Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking alongside German counterpart Johann Wadephul after the third Turkey-Germany Strategic Dialogue Mechanism meeting in Berlin on Monday, said the EU's accession track for Ankara should be handled "independently of political motives" and that excluding Türkiye from the bloc's defence and security initiatives "contradicts Europe's stated security objectives." He condemned Israel's interception of an estimated 25 ships in the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla as "piracy" and said safe return of activists, including Turkish nationals, was Ankara's top concern. On Iran, Fidan said there was "no immediate threat in practice" but warned that any resumption of the US-Iran war "would bring serious economic and political consequences for the region and beyond."

Two new reports have exposed widespread corruption, mounting debt, and severe service failures in Istanbul under the seven-year rule of former CHP Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who faces a 3,809-page indictment as the alleged leader of a criminal organization. The IBB Activity Report and 2025 Audit Commission Report revealed IETT buses suffered 65,527 breakdowns in 2025, while the municipality's total debt reached TL 336.9 billion. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of 828 to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts, with the first hearing held on March 9.

Italian journalist Alessandro Mantovani, a correspondent for Il Fatto Quotidiano aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, said Europeans should back efforts to end the Gaza siege. He spoke before Israeli forces attacked the flotilla in international waters, which the flotilla condemned as illegal piracy. The flotilla of 54 boats set sail from Marmaris, Türkiye, on May 14, 2026, carrying activists from 39 countries.

Turkish police detained 57 suspects on Monday in a corruption investigation into procurement processes at an Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality subsidiary, Boğaziçi Facility Management Services. Officers from the Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit conducted simultaneous raids across six provinces, including Istanbul, Adana, and Bursa. The suspects are accused of bid rigging within an organized network, violating public procurement regulations.

Turkey's consumer confidence index rose to 85.8 in May, the highest in 14 months, driven by improved economic expectations despite high inflation (32.37%) and fallout from the Iran war disrupting energy supplies. The central bank raised its year-end inflation forecast to 26% and held interest rates at 37%.

Turkish authorities detained 24 suspects in coordinated operations across 11 provinces targeting the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), focusing on operational phone lines and ByLock use within state institutions. The operations, centered in Ankara, followed the issuance of detention warrants. A separate operation in Gaziantep captured a fugitive FETÖ convict. The crackdown continues against the group blamed for the 2016 coup attempt.

The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held an informal summit in Turkistan, Kazakhstan, on May 15, 2026, under the theme 'Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.' Leaders supported the development of a Turkish Large Language Model and the Digital Silk Road Project, including a Trans-Caspian Fibre-Optic Cable line between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. They also instructed the creation of an OTS Digital Innovation Center and a Cyber Security Council, as proposed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Turkish President Erdoğan called for adding 'unity in digital vision' to the organization's motto. The combined population of OTS members is approximately 179 million, with a combined GDP of nearly $1.9 trillion. The summit signals the OTS's ambition to become a strategic actor in digital geopolitics, though implementation challenges remain.

Türkiye has opened a production facility in Istanbul for NANOTERN, a domestically developed biodegradable nanomaterial that reduces irrigation water use by up to 50% and increases crop yields by up to 25%. Developed by ANT Systems after 15 years of research at Sabancı University, the technology is already deployed in Türkiye, the U.S., South America, Gulf countries, and Africa. The facility has an annual capacity of 3,000 tons, marking a shift from R&D to industrial-scale production. Officials and investors highlighted the technology's role in addressing global water stress and attracting younger generations to agriculture.