Turkish political fallout from the latest “Epstein Files” has included claims by Ahmet Davutoglu’s Future Party tied to efforts against Armenian lobbying in the U.S. on Armenian Genocide recognition, after correspondence referencing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Foreign Minister Davutoglu appeared in the release. Convicted sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein allegedly transported minor girls from Turkey to his private island, an allegation contained in U.S. court filings, and Turkish prosecutors are reviewing approximately 3,000,000 records newly released by the U.S. Department of Justice, according to Deutsche Welle’s Turkish-language service (DW Turkish).
The allegations have intensified political pressure in Ankara for a broader inquiry into claims that Turkish children may have been trafficked to “Epstein Island.” Turkish prosecutors say their review of the newly released files is part of an investigation into those allegations, including allegations involving Turkish minors.
Epstein ran an extensive abuse and trafficking network that assaulted numerous young women and children over many years, and the convicted sex offender was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 at the age of 66, in what authorities ruled a suicide.
The case has continued to draw intense global attention due to Epstein’s close ties with wealthy, influential, and high-profile figures across politics, economics, culture, art, and technology, connections that have fueled speculation about the true scale of the scandal.
The latest release of the “Epstein Files” on January 30 has sparked a stir in Turkey, fueling renewed political debate and prompting an official review by prosecutors amid allegations of possible trafficking of Turkish children and the appearance of Turkish officials’ names in Epstein’s correspondence.
Notably, the files include references to Turkey’s President and former Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Epstein’s correspondence.
Emails from American businessman, billionaire Tom Pritzker appear to show him arranging a meeting in 2010 between Epstein and Turkey’s then-Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, shortly after Epstein’s release from prison.
In an email sent to Epstein in 2010 shortly after the latter’s release from the prison, Pritzker wrote: “Just got an email back from Davutoglu. He asks that you look him up. He will only stay until noon.”
The Future Party of Ahmet Davutoglu responded to his name appearing in the Epstein Files, with Deputy Chairperson Mustafa Gozel linking the meeting with the billionaire to efforts against the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
“The 2010 notes sent by billionaire Tom Pritzker to Jeffrey Epstein mention a meeting with Mr. Davuto?lu. The party leader has clarified that this meeting occurred casually, as a chance encounter, and was related to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ work to support efforts against Armenian lobbying in the U.S. regarding the Genocide claims. He also emphasized that there was no meeting with, or request for a meeting with, Epstein,” Gozel wrote on X.
One document included in the release dating back to 2009 states: “Upon information and belief, Defendant [Jeffrey Epstein] transported minor girls from Turkey, the Czech Republic, Asia, and numerous other countries, many of whom spoke no English.”
The release revived debate over whether Epstein’s network trafficked minors from Turkey, particularly children who went missing after earthquakes in 1999 in northwestern Turkey that killed more than 17,000 people.
According to information obtained by Deutsche Welle’s Turkish-language service (DW Turkish), the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation on December 23, 2025, following a post shared a day earlier by Iyi Party Group Deputy Chairman Turhan Comez.
In his December 22 post on X, Comez said that records released by the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that young girls from Turkey had been taken to Epstein’s private island and subjected to abuse, noting that the children struggled because they did not speak English.
“In short, it is a horrific crime against humanity,” Comez wrote. “Years ago, I gave a file on global child abuse rings to the then Minister of Interior, Mr. Aksu, and some criminals were apprehended.”
Sources contacted by DW Turkish reported that the Attorney General’s office is investigating sections related to Turkey within approximately 3,000,000 records shared by the U.S. Department of Justice. The sources stated that these records are being examined for evidence linking the suspects and crimes in the Epstein case to Turkey.
Iyi Party spokesperson Bugra Kavuncu called for the urgent establishment of a parliamentary commission to determine whether any Turkish children were victims of Epstein’s trafficking network and, if so, to assess their fate, rehabilitation, and protection.
“These types of issues are a matter of humanity above all political calculations,” Kavuncu said.
Dogan Bekin, an MP from the right-wing Yeniden Refah Party, said he had formally raised parliamentary questions with both the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Family and Social Services.
He asked whether any children in Turkey had been “victimised by the Epstein criminal gang” and whether the ministries had carried out thorough inspections of schools and orphanages to identify potential victims.
Bekin also cited official data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, which shows that between 2008 and 2016, 104,531 children were reported missing in Turkey, the majority of them young girls.
The new inquiry comes after an earlier complaint, submitted on January 16, 2024, by a Turkish nonprofit organization focused on children and women. The group urged prosecutors to investigate allegations that Epstein’s network had links in Turkey and that Turkish children may have been exploited.
In response, prosecutors issued a non-prosecution decision on June 16, 2025, stating that the case file contained no evidence that the alleged crimes had been committed in Turkey.
Critics have alleged that the Turkish government sought to suppress or hide the details of the case rather than pursue a full investigation.
The files also include references to Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, though it remains unclear whether he ever met with Epstein.
In September 2011, Epstein wrote to his alleged “secret girlfriend” Shelley Lewis that he “might go to see [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, and then on to Bodrum to go to a spa.” There is no evidence whether the visit took place.
In a separate exchange in February 2017, former Harvard University president and economist Larry Summers responded to a redacted email from Epstein by asking: “What’s the issue. Do I have to go there. Are they stooges of Erdogan [sic].” Epstein replied by suggesting cooperation with Turkish financial authorities, writing: “Do you want to work with Turkish Central Bank to discuss currency issue, I told them 250k [sic].”
The context of the redacted correspondence remains unclear.
