The KAAN crisis... The 'Amed' threat...

The power struggles within the AKP for the leadership after Erdoğan are an open secret. One of the names coming to the forefront in this struggle is Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

For three days, Turkey has been debating Fidan's statement regarding the engines of the fifth-generation fighter jet KAAN, which is touted as “indigenous and national.” Fidan stated, “It is currently waiting in the American Congress. Their license is stalled. The license must be activated and the engines must arrive so that the production of the KAANs can begin.”

Although it will likely be corrected by saying, “The remarks exceeded their intent... It was misunderstood... Perception management,” it is a statement that has put the government in quite a difficult position and strengthened the image of a “rift”!..

Before detailing this issue, let us draw attention to another statement Fidan made in the US.

As is known, although Trump did not bring up this issue during the meeting at the White House, Erdoğan brought it up himself, saying, “We are ready to do whatever falls upon us regarding the Heybeliada School. I will also have the opportunity to discuss the matter with Mr. Bartholomew upon my return.”

Less than 24 hours after those words from Erdoğan, Hakan Fidan, who chaired the Annual Coordination Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), brought up the Cyprus issue and the situation of the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace, stating that they “constitute two important items in foreign policy.” While asking OIC member states to support the rights of Turkish Cypriots and establish direct contact, he explained that “the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace and the Muslim Turkish population in the Dodecanese are facing serious violations that prevent their most fundamental rights and freedoms.”

We do not know whether this situation was brought up at the White House while Israel was arming the Greek Cypriot side... But it is certain that while there are dozens of problems, primarily the fact that our kinsmen in Western Thrace cannot even use the name “Turkish,” the Theological School was discussed at the expense of violating the Treaty of Lausanne, the Constitution, and the Law on Unification of Education.

What we mean is; if these emphases by Fidan were not a coincidence, they were significant.

THE TASK OF REFUTING THE FOREIGN MINISTER

As for the KAAN issue; Minister Fidan made those statements during a press conference he held at the Turkish House on Saturday, while touching upon the “Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act” (CAATSA) that the US applies to Turkey.

While there was boasting about the recent agreement for 48 KAAN jets with Indonesia, Fidan saying, “The engines must arrive so that production can begin,” naturally had a bombshell effect in politics and sparked debates.

If there is a mistake or deficiency in Fidan's words, one would expect the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or if not them, the Presidential Communications Directorate, or at the very least the Ministry of National Defense to say something, right?

No, interestingly, the voice came from Defense Industry President Haluk Görgün. Moreover, it was within the scope of a comprehensive “Turkish defense industry” interview that the Anadolu Agency happened (!) to conduct on Sunday.

Görgün, who spoke about almost all investments, also explained regarding KAAN that “indigenous engine development efforts are progressing as planned,” that “they are not dependent on a single source and are working with different supply channels,” and that “there is no delay in the delivery schedule of the KAAN.”

However, upon a question regarding the “request for the supply of engines needed for KAAN from the US,” he said, “The official application process to the US regarding the supply of engines needed for our first block of KAAN serial aircraft to be delivered to our Air Force Command has been completed,” while stating that if the request is not met, “an engine change could be made.”

When the subject came to the 48 KAAN agreement signed with Indonesia, he stated that these would be “powered not by US-origin engines, but by our national engines.”

If we have the capability to power the KAANs to be sold to Indonesia with our national engines, why was an application made to the US for those to be given to our Air Force?

In short, a pile of technical jargon where it is unclear whether he is refuting or confirming Fidan!..

'WE DO NOT NEED S-400s' HE SAID

Since Haluk Görgün has spoken; let us also recall the following.

İsmail Demir, who served as the Undersecretary for Defense Industries for exactly 9 years before Görgün and realized almost all national projects including KAAN, but was removed from this position in 2023 and made Chairman of the Board of KARDEMİR, was one of the names for whom the US decided to impose sanctions in 2020 within the scope of CAATSA due to the purchase of S-400s from Russia—along with his staff.

When 2023 arrived, Haluk Görgün, who was the General Manager of Aselsan at the time, blurted out, “We are making air defense systems. We do not need S-300s, S-400s. We are eliminating the need for these.”

2.5 months later, he was appointed as the President of Defense Industries by Erdoğan.

Just 4 days after this appointment, the US Department of State announced that the sanctions applied to İsmail Demir and three SSB officials would remain in effect, but that CAATSA sanctions would not be applied to Görgün.

Immediately after, we saw Haluk Görgün taking part in the meeting between Erdoğan and Biden at the NATO Summit in Vilnius. You know, the meeting where we gave the green light to Sweden's NATO membership, for which a host of promises were made, primarily regarding F-16s and the lifting of sanctions, and where we boasted about Biden's video thank-you to Erdoğan!..

TRUMP'S AFFECTION FOR FİDAN AND KALIN

We do not understand these high-level politics inside and outside; but let us also look at the US's affection for Hakan Fidan and İbrahim Kalın.

While evaluating the developments regarding the Syrian PKK in August, Colonial Governor Tom Barrack said, “Mazlum [Abdi] and the SDF, which represents this group, and President Erdoğan's representatives Hakan Fidan and İbrahim Kalın are acting responsibly while arranging this situation, right? There is a dialogue between us. But we need more dialogue here as well.”

Just before the Erdoğan-Trump meeting, Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy for the Middle East, explained the following:

“Tom (Barrack) has two people in Turkey who are very important for everything happening in that region. One is a gentleman named İbrahim, he is their intelligence chief, and the other is Hakan, their foreign minister. We might encounter a problem in Azerbaijan, in Armenia, perhaps in the Ukraine issue. These gentlemen I mentioned are experts in these fields. I am encouraged by this way of working of the Trump administration. Trump calls Tom and says to Tom, 'What is İbrahim's view on this?' That is how we work together. There are limitless examples of the successes we have achieved with this communication.”

And during the meeting, while Trump emphasized that the one who “succeeded in saving Syria” and the “person responsible for Syria” was Erdoğan, he looked at MIT Chief Kalın and Hakan Fidan and said, “I mean, they are the ones acting on your behalf. I think you should get the credit for this.”

Can these praises from the US ever be interpreted as a good sign?!

BAHÇELİ: 'THERE IS NO SUCH PLACE AS AMED'

While Turkey was discussing this KAAN crisis, on the same day, DEM Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan had a “new solution process” meeting in Diyarbakır.

While listing his familiar demands such as the recognition of Kurdish identity, the liberation of the terrorist leader, and the process not being linked to dynamics in Syria, it is unknown whether the ears of MHP Leader Bahçeli, who said “According to us, there is no such place as Amed” just 2.5 years ago, rang; but he frequently used the expression “Amed” for Diyarbakır.

While our media brought Bakırhan's words, “Ekrem İmamoğlu, Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ must regain their freedom,” to the forefront, his own overt threat was virtually ignored.

What he said was:

“On October 22, a train's siren blew. On February 27, the train started to move. We say this once again from Amed. This train must encompass all of them without skipping any stop; without leaving any color, any difference outside, and must proceed this way. Rest assured, this train proceeding in this way can bring a democratic republic where 86 million will live equally. Otherwise, if we miss this train, we will have to make this society experience the chaos and crisis of 100 years ago again.”

His intent with the threat of “we will have to make them experience that chaos and crisis of 100 years ago” must be the Sheikh Said rebellion!..

What kind of audacity is this?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

September 30, 2025