Turkish President Discusses Need For Increased Defence Ties In NATO As It Finds Itself Being Dragged Into The Iran War.

Ankara; March 2026: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday discussed the need for increased defence cooperation among NATO allies amid regional, global conflicts in a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, the Communications Directorate said in a statement.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, as well as conflicts in the region and regional and global issues. Erdogan apprised the French President about the escalating conflicts in the region and around the world that necessitates augmented multilateral defence cooperation among NATO allies. He has  stressed that “it is important to accelerate joint steps in the defence industry that have long been delayed”.

President Erdogan said prolonging the conflict in Iran would be “a source of instability for both the region and the world”, and that Türkiye is making “intensive efforts to strengthen the diplomatic ground and return to negotiations”. He added that Ankara is closely monitoring the developments in the Islamic republic, and was “saddened by the civilian deaths and concerned about their increase”.

In a separate development, the Turkish intelligence helps dismantle Daesh cell preparing sabotage attacks in Damascus. A cell of the Daesh terrorist group preparing to carry out sabotage attacks in Syria’s capital Damascus was dismantled and 03 terrorists were captured following leads by Turkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) yesterday (05th March 2026) official sources informed.

According to Turkish security sources, MIT shared the intelligence it obtained with the Syrian Internal Security Service Command, and General Intelligence Service. Syrian intelligence, which monitored the cell members and their activities step by step, then determined their exact locations and detained Omar Hashim, Mohammad Hamed, and Hussein Khalaf in a raid. The 03 detainees were referred to the Syrian General Intelligence Service’s Counterterrorism Directorate for questioning to uncover those who supported the cell and its possible extensions.

Simultaneously, bomb disposal teams retrieved explosives from a bomb-laden vehicle left at a critical location. A large amount of C4 and TNT, capable of causing major destruction, was found. Last week, an audio message shared by Daesh called on the group’s members to be ready to carry out attacks.

The recent escalations is of paramount concern for Turkiye since the country is about to host the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by the end of the year, it will announce its priorities through a joint meeting with the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum will hold a joint press conference with International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol in Istanbul on March 12 to outline Turkiye’s priorities for the COP31 process, according to an announcement made Thursday. Earlier, Türkiye have presided over initial preparatory meetings for COP31 held in Istanbul on 11th and 12th February this year.

The Istanbul sessions included participation via video conference from UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, and COP29 President and Azerbaijan President’s special representative on climate issues Muhtar Babayev.

Türkiye positions itself as a voice for developing countries pursuing economic growth through climate justice, a just transition and what officials describe as humane diplomacy in climate policy. It stresses that combating climate change does not hinder economic growth but instead promotes inclusive global prosperity and equity. In line with this vision, Türkiye is accelerating renewable energy expansion, with combined installed wind and solar capacity recently surpassing 40 GW.

According to WindEurope, the Brussels-based wind energy industry association, Türkiye ranked second in Europe for new wind power installations in 2025. Türkiye and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power are also set to sign the second phase of a 5 GE renewable energy cooperation agreement during COP31 in Antalya. The overall 05 GW framework, with expected investment of about $4-5 billion, began with the first phase covering 02 GW of solar capacity in Sivas and the Taseli region. The second phase will include the remaining 03 GW through additional solar, wind and energy storage projects.

Türkiye is also establishing a national Emissions Trading System (ETS), with a pilot phase expected to launch in 2026, highlighting the country’s commitment to carbon pricing and market-based emissions reduction mechanisms.

The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC and has held annual meetings since 1995 to review climate progress and negotiate global climate action. The 31st session is poned to be commemorated in November, mainly in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, while the World Leaders Summit is expected to take place in Istanbul.

Türkiye will host COP31 through a partnership arrangement with Australia. Türkiye will hold the formal COP31 presidency and oversee hosting logistics, communications and overall coordination of the conference. Australia will preside over negotiations and lead the negotiation process during the conference.

Nearly 200 countries are expected to gather in Türkiye to discuss the next steps in implementing the Paris Agreement, including updated emission reduction targets, climate finance, adaptation measures and carbon market rules.

Hosting COP31 is seen as important for Türkiye in terms of strengthening its international visibility and playing a more active role in climate diplomacy. The process is also expected to accelerate the country’s green transformation efforts, with renewable energy, sustainable urbanization and climate adaptation projects gaining greater prominence.

Growing interest from international financial institutions and climate funds may also increase Turkiye’s potential to attract investment in clean energy and climate finance.

Team Maverick.