Author: Daily Sabah

Ankara is looking to gain momentum in long-frozen ties with the European Union as the bloc’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas, is set to pay Türkiye an official visit this Friday for talks on regional developments and bilateral ties. Kallas is expected to hold high-level talks with Turkish officials on regional foreign policy issues, steps in defense and security, and the development of Türkiye-EU relations. In 2024, Türkiye-EU ties were discussed at length, and in 2025, Türkiye expects the European Investment Bank (EIB) to overcome obstacles at high-level political dialogue meetings on the economy, transport,…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had a surprise guest earlier this week. Ahmet Uğurlu, an elderly Alevi dede (a socio-religious leader for the community) met Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex. Media reports say Uğurlu conveyed the Alevi community’s requests to the president, whose tenure has been marked by a new outreach to the community. According to a report by the Sabah newspaper, among these requests are the establishment of schools to train dedes, similar to imam-hatip schools that provide a curriculum with extra theology lessons to train imams, and state funds to pay wages for staff at cemevis, the community’s self-styled…

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook Türkiye’s northwestern Çanakkale province late Tuesday, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said. In a statement, AFAD said the quake took place at 11:38 p.m. local time. The quake took place in the Aegean Sea, 6 kilometers off the coast of Çanakkale’s Ayvacık district, according to AFAD. No adverse situations have been reported so far and field assessment efforts are ongoing, AFAD said. Türkiye is one of the most seismically active regions in the world due to its location at the intersection of several major tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, African and Arabian…

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook Türkiye’s northwestern Çanakkale province late Tuesday, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said. In a statement, AFAD said the quake took place at 11:38 p.m. local time. The quake took place in the Aegean Sea, 6 kilometers off the coast of Çanakkale’s Ayvacık district, according to AFAD. No adverse situations have been reported so far and field assessment efforts are ongoing, AFAD said. Türkiye is one of the most seismically active regions in the world due to its location at the intersection of several major tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, African and Arabian…

The Chairman of the far-right Victory Party (ZP) Ümit Özdağ, who was detained on Monday, has been arrested on charges of “publicly inciting hatred and hostility,” the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday. Özdağ was taken into custody in Ankara and later transferred to Istanbul, where legal proceedings were carried out at the Istanbul Courthouse. After providing his statement to the prosecutor’s office, he was referred to the on-duty criminal court of peace, which ruled for his arrest on the charge of incitement. Authorities initially launched an investigation into Özdağ on accusations of “insulting the president.” The scope of…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on Muslim countries to support Palestinians, who depend on humanitarian assistance to survive, in the aftermath of the recent cease-fire. Speaking after a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, Erdoğan called on the Arab and Muslim world to step up efforts and support the people of Gaza through solidarity and humanitarian assistance. Noting that Türkiye actively facilitated the cease-fire agreement through multidimensional diplomatic efforts, Erdoğan hailed the Palestinian people for their resilience in defending their land despite the immense challenges they faced. Erdoğan also pointed to Israel’s inhumane treatment of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons:…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Türkiye has declared a day of national mourning for the lives lost in the Kartalkaya ski resort hotel fire. “A one-day national mourning has been declared across the country tomorrow. I extend my condolences and wish God’s mercy upon our deceased citizens,” Erdoğan told reporters following a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara. He continued by saying that everyone who’s responsible for the tragic incident would be held to account, as he urged everyone to unite in solidarity. “We expect respect from everyone, including politicians, the media and local administrators, to respect the pain…

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) held its congress for its branch in the capital of Ankara with little fanfare on Tuesday. A hotel fire disaster that claimed 66 lives in northern Türkiye earlier on Tuesday overshadowed the event attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior figures of the party. After expressing condolences to the fire victims’ families, Erdoğan cut short his speech at the congress where the current head of the AK Party’s Ankara branch, Hakan Han Özcan, was elected again. “The AK Party was established on Aug. 14, 2001, as a political organization dedicated to…

A chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals (Yargıtay) on Tuesday announced the final verdict on prison sentences for a Daesh gunman who killed 39 people in an Istanbul nightclub in 2017. The third chamber of the court upheld 40 instances of aggravated life imprisonment for Abdulkadir Masharipov, who is accused of the 2017 massacre on New Year’s Eve in Reina, a popular venue among revelers. The chamber also upheld an additional 1,368 years of prison terms for Masharipov, who was charged with violation of the Constitution related to terrorism offenses and deliberate manslaughter. Lesser prison terms for the convicted…

A fire engulfed an 11-story hotel at Kartalkaya Ski Resort in Türkiye’s Bolu province early Tuesday, killing 78 people and injuring dozens of others. “We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site and providing the latest information. In a later statement, Yerlikaya updated the death toll to 78, as he vowed to hold everyone responsible for the disaster accountable. Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said at least one of the injured was in serious condition, while 17 victims had…