Author: Daily Sabah

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Thursday that 52,622 Syrian refugees returned to their countries in one month since the fall of the Assad regime in neighboring Syria. Yerlikaya visited Cilvegözü, a major border crossing in the Reyhanlı district of the southern province of Hatay, where scores of refugees pass daily. The minister terms first returnees as “pioneers” who will give an idea to those mulling returning about the current situation in postwar Syria. The minister said Türkiye hosted more than 2.8 million Syrian nationals. “Our Syrian brothers and sisters, since 2017, have returned to their homeland in a safe,…

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday evening convened a special security meeting regarding Türkiye’s “increasing influence” in the Middle East, according to a report in The Jerusalem Post quoting two Israeli officials. The meeting suggests how much importance Israeli officials ascribe to and possibly even fear the possibility that Türkiye’s influence in the region will grow following the downfall of the Assad regime in Syria, Jerusalem Post wrote. The meeting included Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and senior officials from the Foreign Ministry and the defense establishment, the sources said. It was organized…

The Distinguished Guest Day of the Blue Homeland military exercise was held on Thursday in Aksaz, a naval base in southwestern Türkiye. National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler inspected units participating in the exercise. The exercise began on Jan. 7 and will end on Jan. 16. Throughout the annual drill, naval forces will perform maneuvers in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black Seas. In the early hours of Thursday morning, frigates departed from the base in the Marmaris district of Muğla, a popular vacation destination that also happens to be located in close proximity to the Greek island of Rhodes, whose…

Marcus Rashford, once a cornerstone at Manchester United, now finds himself on the transfer market, with Galatasaray joining the race for his signature. The 27-year-old English forward, deemed surplus to the Red Devils’ needs, is preparing to depart Old Trafford, and his name has also surfaced in rumors linking him to Galatasaray’s archrivals Fenerbahçe. Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that Galatasaray engaged in talks with Rashford this week, though the player has made it clear that his priority lies within Europe’s top five leagues. Other suitors have also emerged, including Serie A’s Milan and Borussia Dortmund, with the latter coached…

Armenia may consider withdrawing Russian border guards on the border with Türkiye if Ankara and Yerevan reach a mutual level of trust, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Wednesday. “If an active, open border between Armenia and Türkiye is established, grounded in mutual trust, then we can reflect on and engage in discussions regarding this matter,” Mirzoyan told reporters Wednesday, addressing questions about the potential reduction of Russian border guards along the Armenian-Turkish border. Mirzoyan noted that Russian border guards were initially stationed at Zvartnots Airport and along the border with Iran to assist Armenia until the country could establish…

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan repeated the call for a two-state solution to Cyprus, as he said a better future was possible for the island. “There is no other option but a two-state solution for Cyprus, ” Fidan told a joint news conference with Republic of Turkish Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar in Lefkoşa on Wednesday. He noted that it was possible for Türkiye, Greece, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot administration to come together and find a solution for a better future for Cyprus. The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong struggle between Greek…

The Turkish opposition’s Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) on Wednesday lost two more parliamentary seats after two of its founding members announced their resignations. DEVA’s Balıkesir representative Burak Dalgın criticized the party’s change of direction as it seeks to form a parliamentary group with other smaller opposition parties, the Felicity Party (SP) and Future Party (GP). Criticism of the party has long been reaching the administration, Dalgın said in his statement on X. “That deep-rooted change our people demanded with first surveys then their votes in the 2023 and 2024 elections unfortunately never materialized,” Dalgın said. “We cannot expect different…

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) of Türkiye saw more than 44,000 job applications, mainly from people between the ages of 20 and 30, last year. The number is more than double the number of applications in 2023, according to Anadolu Agency (AA). Naturally, the secretive government agency has slightly changed its public image in recent years, while its counterterrorism operations, though with scarce details, are more public nowadays. The rising profile of the agency under its former director, Hakan Fidan, who now serves as foreign minister, and his successor, Ibrahim Kalın, are tied to more openness in the past years.…

A committee presenting reports to the Israeli government “warned” the Netanyahu administration about a “potential conflict” with Türkiye. The Nagel Committee, as it is informally known, is led by former National Security Council Chair Yaakov Nagel and since 2023, presents recommendations to the Ministry of Defense upon orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Their latest report disclosed by the Israeli media, cited the potential in the aftermath of the ouster of the Baathist regime in Syria last December. Israel was quick to occupy the Golan Heights, a point of contention between Tel Aviv and Damascus when the Assad regime fell.…

The Center for Countering Disinformation has disproven over 2,000 fake news and propaganda articles about Türkiye so far, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun announced Wednesday. Speaking at a communication consultation workshop in the capital Ankara, Altun said his office concluded some 4.5 million applications submitted to its Public Compliance System (CIMER) in 2024. “We will continue institutionalizing the fight against disinformation, one of our critical fields,” he said. “I wish systematic disinformation activities were not poisoning our media and communicational climate so we would not have to put up such a fight,” he added. Altun also lamented that the line between…