Judicial investigations against Davutoglu, political tensions in Türkiye, and a Greek-Israeli defense deal

Former Turkish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed that he stands behind the words he said in 2021, for which he is now being investigated for “insulting the president,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Davutoglu, who announced last July 30 the dissolution of the “Future” Party, which he founded in 2019 after leaving the ruling “Justice and Development” Party, said: Because of disagreements with Erdogan: “I have decided to withdraw from politics, but from now on, I will continue to express my opinions within the framework of the principles I believe in.”

Turkish media quoted Davutoglu on Tuesday as saying: “The words I said on September 11, 2021 were a necessity of honesty... I confirm the truth of my words, and from now on, I promise the people that I will maintain this approach.”

Davutoglu feels sad

Davutoglu gave his testimony before the Public Prosecution in Ankara, on Monday, as part of an investigation on charges of insulting the President of the Republic, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a first in Türkiye's history.

The investigation, which was automatically opened by the Ankara Public Prosecutor last Thursday, was based on a video clip in which Davutoglu was speaking with a group of citizens at a café in a village in Bingöl Province in eastern Turkey on September 11, 2021, in which he said about Erdogan and his government: “They collected billions upon their billions, collected illegal gains, and enriched their entourage... (Erdogan) appointed his son-in-law (Barat Albayrak) as a minister, and enriched his relatives, He handed Türkiye over to 5 contractors.

Davutoglu said in a brief statement following his 50-minute testimony: “This is a precedent in the history of the Turkish Republic. For the first time, a prime minister has been summoned to court as a suspect simply for expressing his opinion and criticism... Out of my respect for the judiciary and my belief that no one is above the law, I testified as a Turkish citizen, but as a statesman who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister, it saddens me to see this happening at the highest levels of the state for the first time.”

Davutoglu refused to answer journalists' questions about what happened during his testimony, attributing this to "preserving Turkey's reputation," saying that he had received "since the first day of opening the investigation, many requests for interviews from the national and international press, and questions about what happened from my counterparts with whom I had worked previously (Erdogan and his government). I did not answer any of them, because I did not want the name of my country and its judiciary to be associated with a negative image. I did not want such a situation... Even defending myself would be Shame.”

He continued: “I still receive phone calls, and I will not answer any request for interviews with the national and international press, because the matter is not related to my personal reputation, but rather to the reputation of my country.”

Kılıçdaroglu and the İmamoğlu case

In parallel, the head of the Republican People's Party, who was judicially appointed to temporarily manage the party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, considered that the trial of the detained mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, in cases related to corruption, is not a "political issue."

In Tuesday's statements, he called for considering Imamoglu's candidacy for the presidency of the country and the cases filed against him separately. At the same time, he stressed his readiness to cooperate with the opposition against the ruling Justice and Development Party if the legal obstacles standing in Imamoglu’s way are removed and if he becomes a presidential candidate: “The opposition must unite and win the upcoming elections.”

Imamoglu ran for the presidency from the Republican People's Party before his arrest on March 19, 2025, and 15.5 million Turkish citizens voted for this nomination, in primary elections on the 23rd of the same month.

Last month, Imamoglu announced his separation from the “Republican People” and joining the “New Party,” which Ozil founded after an appeals court in Ankara temporarily dismissed him and reinstated Kilicdaroglu and his team. Due to a ruling of “absolute nullity” for the party’s general conference held in 2023, in which Ozil won the party presidency, defeating Kilicdaroglu.

Bahceli... and amending the election system

Meanwhile, while discussions continue within the “Justice and Development” Party regarding the country’s new constitution, the head of the “Nationalist Movement” Party, the main partner of the ruling party in the “People’s Alliance,” Devlet Bahceli, in a press interview on Tuesday, renewed his demand for comprehensive amendments to the electoral system and the political parties law, and the strengthening of the presidential system.

He said: “Amendments that strengthen the presidential system and address its shortcomings must be negotiated in a process that is not limited to politicians only, but must involve civil society organizations, academics and intellectuals, and the amendments must be discussed in accordance with the process of drafting the new constitution for Turkey.”

It was reported that Bahceli, who is Erdogan's most prominent political ally, adheres to the continuation of the current presidential system in which executive power is concentrated in the hands of the president, and demands the restructuring of electoral legislation to establish clearer and binding rules for cooperation between parties in elections outside the scope of alliances, and to restrict the transition process between parties by presenting some parties as candidates on other party lists to ensure their victory.

A recent deal, under which Greece purchased from Israel an integrated air defense system worth 3 billion euros, established the “strategic relationship” between the two countries, according to Athens. At the same time, it seeks to maintain good relations with other Middle Eastern countries.

The deal, whose negotiations took more than 3 years, was the result of a rapprochement between Greece and Israel that began in 2010 and included the fields of defense, energy, and security.

