President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli held a meeting Thursday that lasted about 50 minutes.
Following the talks, Bahçeli saw Erdoğan off at the door of his residence before greeting members of the press and returning inside. No statement was issued regarding the content of the meeting.
The two leaders had last met on Aug. 25 in Ahlat at Bahçeli’s residence. They are once again convening in close succession, with discussions expected to focus on steps under the “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative. Erdoğan and Bahçeli were also expected to address foreign policy, as the president recently met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in China and was expected to brief Bahçeli on the talks.
Other developments, including Türkiye's diplomatic efforts to establish a peace table in Istanbul for the Ukraine war, the developments in Syria and efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza, were also expected on the agenda.
Earlier this week, Bahçeli said Türkiye and Syria would inevitably carry out a joint military operation against the U.S.-backed YPG-dominated SDF if the group fails to abide by its March 10 memorandum with Damascus.
Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the PKK terrorist group, which recently announced its dissolution and began a disarmament process that will end 40 years of bloodshed in Türkiye. The YPG insists it is not a party to the disarmament.
Türkiye, which developed cordial ties with the transitional government, has pledged to continue supporting Syria’s political unity and territorial integrity, providing training and technical support upon request from Damascus to strengthen its fight against terrorist groups. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed that Türkiye “will not allow terrorists to drag Syria back into chaos and instability.”
