Main political event in Türkiye in the last week.
Main political event in Türkiye in the last week.
As in the rest of the world, Türkiye’s agenda last week was dominated by the outbreak of war between Iran and Israel on June 13.
While Turkish officials and political leaders issued a stream of statements on the war, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also convened an emergency session in Istanbul, taking the escalating conflict as the main agenda.
Erdoğan: “Under conditions worse than Nazi concentration camps”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a comprehensive speech during the OIC meeting, condemning Israel’s actions. Key highlights from his remarks included:
“With unconditional support from Western powers, Israel continues to destabilize our region. First, they attacked Gaza and the West Bank, turning Gaza into rubble before the eyes of the world. Hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches were bombed. Civilians waiting in line for a sack of flour, a bowl of soup, or a piece of bread were mercilessly slaughtered. Every day, hundreds of innocent civilians, most of them women and children, are deliberately killed by Israeli forces. For the past 21 months, two million of our brothers and sisters in Gaza have been fighting to survive under conditions worse than Nazi concentration camps.
Along with Gaza, Israel also targeted Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria. In addition to aerial bombardments, it tried to stir up confusion and chaos in Syria by inciting various groups against the government.”
State terrorism and banditry
Erdoğan went on to say that since June 13, Iran has also been targeted by what he called Israel’s campaign of “state terrorism”:
“Let me be clear: through these attacks, the Netanyahu government has once again proven to be the biggest obstacle to regional peace. I strongly condemn Israel’s strikes on Iran. On behalf of my country and my people, I offer condolences to our Iranian brothers and sisters who have lost their lives in Israel’s terror attacks and assassinations. With their deep-rooted history, strong sense of solidarity, and long-standing state tradition, we are confident the Iranian people will overcome these difficult days.”
Describing Israel’s assaults as “banditry”, Erdoğan added:
“The attacks on Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and now Iran are acts of banditry. Iran’s response, taken in self-defense against Israel’s campaign of state terror, is entirely natural, legitimate, and lawful.”
Erdoğan also pointed out the timing of the attacks:
“It’s no coincidence that these strikes came at a time when negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program were gaining momentum. Israel, which remains outside any international monitoring of its own nuclear arsenal and refuses any transparency, has no right to lecture others about nuclear nonproliferation. This is pure hypocrisy.”
Türkiye will not allow a new Sykes-Picot
Erdoğan emphasized that Türkiye “will not allow a new Sykes-Picot”:
“As Türkiye, we hereby emphasize that we will not allow the establishment of a new Sykes-Picot order in our region, the borders of which will be drawn in blood. We will never be a bystander to the starvation of the people of Gaza, the state and settler terror in the West Bank, and the attempts to destroy the historical status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem, the cradle of the heavenly religions.”
Erdoğan also mentioned the “need for stronger solidarity” among Islam countries.
Bahçeli: A matter of national survival
Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and coalition partner, warned against “imperialist-Zionist aggression” which is a matter of “national survival” for Türkiye:
“Unfortunately, the foundations of a third world war are being laid piece by piece.
We are witnessing the rise of a brutal and twisted global order where power is the only measure of justice, and the weak are always wrong.
The illegal Israeli offensive launched on June 13, 2025, against Iran has sparked chaos and unrest with horrifying implications. The situation is serious. Reading the list of potential target countries accurately and responding accordingly is now a matter of national survival.”
Bahçeli characterized the Israel-Iran conflict as a de facto, undeclared war and warned against dismissing it as merely a nuclear dispute:
“While the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on in the north, Israel is now ravaging the south under the pretext of Iran’s nuclear program, just like the false pretexts once used to justify the war in Iraq.
He also criticized US’s policy:
“The President of the United States, who once promised to end wars, is now lighting new fuses. This is hypocrisy.”
Genocider Netanyahu
On Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s claim that the attack was meant to end Iran’s “nuclear appetite,” Bahçeli said “This is nothing but a disguise for the genocider”:
“Israel’s nuclear arsenal is never questioned, never criticized. And now they justify bombing another country for the very thing they themselves possess. Supporting this kind of double standard has no basis in reason, justice, or international law.”
