Author: Daily Sabah

“Our biggest legacy for you will be a Türkiye without any bit of terrorism, a Türkiye where security, peace and welfare reigns,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told youth from all walks of life at a meeting at the Presidential Complex on Monday. Erdoğan received young athletes, students and others at the complex’s splendid library on the occasion of May 19, Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day. “Once we walk on this path of terror-free Türkiye calmly, we will reach the Century of Türkiye goal faster,” he said, referring to an ambitious plan including reforms from democracy to economy, which Erdoğan announced…

Greek media outlets reported on Monday that Athens was seeking to curb Türkiye’s involvement in Europe’s defense industry, citing that their Foreign Ministry instructed ambassadors in European countries to raise the issue. Although Türkiye and Greece pursue rapprochement in their formerly hostile relations, Athens also works to bolster its defenses by new acquisitions, while Türkiye’s flourishing defense industry raises its profile, especially with sales of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UCAVs) to other countries and boosting its military arsenal with locally-made products. Ankara and Athens are particularly at odds on their maritime borders in the Aegean Sea, which has been the venue…

Fenerbahçe heads into its most critical presidential election in September 2025, with a record 40,000 members expected to vote in a high-stakes battle of vision, legacy, and leadership. More than a race for power, it’s a fight for the soul of a club starved of league success since 2014, now teetering between promise and collapse – third in the Süper Lig, six points behind Galatasaray. Koç under pressure Ali Koç, who took office in 2018, leads the race as the incumbent. A member of the powerful Koç dynasty, he’s credited with steering Fenerbahçe toward financial stability amid economic headwinds. Under…

Turkish media reported on Tuesday that 22 suspects were detained in a new wave of operations against alleged corruption at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). All suspects were personnel of the municipality. Authorities say the suspects are accused of involvement in rigged tenders launched by Medya AŞ and Kültür AŞ, two subsidiaries of the municipality, as well as bribery. Among those detained was Taner Çetin, who heads the municipality’s media and public relations department. Çetin is accused of rigging public tenders launched by IBB, awarding them to companies he had links to and companies that paid bribes. According to investigators,…

The Foreign Ministry on Monday strongly condemned statements made by Greek officials on May 19, which it described as “delusional” and incompatible with historical facts, in reference to what Athens calls the anniversary of the so-called “Pontic genocide.” In a written statement, the ministry rejected the allegations, calling them unfounded attempts to discredit Türkiye’s War of Independence, launched under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on May 19, 1919. “These imaginary claims, fabricated to tarnish our national struggle, are entirely baseless,” the statement said. “They aim to rewrite history and defame the legacy of our War of Independence.” The ministry…

Ahmet Çiçek, owner of an advertising company who was detained in a corruption case involving Istanbul’s former mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu and his close circle, collaborated with authorities for a plea bargain. Çiçek detailed how people close to Imamoğlu at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) were involved in graft and irregularities in public tenders. He was released after testifying against key figures in the case, including Murat Ongun, an adviser to Imamoğlu who also chaired a media company owned by IBB. Çiçek is the second high-profile name to invoke leniency in exchange for information against corruption after Ertan Yıldız, head of an…

The opposition Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) is scheduled to visit other political parties after the PKK terrorist group announced it would dissolve itself last week. The party, linked to the group, is among the components of the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched last year by government ally Devlet Bahçeli, head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). DEM Party’s lawmakers served as messengers between Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed terrorist leader of the PKK, and political parties, carrying his messages that ultimately led to Öcalan’s historic call in February to the PKK to lay down arms. The party’s co-chairs, Tuncer…

Unfurling a giant Turkish flag, a group of youth and lawmakers marched in Gabar, a mountain once a hotbed of PKK terrorism, for a Monday event on the occasion of Türkiye’s Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day. As balloons in the colors of the Turkish flag were flown in the parade, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, who joined the crowd, spoke to journalists about the terror-free Türkiye initiative. “It is continuing as planned,” Kurtulmuş said, referring to last week’s historic declaration by the terrorist group to dissolve. “Now we are waiting for them to hand over their weapons. After the…

Fenerbahçe, Türkiye’s historic sports giant, is in freefall. Disheartening performances across football, basketball, and volleyball, paired with a crippling 600 million euro ($676 million) debt, have plunged the club into turmoil. Its once-passionate fanbase is now fractured, demanding a bold fix: a power-sharing alliance between current president Ali Koç and his predecessor Aziz Yıldırım – two figures whose rivalry has defined the past decade. This possible reunion has hinted hope amid chaos. Struggles on every front The 2024-25 season has been a gauntlet of disappointments. Fenerbahçe’s men’s football team, despite the marquee appointment of Jose Mourinho, lags behind fierce rivals…

The 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four hits fever pitch as Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul locks horns with defending champs Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in a scorching semifinal showdown on Friday at the Etihad Arena. Last year, Ergin Ataman’s Panathinaikos dismantled Fenerbahçe 73-57 en route to the crown. The pain hasn’t faded. While Panathinaikos took both regular-season clashes this year, Sarunas Jasikevicius-led Fenerbahçe squad is tighter, tougher, and burning with purpose. Road to Abu Dhabi Fenerbahçe’s path to their seventh Final Four was paved with dominance – a 3-0 sweep of Paris Basketball and two six-game win streaks this season. Jasikevicius, now…