of higher judicial bodies are meticulously researched. Stating that the allegations of violations expressed in individual applications are evaluated with a completely justice-oriented approach, regardless of religious, political or ideological identity, Özkaya said that interpretations and methods that will serve to protect and develop fundamental rights and freedoms within constitutional limits are applied.

‘The principle of “first come, first out” in the files’

Regarding the order of examination of the files, Özkaya said, “Our court acts according to the principle of ‘first come, first out’ in examining the cases within the scope of norm control. Of course, great care is taken to make a decision within 5 months as much as possible, especially in cases that come from the courts through objection. Likewise, individual applications are examined and decided in the order of arrival in accordance with the article titled ‘Order of examination of applications’ in our internal regulations.”

Özkaya stated that individual applications are also examined in the order they are received, but a different order can be made within the framework of objective criteria determined by the decision of the General Assembly, taking into account the importance and urgency of the applications, and that categories such as “Urgent”, “Pilot and Pioneer” and “Core Rights” have been created. Emphasizing that it is out of the question to delay any file due to the identity or nature of the applicants, Özkaya said that prioritization was carried out entirely according to the determined criteria. Stating that they attach importance to cooperation with judicial bodies and other institutions, Özkaya stated that they carry out joint studies as well as workshops and symposiums with high courts. He noted that they exchanged views with many high courts in 2025.

“We signed a cooperation agreement with the supreme courts of 6 countries”

Stating that they also play an active role in the international arena, Özkaya said, “We have signed bilateral cooperation agreements with the high courts of 32 different countries so far. In 2025 alone, we signed a cooperation agreement with the high courts of 6 countries, namely Egypt, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Iraq, Malaysia and Togo. In addition, we organized the 13th of our summer school programs last October within the scope of the activities of the Education and Human Resources Development Center of the Union of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions. In this context, so far. “We hosted 473 participants from 41 different countries. We made the necessary translations and shared the presentations and evaluations made at these events with the high judicial bodies of the relevant countries.”

“71 thousand 175 applications were finalized in 2025”

Sharing the statistics of 2025, Özkaya said, “In 2025, 64 thousand 321 individual applications were made to our court. On the other hand, 71 thousand 175 applications were concluded. In other words, the response rate for the applications made was 111 percent. These data, which reveal that the number of decisions given is more than the number of applications made, is an indication that the Constitutional Court works with great dedication and effort despite the increasing workload. I would also like to mention the total number of applications made to our court and the total number of applications concluded. “From September 23, 2012 to December 31, 2025, 714 thousand 774 applications were made within the scope of the individual application system. Approximately 623 thousand 88 of them, that is, 87.2 percent, were decided and 91 thousand 686 applications are pending,” he said.

“2025 was the year in which the highest number of files were finalized”

Stating that 277 applications were made within the scope of norm audit in 2025, 278 applications were decided and 472 rules were audited for conformity with the Constitution, Özkaya said, “Thus, 2025 was the year in which the highest number of files were concluded within the scope of norm audit, excluding merger decisions.”

Özkaya stated that within the scope of financial audit regarding political parties, 164 files were concluded in 2025 and 5 files regarding party closure cases are pending, and said, “Among the duties assigned to our court by the Constitution is to decide closure cases regarding political parties. I would like to state that the number of pending files regarding party closure cases is 5 as of the end of 2025.”

At the end of his speech, Özkaya wished that the month of Ramadan would bring peace and abundance, and wished that the persecution and human rights violations in different geographies of the world would end.

Even though years have passed since the Khojaly Massacre, the pain is as fresh as the first day in the hearts of the Turkish-Islamic world. After the 2nd Karabakh War in 2020, the occupation in the region ended. With the open military support provided by Türkiye, Azerbaijani Turks commemorate their compatriots massacred in Khojaly as a victorious nation.

THEY COMMITTED GENOCIDE

After the collapse of Soviet Russia in 1991, Armenians attacked Azerbaijani lands. Armenians occupied Khojaly, which they blockaded in the last days of 1991, and which has the only airport in the region and is of strategic importance. Armenians committed one of the bloodiest massacres of the 20th century in Khojaly, which they besieged. In Khojaly, where 7 thousand people live, 613 defenseless Azerbaijani citizens, including 106 women, 70 elderly people and 63 children, lost their lives. 487 people survived the massacre with serious injuries, Armenian forces captured 1275 people, 150 of whom were not heard from.

TAKEN BACK IN 44 DAYS

The Azerbaijani army, which achieved a great military success in a short period of 44 days with the military support provided by Türkiye, saved its lands from occupation. The victory following the Second Karabakh War was a turning point in world war history. The war, in which UAVs and SIHAs were used, both changed the course of the process and showed Türkiye’s technological superiority to the world. From the first moments of the war, Turkish state officials, especially President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, frequently declared that they were on Azerbaijan’s side.

Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, gave the following message regarding the report of the National Solidarity, Fraternity and Democracy Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, which was established during the process of a terror-free Turkey, and the upcoming period: “The issue of terrorism will be left behind. The difficult situation is behind us, there is a more difficult process ahead of us.” Kurtulmuş, who met with the AK Party and Yeni Yol groups yesterday as part of the tour of political parties that have groups in the Parliament, thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his handling of the issue and turning it into state policy. Pointing out that the majority of the society agreed on ending this work, Kurtulmuş said, “This state policy, which started with the initiative of our President, was transformed into a nation’s policy with the commission.”

Emphasizing that a great price has been paid due to terrorism, Kurtulmuş continued as follows: “From now on, I hope that our political parties will continue their work with a common understanding, open-mindedness and open-heartedness regarding the implementation of the issues in the report, and various steps will be taken, especially these legal regulations that our public has been waiting for. Thus, it will be possible to take steps that will eliminate once and for all the most important problem in the history of Turkey, the problem for which we paid the heaviest and greatest prices in the first century of our Republic… He said that he no longer talked about this issue, but only eliminated its consequences. “Together, we will build Türkiye where tranquility, peace, well-being, brotherhood and friendship prevail in every corner.” Stating that 86 million people will never tolerate terrorism and weapons, Kurtulmuş said, “It was a difficult work, it is over, but I would like to say that a more difficult process is ahead of us from now on. I wholeheartedly believe that if we work with the same determination and coordination, we will get results here and this issue will be left behind.”

Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Science Dissemination Society, visited the Ramadan event area established in front of the AK Party Istanbul Provincial Directorate. Erdoğan, who came to the area with AK Party Istanbul Provincial Chairman Abdullah Özdemir, chatted with the citizens by the fire, then went on stage and addressed the participants. Erdoğan stated that Ramadan is the most valuable and honorable month of the year and that this month should be explained better to children.

RAMADAN MEANS ACCOUNTING

Pointing out that Ramadan is also a period of accounting, Erdoğan said that faith is the basis of building a better person and a more just world. Referring to the oppression and injustice experienced in the world, he emphasized that Muslims bear responsibility not only for themselves but for all humanity. He stated that Ramadan offers an important opportunity to become a better person.

Addressing the youth, Erdoğan stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership has brought Türkiye back to self-confidence. Stating that the belief that Türkiye can have a say on a global scale has become stronger, Erdoğan said that young people should work harder in line with the “Türkiye Century” goals. Noting that President Erdoğan’s life story should be learned well and told to new generations, Erdoğan said, “Our President is an exemplary leader not only for Türkiye but for the whole world.”

At the end of the program, Erdogan took a souvenir photo with the citizens and thanked the organization that organized the Ramadan events.

President Erdoğan sent his greetings and love to all employees who add value to Türkiye with their labor, and gave the following messages at the ‘Labor Table Meeting’ iftar program in the Social Complex:

ISRAEL IS ATTACKING DESPITE THE ceasefire: As Muslims, on one hand, we experience the joy of reaching Ramadan, the sultan of 11 months, and on the other hand, we feel in our hearts the pain of our brothers who are suffering and tormented in Gaza, Sudan and many other places and who have to break their fast with a dry bread and a bowl of soup. Despite the ceasefire achieved through our efforts on October 12, the lawless Israeli government continues its attacks on Gaza and the West Bank. As a result of the attacks, 615 Palestinians have been martyred since October 11. There are still serious difficulties in entering humanitarian aid supplies. Restrictions and arbitrary behavior by Israel continue at the Rafah border gate, which is the windpipe of Gaza.

I PRAY: Our brothers from Gaza, who break their fast among the ruins, fast under extremely difficult conditions, but do not bow down to the oppressors, set an example for all Muslims with their faith. I sincerely hope that it will lead to the salvation of all the oppressed people who struggle to protect their freedom and to find the peace they long for, and I express our prayers to them.

FAIR WORK CLIMATE: As members of a religion that commands to be paid for labor before the sweat dries, we have strived to build a fair and peaceful working climate to do justice to you, our dear brothers, since 2002. Our goal from the first day was to bring to our country a system in which the rights of everyone, including workers, employers and public officials, are protected and labor peace is ensured at the ideal level. We have neither been hostile to capital like certain circles in our country, nor divided capital into different colours, nor have we turned a blind eye to the usurpation of the rights of our laboring brothers and sisters who earn their livelihood by shedding the sweat of their brows.

WE HAVE TAKEN REVOLUTIONARY STEPS: We have taken revolutionary steps in areas that have not gone beyond the promises of the politicians before us for years. At no point in our political life have we been among those who exploit labor and workers for their political ambitions, like some others. Although he distributed lavish promises to retirees and workers in the squares, we were not among those who forgot the promises he made when he took office. We were not like those who were enjoying themselves in the Phuket Islands while protesting in front of the municipality because their own workers could not receive a salary.

WE DID NOT SUFFER INFLATION: We improved the personnel rights of our civil servants with the regulations we made in areas such as salary increases, disciplinary amnesty, companion leave and additional payments. We have regulated the wage increase rates, raises and compensations, and social supports of our public servants in a way that will not be subject to inflation. We ensured that our retirees could benefit from new rights such as holiday bonuses and bank promotions twice a year. Hopefully we will continue to be with you from now on.