Bahçeli described the US as complicit to the Israeli aggression: “The US administration has become an enabler of disaster, a puppet of powerful lobbies, and a silent observer of genocide.”
Bahçeli, albeit didn’t mention openly, but implied that Türkiye would be the next target of Israel by saying, “There is no need to be a soothsayer to predict which country will be on the target after Iraq, Syria, and Iran”.
CHP’s leader Özgür Özel calls for diplomacy
Özgür Özel, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), issued a warning about growing instability in the region:
“The region is fragile and increasingly unsafe. We are living in an age of anxiety, and things are getting worse.
Just in the north of us is the Russia–Ukraine war. Just below is Syria, once thought to be stabilizing but now sliding further into chaos. And in Palestine, the massacres never end.”
Özel went on to criticize the US:
“The U.S. administration doesn’t just ignore Israel’s genocide in Palestine, it applauds it. And then there’s Trump, pretending to be crazy, saying: ‘Gaza looks nice, let’s build casinos and hotels there, and send the Palestinians elsewhere.’ On one hand, we have genocide, on the other forced displacement. The real issue is the gas fields off the coast of Gaza.”
He also condemned the US’s military actions:
“American B-2 bombers are hitting Iran’s nuclear facilities. Instead of managing this crisis through diplomacy, the US is launching long-range strikes in blatant violation of international law. The current Turkish government couldn’t dare utter a single word to Trump, ordering these attacks.”
“Crusader imperialists”: Perinçek urges government to close US bases in Türkiye
Doğu Perinçek, leader of the Vatan Party, spoke at a rally titled “No Passage for Israel” in Ankara. Perinçek first expressed solidarity with the peoples fighting against imperialism and Zionism:
“We stand on the side of humanity against these Crusader imperialists. We stand with Iran, Palestine, the Arab peoples, and all nations resisting imperialism. The bombs falling on them are bombs falling on us. The missiles launched at Iran and the weapons pointed at Palestine are also targeting Türkiye’s today and future. We’re ready to fire the bullets in those guns at the ones pointing them at us.”
Perinçek called on President Erdoğan to take action against the US’s military presence in Türkiye:
“We urge our President to order the Turkish Armed Forces to take immediate control of the Kürecik radar base and the Incirlik base. There can be no foreign bases aiding attacks on our brothers and sisters. We see this as a betrayal. We must raise the Turkish flag over Kürecik and Incirlik and remove the American and NATO flags.
“This is our war too”
President Erdoğan, you cannot stay silent while bombs rain down on Iran. You cannot stand by while Gaza is being bombed. If the Commander-in-Chief does not act, the nation will find one who will.
“We have gathered here to show the world the Turkish nation’s unwavering loyalty to Iran and Palestine. We are here to declare our solidarity and our trust in them.”
He continued:
“This war is Iran’s fight against Zionist Israel and American imperialism. It is Palestine’s fight against Zionist Israel and American imperialism. And it is our war too.
Whether it’s Iran, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, or Russia: this is a united front against Atlantic imperialism. Türkiye is on the front line in this fight. We share a common fate, common interests, and a common commitment to sovereignty, independence, and humanity.”
Second Israel
Perinçek also warned of what he called the US-Israel plan to establish a “Second Israel” in the region:
“Their goal is to establish a second Israel in Western Asia. Don’t be fooled by the name ‘Kurdistan’. This has nothing to do with our Kurds. This so-called state is designed to enslave Kurds and turn them into pawns against their own brothers and sisters. This project targets all of us: Türkiye, Iran, Syria, Palestine. Either we get Palestine, or we get a second Israel. There is no middle ground.”
“Cautious” statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry
Meanwhile, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a carefully worded statement following the US’ airstrikes on Iran. While refraining from direct criticism, the statement conveyed Türkiye’s concerns. The main parts of the statement was as follows:
“The US attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear sites on June 22 has maximized the risk we repeatedly highlighted, the escalation of conflict and destabilization of the security environment
“These developments may lead the regional dispute to a global level. We do not want to see such a disastrous scenario unfold.
“The only way to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program is through negotiations.
“Türkiye stands ready to fulfill its responsibilities and make constructive contributions.”