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Türkiye's Ministry of National Defense (MoND) stated on Thursday that it will continue supporting efforts to turn the fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire into a permanent truce and eventually lasting peace.
Ankara urged the negotiating parties to be "constructive" as the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are set to meet on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum this weekend, where Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to attend.
The Defense Ministry's weekly press briefing, delivered by Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk at the National Defense University campus, stated that Türkiye would continue to provide necessary support for the ceasefire to develop into a permanent truce and lasting peace, "without becoming more complex and difficult to manage."
"We hope the parties will be constructive in the ongoing negotiation process," the ministry said.
"We wish for this war, whose effects, both regional and global, are felt more with each passing day, to end as soon as possible," the ministry added.
The ministry explicitly named Israel's ongoing strikes in Lebanon as a disruptive factor in the peace process.
"Israel's attacks, which are part of its regional expansionism, continue. The attacks in Lebanon harm not only Lebanon's territorial integrity but also the region's stability and peace, and they also impede the ongoing negotiation process," the ministry noted.
"We welcome the start of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. We state that Israel's attacks, which are incompatible with the spirit of negotiation, are the biggest obstacle to achieving a positive outcome," the statement said.
The briefing also addressed Defense Minister Yasar Guler's April 13–14 official visit to Qatar, noting that Guler met the Qatari Emir, prime minister and defense minister.
The briefing said that the status of Eurofighter aircraft planned for procurement from Qatar was reviewed during the visit, along with regional developments and defense industry cooperation.
On force structure, the ministry confirmed that work has begun to increase the number of commando brigades in the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF), drawing lessons from both the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
"The new commando brigades to be established are planned to be organized in a modern manner, different from current organizational structures and in line with current threat assessments and operational concepts," the statement said.
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