The bimonthly meeting of the National Security Council (MGK), a powerful civilian-military agency represented by a secretariat, will be held on Thursday in the capital Ankara for the first time with the new ministers this year. A busy agenda awaits the council after the May 28 runoff that granted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan another term and was followed by a major Cabinet reshuffle. Members of the council will discuss counterterrorism efforts as well as Türkiye’s stance on global affairs, such as the grain deal.

President Erdoğan will chair the meeting, which will also be attended by his new Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and new interim Chief of General Staff Gen. Musa Avsever, as well as commanders of different branches of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). It will be the first MGK meeting of Hakan Fidan as Foreign Minister as he attended previous meetings as head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). His successor in MIT, Ibrahim Kalın, who was presidential spokesperson, will also attend the meeting for the first time after he took office on Tuesday. Yaşar Güler had attended the previous meetings as Chief of General Staff.

The MGK meetings shape Türkiye’s security policies and serve as a guideline to the government on action plans in relevant fields, such as the fight against terrorism.

The participants will discuss Türkiye’s cross-border operations in Iraq and Syria where the PKK/YPG terrorist group remains a dire threat to the immediate security of Türkiye, as well as strategic, regional and national security issues.

Along with the PKK/YPG, the council is expected to discuss the outcome and future of operations against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and Daesh, along with measures for border security.

The council’s agenda will also include the current state of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and developments over the Black Sea grain corridor deal, as well as the country’s peace diplomacy around the world and mediation work, as well as humanitarian aid. Türkiye mediated last month a two-month extension of the critical deal allowing Ukraine to safely export grain via the Black Sea marking a crucial step for global food security. The breakthrough accord was brokered by the U.N. and Türkiye with the warring sides last summer to help tackle a global food crisis aggravated by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, one of the world's leading grain exporters. The pact came with a separate agreement to ease shipments of Russian food and fertilizer that Moscow insists hasn't been applied.

Other hot topics at the meeting will be developments regarding the Aegean Sea, the island of Cyprus and Eastern Mediterranean, where Türkiye is at odds at times and pursuing improved ties with countries littoral to the seas. The council will also discuss work to safeguard Türkiye’s rights under international law in the maritime zone in the Eastern Mediterranean and the international status of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), media outlets reported.

Another issue will be the status of the NATO membership bid of Sweden which is subject to Türkiye’s approval and the next steps Türkiye may take after provocative rallies by the sympathizers of the terrorist group PKK in Stockholm.

Türkiye has so far blocked Sweden's NATO membership, accusing Stockholm of being a haven for terrorists. To address Ankara’s concerns, Sweden passed a new law that criminalizes "participation in a terrorist organization." Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance. But recent provocative demonstrations by terrorist sympathizers and Islamophobic figures in Stockholm have led Turkish leaders to question Sweden’s commitment to take the steps necessary for NATO membership.