Main political events in Türkiye in the last week.
Main political events in Türkiye in the last week.
The agenda in Türkiye has heated up again as temperatures. One of the major topics was the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Also, last week saw several critical meetings in foreign policy. Tensions between the government and opposition continue to deepen following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor and main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Antalya Diplomacy Forum
The fourth Antalya Diplomacy Forum was held from April 11 to 13 in the city of Antalya.
This year’s theme was “Advancing Diplomacy in a Fragmented World” and the forum saw participation from over 140 countries with more than 20 heads of state and government, foreign ministers from 74 countries, and approximately 450 senior representatives.
The forum opened with a speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan addressed a wide range of topics. Reiterating his “The world is bigger than five”, Erdoğan stated:
“While humanity makes consecutive strides in technology, the international system cannot display the same performance. We are grappling with problems concerning all humanity, such as terrorism, hunger, racism, poverty, Islamophobia, anti-immigration, and the climate crisis.”
Erdoğan also touched on Türkiye’s foreign policy efforts with the following remarks:
“We are striving to build a belt of peace and security around our country by establishing good relations with our neighbors, expanding opportunities for cooperation and trade, and building bridges of dialogue between conflicting parties. Let me once again state sincerely: we have no interest in anyone’s land, sovereignty, or resources. Wherever Türkiye is present, we focus not on what lies beneath the ground, but on those who live above it, on people, on life. Let’s not forget: ‘One does not thrive through oppression.’ We say: ‘A prosperous future cannot be built on exploitation and conflict.’”
Addressing Israel’s ongoing occupation in Palestine, Erdoğan said:
“One of the greatest wounds to global conscience and justice is the oppression taking place in Palestine, particularly in Gaza. For the past 1.5 years, Israel has been openly committing genocide against the Palestinian people, disregarding basic human rights and trampling on international law. Raising our voice against this injustice and showing the strongest possible reaction is not only a duty of brotherhood but a duty of humanity. Because we all have a heart. Remaining silent in the face of Israel’s massacres is to become complicit in this crime. Let us put our hands on our hearts and ask ourselves this: Even in war, would a legitimate state act this way? Isn’t this what state terrorism looks like? That is why Israel is a terror state. There’s no other name for it.”
Touching on Türkiye’s “Asia Anew Strategy”, Erdoğan emphasized that political engagement and consultations with Asian countries are increasing day by day. He also noted that through its partnership policy with Africa, Türkiye has been developing cooperation based on a win-win approach.
As for the relations with the EU, Erdoğan said:
“At times due to fears, sometimes due to prejudices, and at other times due to actors who have hijacked the Union from within, the European Union has failed to show the necessary will to advance our membership process. To put it more accurately, some European countries today are unfortunately unable to demonstrate the same vision, courage, and strategic outlook that gave birth to the EU nearly three quarters of a century ago. We say this: If the European Union truly wishes to overcome its current challenges and be properly represented in the newly shaping global order, it must act accordingly, and let Türkiye finally take its rightful seat at the table as a full member. We are ready and determined to move our membership process forward. We expect the EU to take concrete steps as well.”
Among the many speeches delivered during the forum, one of the most widely discussed was that of Jeffrey Sachs, Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Commission, particularly regarding Syria. His remarks, which received significant attention in both international and Turkish media, were striking:
“Netanyahu’s idea was to reshape the Middle East according to Israel’s will, to topple every government that opposed Israel. In this, the CIA and the US government were his friends. So this war did not stem from Assad’s oppression or dictatorship. It began in the spring of 2011 with an order from President Obama to overthrow Assad. The program even had a name: Operation Timber Sycamore. The US, along with other countries in the region, trained rebel forces, specifically jihadists and including those who are now in power to topple the Assad regime. This created chaos. In the 14-year-long war, 600,000 people lost their lives. The war’s outcome was exactly what the CIA aimed for in 2011 a jihadist group armed by the US coming to power.”
Another notable aspect of the forum was the strong presence from African countries. Numerous discussions were held on instability, coups, and migration in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region. While there was high-level participation from African and Asian nations, European participation was much lower compared to previous years.
High-level diplomatic meetings
During the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, also a series of high-level diplomatic meetings took place. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. The Presidential Directorate of Communications shared a report about the meeting:
“The meeting addressed bilateral relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan, as well as regional and global issues.
During the meeting, President Erdoğan stated that Türkiye and Azerbaijan will continue to take steps to enhance their cooperation in many fields, particularly energy, transportation, and the defense industry.
Expressing that the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia is commendable, President Erdoğan emphasized that Türkiye wishes to see Azerbaijan as the architect of peace in the South Caucasus and added that Türkiye is carefully continuing the normalization process with Armenia.”
President Erdoğan also held closed-door meetings with Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović and Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu during the Forum.
Another important meeting during the Forum was the meeting between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
According to media reports, the meeting covered bilateral relations, issues concerning maritime security in the Black Sea and calls for a ceasefire in the Russia–Ukraine war.
Sources from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared that current developments in Syria and the latest situation in Gaza were also addressed during the meeting.
Political tension continues after the arrest of Imamoğlu
The political tension between the government and the main opposition continues to rise following the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul and presidential candidate of the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Last week CHP has continued its protests in IstanbuL. Speaking at a rally in Istanbul, CHP’s leader Özgür Özel criticized the government heavily once more:
“Together with those who resisted the March 19 coup, we stood in Saraçhane for seven days and seven nights to defend the will of Istanbul and the future of Türkiye. Millions gathered that day in support of Istanbul’s elected mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
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They told us not to gather, yet we grew in number every day. They told us to stay silent, we raised our voices even louder. They said it was over, but we said: ‘It’s not over until we say so.’ It’s not over until Mayor Ekrem is free.”
Özel also called on other opposition parties to unite against the government:
“Here today we see nearly all of Türkiye’s political parties outside the ruling bloc. Sixteen parties joined us in Saraçhane. They visited during the day and filled the squares at night.
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Social democrats, nationalist democrats, conservative democrats, Kurdish democrats, liberal democrats, socialist democrats, all of Türkiye’s democrats are taking action together, united in resistance against authoritarianism.
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Türkiye’s political climate demands not polarization, conflict, or division, but unity against one man’s rule.
Today we stand with all the colors of the opposition, and even with those who may have voted for the ruling party in the last election, because they, too, recognize the grave injustice against Istanbul’s elected mayor.”
During his speech, CHP leader Özgür Özel also directed a political appeal to Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the coalition partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP),
“Today, Mr. Devlet Bahçeli made a statement: ‘If İmamoğlu is innocent, he should be acquitted; if guilty, he should be punished.’ Ekrem İmamoğlu also commented on this today, saying, ‘I take this statement seriously.’ And as the leader of the Republican People’s Party, I too take it seriously. But let me add: No one can be imprisoned based on secret witness testimony. That is the clear, consistent ruling of both the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights.
So why are Ekrem İmamoğlu, Murat Çalık, our mayors, our council members, and even party leaders being detained?
While the rallies of the opposition continue, high school students across Türkiye have voiced strong opposition to a recent government decision to reassign experienced teachers to different schools.
Students in cities such as Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir organized protests both on school grounds and in public spaces, reacting to the Ministry of Education’s policy of relocating teachers from prestigious high schools.
Many alumni and parents joined in support of the protests, while tensions reportedly arose between school administrators and students at certain locations.
According to claims, the Ministry of Education aims to replace long-serving teachers in top-tier schools with educators closer to the government’s ideology, either by reassigning or forcing existing teachers into early retirement.