Greece is one of the first European Union countries to obtain a multi-layered air defense system, designed to protect its territory from drones, warplanes, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, and it called it the “Achilles Shield.”

During the signing of the agreement in Tel Aviv on September 1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the deal as “one of the most important arms deals in the country’s history.”

He added that it "comes as an extension of our alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean that was concluded 10 years ago with Greece and Cyprus."

For his part, conservative Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that his country is establishing a “strategic relationship with Israel.”

He said: “We estimated that the system provided by Israel is the best available, given the resources we have.”

He also stressed that “Greece is a bridge between Europe and the Middle East,” recalling his country’s support for Lebanon and sending military equipment to it, in addition to his recent visit to Jordan.

Tension between Israel and Turkey

The signing of the deal coincides with escalating tensions between Israel and Turkey, neighboring Greece, with which Athens’ relations are marred by disagreements regarding the demarcation of territorial waters in the Aegean Sea.

But George Tzogopoulos, an international relations analyst at the International Center for European Training, based in Nice, France, saw that the deal “consolidated strategic cooperation between the two countries, but it does not constitute an alliance” against Turkey.

He told Agence France-Presse that “Israel will not side with Greece against Turkey,” adding that “Israel has its own problems with Turkey, and they go beyond the framework of Greek-Turkish relations.”

For her part, Eno Aventoli, a researcher at the Greek “Eliamp” Center for Studies, saw in an article published by the newspaper “Ta Nea” that the geopolitical transformations in the Middle East “create a new reality that Greek foreign policy cannot ignore.”

Last year, the conservative Greek government launched the largest program to modernize its armed forces, at a cost exceeding 25 billion euros.

Last April, Greece renewed its strategic defense partnership with France, and intends to sign a deal to purchase two Italian “Frim”-class “Pergamini” frigates.

Difficult balance

The arms deal with Israel sparked criticism within Greece.

The leader of the Socialist PASOK Party said: The largest opposition party, Nikos Androlakis, said that “Mr. Netanyahu’s responsibilities, which should have led him to appear before the International Criminal Court, cannot be erased.”

In 2024, the court, which is based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. Against the backdrop of the Israeli attack launched in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Unlike a number of European Union countries, including France and Spain, Greece does not recognize the State of Palestine.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Greece has witnessed several gatherings to denounce what some Greeks describe as “genocide” committed by Israel.

Israeli cruise ships also faced protests during their stops in the port of Piraeus or on the Greek islands.

Tzogopoulos said, “Greece is trying to find a balance by maintaining its traditionally good relations with the Arab countries” in the Middle East, adding that this is “difficult.”

A United Nations committee investigating Syria said on Tuesday that it was deeply concerned about Israeli military activities inside Syrian territory, warning that some of these actions, including the detention of civilians, may amount to war crimes.

Giving an update to the UN Human Rights Council, Commissioner Fionnuala Ní Olin said that Israeli military operations in southern Syria had become “continuous and increasingly entrenched,” with frequent ground incursions, patrols, raids and inspections harming civilians.

The Israeli mission in Geneva accused the committee of holding a “session to criticize Israel,” saying that Israel had no ambitions in Syrian territory.

She added in a statement: “Israel maintains the existence of a temporary buffer zone equivalent to 0.1 percent of the area of ​​Syria, to protect its citizens from confirmed security threats.”

Syria is seeking reconstruction nearly two years after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Israeli forces entered a buffer zone under United Nations monitoring after the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024, a step Israel described as temporary and necessary to secure its borders during the political transitional period.

Since then, Israel has launched hundreds of raids on Syrian military infrastructure and seized new sites inside Syrian territory. The Syrian government and the United Nations have said this deployment violates Syrian sovereignty and the 1974 disengagement agreement that followed the 1973 war.

Israel says its measures are necessary to protect its security.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said that it documented Israel's establishment of temporary checkpoints and fixed military infrastructure on Syrian territory, especially in the southern governorates of Quneitra and Daraa.

“The committee is deeply concerned about the continued Israeli violations,” Ní Olin told the council, adding that residents expressed their “surprise” at the Israeli measures at a time when the country is witnessing a reconstruction process.

She added that as of June, the committee had identified 49 Syrians, including two children, who were detained by the Israeli army on Syrian territory and were believed to have been transferred across the border.

“Such actions may amount to war crimes,” Ní Aolín said.

In a statement issued on the sidelines of the session, the committee said that some of them are being held in solitary confinement, which raises concerns about the possibility of them being subjected to torture or ill-treatment. It noted that Israeli military activities have caused the displacement of residents, describing the Israeli presence as “military occupation.”

The committee also expressed its agreement with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable and must stop.

The representative of Syria welcomed the results of the committee's work, stressing Damascus's commitment to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms, while at the same time seeking to hold accountable those responsible for violations committed during the era of the previous government.

The Syrian delegate also condemned the Israeli military operations, accusing Israel of violating international law and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.