![Turkish President and Leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening session of the 5th Legislative Year of the 28th Term, convened under the leadership of Speaker Numan Kurtulmus at the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye (GNAT) in Ankara, Turkiye on October 1, 2026. [Ahmet Serdar Eser - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AA-20261001-42623602-42623599-OPENING_EVENT_OF_THE_5TH_LEGISLATIVE_YEAR_OF_THE_28TH_TERM_OF_THE_GRAND_NATIONAL_ASSEMBLY_OF_TURKIYE.jpg)
The Middle East needs a future in which security is shared and disputes are settled through diplomacy. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s address to the Turkish Parliament on 1 October offered an important starting point: Türkiye’s ability to contribute to regional peace rests partly on the strength of its own society. Erdoğan linked regional threats to domestic divisions and placed the goal of a terrorism-free Türkiye within a wider discussion of national strength. My reading of his message is straightforward: a country that builds trust among its citizens gains greater freedom to act beyond its borders. For Türkiye, lasting progress against terrorism would protect lives, free resources for education and development and give diplomacy greater room to work. Success must be […]
