Author: Daily Sabah

Some 411 municipalities run by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) across Türkiye have racked up in total TL 116 billion ($3.29 billion) in debts to the Social Security Institution (SGK), a report by Turkish newspaper Sabah has revealed. Some 1,402 municipalities in Türkiye’s 81 provinces owe a combined TL 160 billion to the SGK in premium payments, with 70% of it belonging to the CHP-run administration, Sabah wrote. In contrast, some 541 municipalities run by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) nationwide owe 25% of the SGK premium debt. At TL 9.8 billion, the metropolitan municipality in western…

A vast majority of Syrian refugees in Türkiye are optimistic about Syria’s future following the ouster of Bashar Assad, and a significant number of them are eager to return to their homeland, according to a recent survey. The survey from Istanbul-based Areda, conducted with 1,100 Syrians across Türkiye on Dec. 9-11, showed 91% of Syrians are happy with the end of Assad’s regime and 71.5% are hopeful about their country’s future. The study showed that 45.5% of Syrians are willing to return home if the situation in Syria improves, while 26.7% are eager to go back “as soon as possible.”…

Turkish authorities on Monday captured five suspects for allegedly funneling funds to Daesh terrorists abroad. The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul has charged seven suspects of “being a member of an armed terrorist organization” and “violating the law on the prevention of terrorism financing.” The suspects were arranging the transfer of funds sent to Türkiye from overseas to Daesh members in conflict zones overseas, according to a statement from the prosecutors. Raids in Istanbul caught five suspects, as well as 55,000 euros ($57,275.62) in cash and various organizational documents, police said, adding that a search was underway for the…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is scheduled to host a meeting of his Cabinet on Monday in the capital Ankara. The meeting is highly anticipated for millions of people awaiting news on new minimum wage. The situation in neighboring Syria liberated from the Baathist regime is also high on the agenda of the Cabinet. This will be likely the last meeting of the Cabinet before 2025. The ministers will discuss domestic and foreign policy, the economy, counterterrorism, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israel’s attacks on Gaza among other issues, media outlets reported. Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan is expected to…

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan after meeting Syria’s de-facto leader in Damascus on Sunday said there was no room for the PKK/YPG in Syria’s future, calling for the terrorist group to disband and stressing that Syria’s territorial integrity is “non-negotiable.” Türkiye regards the YPG as an extension of the PKK, which fought the Turkish state in a four-decade terror campaign and is classified as a terrorist group by Ankara, Washington and the European Union. Sunday’s visit to Damascus by Fidan, the first foreign minister to visit Damascus since Bashar Assad’s overthrow two weeks ago, came amid hostilities in northeast Syria…

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday met Ahmed al-Sharaa who led anti-regime forces that toppled the Assad regime. The minister’s visit came one day after he announced his plans to visit the country and weeks after the Turkish intelligence chief became the first high-ranking Turkish official to travel to post-Assad Damascus. Ankara was among the first countries to congratulate the victory of the people of Syria to oust the oppressive regime of Bashar Assad after years of conflict in the country that displaced millions and sent them fleeing into Türkiye. Fidan was accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz,…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan instructed his ministers to address all the needs of Syrian refugees on their way back to their homeland, now liberated from the oppressive Assad regime. Sabah newspaper reported that the president discussed developments in Syria with high-ranking officials and ordered addressing demands and requests of Syrians. The newspaper reported that the new administration of Syria also contacted Ankara for support “in every field” in post-Assad Syria, which is in dire need of recovery and rebuilding after years of war. Türkiye plans to set up a joint committee of Syrian and Turkish ministers for better cooperation, while…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the Syrian people for their resilience against oppression, in a letter he penned for Syrians, which was sent to Türkiye’s southern neighbor with 75,000 aid boxes on Friday. “Together we will build the Syria of the future, filled with happiness, prosperity and peace,” Erdoğan said in the letter. The letter, translated into Arabic, was placed inside 75,000 aid boxes prepared by the Culture Ministry’s General Directorate of Foundations. Reiterating Türkiye’s determination to stand in solidarity with Syrians, Erdoğan said they resisted oppression and made history. Boxes containing food supplies to be sent to Syria are…

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock that the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian offshoot YPG does not represent the Kurds in Syria and that it is essential that the terrorist group lay down its arms and dissolve. Fidan and Baerbock held a meeting in the capital Ankara on Friday. As Syria grapples with forming a new government following the fall of Assad, Germany, France and the United States have rushed to guarantee the ‘rights’ of their ally PKK/YPG and push Türkiye into negotiating with terrorists. Baerbock previously said she would make clear to Türkiye on her visit…

Türkiye’s “National Security Policy Document,” colloquially known as the “Red Book,” is getting its long-awaited update, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Thursday. Since the start of the year, the Office of the Secretary-General of the National Security Council has been in touch with ministries and relevant institutions for input into the document. A secret meeting chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz with top security measures earlier in December tackled the changes planned for the “Red Book” in detail. The changes will be presented at the next National Security Council (MGK) meeting, convened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The document, once termed…