Metin Lütfi BAYDAR

CHP Foreign Policy Council Current Assessments 1. OTS Ankara Meeting. We welcome the convening of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara, the participation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and the transfer of the rotating chairmanship to Türkiye. We support taking all necessary steps to further develop the Organisation. In this regard, we welcome the Ankara Declaration, which includes decisions to strengthen relations, particularly the establishment of the Organization of Turkic States Defence Industry College, the adoption of a perspective on the Cyprus issue consistent with current political realities, and cooperation projects to develop the East–West Corridor. 2. Israeli Elections and the Knesset. It is evident that the outcome of Israel’s long-awaited general election will create new balances both within Israel and across the region. We expect an executive and peaceful government to be formed in the Knesset without the need for a repeat election, and we regard this as important for regional stability. 3. Cooperative Meeting in Tehran. We view the contacts that the parties to the Mecca Agreement held with Iran in Tehran on 26 October as developments that will enable the countries of the region to take ownership of the sought-after security cooperation. We hope that, within this framework, through an institution such as the Organisation for Peace and Cooperation in the Middle East (OBIT), confrontational processes will be replaced by dialogue-based and cooperative approaches. 4. Türkiye–Libya–EEZ. We regard the forthcoming meeting in Türkiye with representatives of the Tripoli and Benghazi administrations, aimed at overcoming differences and achieving political unity, as a development that will facilitate the implementation of the Türkiye–Libya EEZ Agreement (2019). We hope that this agreement (under Article 123 of UNCLOS) will serve as an encouraging example for states in the region that have not yet delimited their Exclusive Economic Zones with Türkiye. 5. Türkiye–Iraq–FAW. Given that the bottleneck in oil and commercial shipping in the Gulf of Basra is anticipated to persist for a long time, it is clear that oil transport, transport links, and rail and road connections between Iraq and Türkiye will present significant opportunities for consumers in Europe and the Mediterranean region. In this context, we believe it would be beneficial to make every effort to accelerate the Iraq Development Corridor (FAW) Project. @herkesicinCHP

Foreign Policy Advisory Board Recent Assessments 1. Maritime Jurisdiction Areas. As the CHP Foreign Policy Council, we welcome the Libyan Parliament’s unanimous approval, seven years on, of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Exclusive Economic Zone concluded with Libya, and consider it an important step towards resolving the differences between eastern and western Libya. We would like to remind EU leaders who object to this that it is absurd for the EU, which does not intervene in the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas within the EU (Croatia–Slovenia, Italy–Malta, Spain–France), to criticise the will expressed in this regard by two Mediterranean coastal states, neither of which is an EU member. The EU must stop putting itself in the place of the ICJ or the ITLOS. We support the government’s steps on this matter. 2. The Mecca Agreement. We welcome the submission to the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye of the draft “Mecca Agreement for Joint Defence between the Republic of Türkiye, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, initialled on 7 August 2026, and the clarification of its contents. It is expected that concerns regarding the draft agreement’s objectives and Articles 2, 5 and 16, as well as other elements, will be clarified during parliamentary deliberations. 3. The Russia–Ukraine War. We welcome the fact that the trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States have brought the conflict to a point where hostilities may cease, that risks in the Black Sea are being kept under control, and that NATO’s involvement in the war has so far been prevented. The uncompromising application of Article 19 of the Montreux Straits Convention will prevent an increase in risks in the Black Sea. 4. Iran–US/Israel. Reports of potential renewed attacks in the Gulf of Basra are being followed with concern. As the region is drawn into a military impasse, we consider it essential to use diplomatic instruments more effectively to achieve results and to exercise restraint by avoiding pre-emptive attacks. 5. Resolving Chockepoints. We hope that the R4 (Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan) + E4 (France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy) meeting, held in Istanbul under Türkiye’s leadership to ease the chokepoints along hydrocarbon transport routes (Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz), will bring sound solutions to the problems through means other than armed conflict. It would be appropriate to share positive developments on this matter with the public. @herkesicinCHP