Author: Daily Sabah

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, who faces accusations of undermining reviving ties with Türkiye, says the country faces a “real war threat” from Türkiye as he defends almost doubling the defense expenditures of Greece. At a time of flourishing relations, Greece appears to be wary of what its defense minister calls “a real, main threat” from neighboring Türkiye. Greek lawmakers on Sunday rallied behind defense spending that will be almost doubled. It’s Parliament approved the state budget with a roll-cal vote with 159 out of a total of 299 votes cast. Spending for the defense ministry will rise to 6.1…

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will be traveling to the Egyptian capital Cairo on Wednesday to attend a meeting of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, diplomatic sources said Tuesday. The war in Gaza and other regional issues, as well as the D-8 organization’s progress report, the adoption of the next secretary-general’s candidacy, the D-8 secretariat’s budget and other organizational matters will be on the agenda. Fidan is expected to call for an end to Israel’s genocidal attacks on Palestine, as well as attempts to spread the war into a regional conflict. The minister is expected to point out the importance…

Türkiye on Monday rejected claims it backed the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the anti-regime advance that overthrew Bashar Assad in Syria. “Claims that Türkiye is behind HTS movements are entirely false,” the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik told reporters in Ankara. The AK Party spokesman said Türkiye has been undertaking initiatives to stop the bloodshed in Syria, as he pointed out that the Assad regime’s “rotten” structure paved the way for an easy takeover by the anti-regime forces, without any Turkish involvement. “HTS mobilized to take areas under regime control and advanced after…

The Labor and Social Security Ministry on Monday launched a sequestration process for six city administrations run by Türkiye’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP). The deposit and corporate accounts of the metropolitan municipalities of Istanbul, Ankara, western Izmir, southern Adana and Mersin, and Istanbul’s Şişli district, have been blocked due to unpaid debts to the Social Security Institution (SGK), the ministry said in a statement. The said administrations have the highest debts to the SGK, according to the ministry. Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan last month warned authorities would begin a confiscation process if the…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday convened executives of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for two meetings in the capital, Ankara. The Central Decision-Making and Administrative Committee meetings focus on party congresses, local administration operations and Syria. The party launched its district conventions on Oct. 12 and has held congresses in at least 815 districts across the country so far. It plans to hold its national congress in early 2025, while Erdoğan is scheduled to attend 30 congresses, Sabah newspaper reported. Through congresses, the party aims to reshuffle its cadres. Erdoğan, who has spoken at five provincial…

The final conference of the European Union and Council of Europe’s joint program “ROMACTED II: Promoting Good Governance and Roma Empowerment at Local Level” concluded in Istanbul on Dec. 12. The event brought together over 200 participants, including high-level representatives from the Council of Europe, the European Commission, local mayors and officials, Romani community leaders, civil society organizations and program facilitators from the Western Balkans and Türkiye. The gathering served as a platform to reflect on the program’s achievements, share insights and discuss strategies for sustaining its positive impact in the future. The conference began with welcoming remarks from Hallvard…

The Islamic world witnessed a significant event on Dec. 14, as the “Preachers of the Nation: Trustees of Al-Aqsa” conference opened in Istanbul. Organized by the trustees of the Al-Aqsa Foundation, in collaboration with several scholarly institutions, the event brought together over 600 scholars and preachers from 40 countries. The gathering aimed to mobilize the Muslim community through pulpits and public platforms, rallying support in response to the suffering of Gaza’s people and the calls from the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The conference comes at a critical time as the world watches the brutal attacks against Gaza and Islamic sanctities, including Al-Aqsa.…

MMA standout Dagi Arslanaliev is poised to make his highly anticipated return at ONE Championship’s ONE 171: Qatar, scheduled for February at the Lusail Sports Arena. The 30-year-old veteran will clash with Croatian sensation Roberto Soldic in a thrilling welterweight showdown, with both fighters eager to rebound from recent setbacks. This bout headlines a trio of newly announced MMA matchups for the Qatar event. Featherweight contenders Shamil Gasanov and Martin Nguyen will square off in a pivotal clash, while bantamweight rivals Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon are set to rekindle their storied rivalry in a high-stakes encounter. Arslanaliev’s legacy Arslanaliev,…

ONE Championship is gearing up for an electrifying night of martial arts action in Qatar, with two world title fights headlining the highly anticipated ONE 171 event on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena. The marquee event will bring together top-tier athletes, including stars from MENA countries, and promises a thrilling evening of combat sports. Main event: Haggerty vs. Wei Rui In the main event, reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty will defend his title against China’s kickboxing icon Wei Rui, marking one of the most anticipated clashes in recent memory. Haggerty claimed the belt last November…

Hasan al-Hamada, the new defense minister of Syria under the anti-regime forces’ interim government, lashed out at the PKK/YPG terrorist group controlling parts of northeastern Syria and pledged their elimination. In a social media post on Saturday and after a visit to Manbij, a key town liberated from terrorist groups by the Syrian National Army (SNA) of the opposition, al-Hamada described the PKK/YPG as a “poisoned dagger in the back of revolution for years.” “Now it is a dagger on the entirety of Syria’s back,” he added. Al-Hamada said they were heeding calls in eastern provinces of Syria for their…