Author: Daily Sabah

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has issued a firm warning to all actors attempting to hinder efforts toward a lasting peace and stability in Syria, stating that anyone obstructing the country’s recovery will face not only the Syrian government but Türkiye as well. “Let me be clear: whoever stands in the way of Syria’s path to lasting peace and stability will find both the Syrian government and Türkiye standing against them,” Erdoğan told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara on Tuesday. He reiterated Ankara’s opposition to any efforts to divide Syria, recalling Türkiye’s stance against the…

Iraq on Tuesday called Türkiye “an important partner” in efforts to facilitate regional stability as the Middle East grapples with the aftermath of the Syrian revolution, and Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. “Türkiye and Iraq are working to strengthen cooperation to deal with common challenges such as the fight against terrorism and border management,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. Hussein met with reporters, journalists and media representatives as part of the fourth Antalya Diplomacy Forum held in the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya over the weekend, the statement…

Lawmakers from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) will meet Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç on Friday as the party seeks to drive the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched last year by government ally Devlet Bahçeli, chair of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). In the meantime, the party on Tuesday attempted to get more concessions from the state for the initiative. The party’s co-chair, Tülay Hatımoğulları, told the party’s parliamentary group chair in the capital Ankara on Tuesday that the government should allow “freedom of working and communication” for Öcalan. Hatımoğulları also called for the implementation of laws to support…

Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has shut down requests to investigate allegations of corruption at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), a city council member said Tuesday. The IBB Council convened for the first time on Monday under Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan since former Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, also from the CHP, was arrested on charges of corruption last month. Murat Türkyılmaz, the spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) at the IBB, proposed that a committee be set up to investigate the allegations of corruption within the city administration. His proposal was rejected by council members…

Ekrem Imamoğlu, former mayor of Istanbul who was arrested in March on charges of corruption, joined 86 suspects set to be questioned by prosecutors in a probe over vote-buying allegations at an intraparty election of his Republican People’s Party (CHP). Media outlets reported on Tuesday that Imamoğlu will testify at the Istanbul prison he was held in the separate corruption probe over the CHP’s 2023 election overshadowed with allegations. The probe focuses on allegations that the party’s incumbent chair, Özgür Özel, who was supported by influential Imamoğlu in the 2023 election, paid bribes to CHP delegates to vote for him…

An Istanbul district mayor from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was detained early on Tuesday as part of an investigation into alleged tender rigging. An Istanbul prosecutor ordered the detention of Beykoz Deputy Mayor Fidan Gül over the alleged collusion, as well as for “establishing, joining and aiding an organization with criminal intent,” media reports said. Gül’s detention is part of a probe in which 12 suspects, including Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, were arrested last month on the same charges. The deputy mayor is accused of rigging certain tenders to purchase goods within the Beykoz Municipality’s Social Assistance…

Record 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid stare down the barrel of elimination, trailing 3-0 to a red-hot Arsenal side ahead of Wednesday’s decisive quarterfinal second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. After being battered at the Emirates in one of their worst European nights in recent memory, Carlo Ancelotti’s men need a remontada of legendary proportions to stay alive. Only once in club history have they come back from a three-goal first-leg deficit in Europe – and that miracle came in 1976 against Derby County. First leg drama Declan Rice was the unlikely hero in North London, curling in two…

Record 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid stare down the barrel of elimination, trailing 3-0 to a red-hot Arsenal side ahead of Wednesday’s decisive quarterfinal second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. After being battered at the Emirates in one of their worst European nights in recent memory, Carlo Ancelotti’s men need a remontada of legendary proportions to stay alive. Only once in club history have they come back from a three-goal first-leg deficit in Europe – and that miracle came in 1976 against Derby County. First leg drama Declan Rice was the unlikely hero in North London, curling in two…

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli has urged a swift conclusion to the judicial proceedings involving Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who is currently detained in Silivri Prison over allegations of corruption, bribery, and irregularities within the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. In a strongly worded statement, Bahçeli said the trial must be swiftly concluded, with all testimonies and evidence thoroughly added to the case file. “If the suspect is innocent, he should be acquitted. If guilty, the punishment must be delivered promptly and in accordance with the public conscience,” he said. Bahçeli harshly criticized the main opposition, the Republican People’s…

An Istanbul court on Monday rejected a plea for the release of former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who was arrested in March on charges of corruption. Media reports said the court also rejected appeals by lawyers for other suspects in the case, including Murat Ongun, an aide to the mayor who led a media company owned by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). Imamoğlu is among 99 suspects investigated in a far-reaching corruption case. They are accused of running a criminal organization that allegedly profited from bribery and rigging tenders the municipality awarded to shady companies. Other charges they face include illegally…