‘I AM NOT A PERSON WITH A LARGE STOMACH’

Minister Tekin said, “Look, I am an Anatolian child. I am not as big-hearted as Özgür Özel, who uses phrases that are considered swearing or insulting throughout Anatolia and then says, ‘I don’t think this is swearing, I am doing a personality analysis.’ Therefore, we will file a criminal complaint regarding this,” he said.

‘I HAVE A DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING’

Minister Tekin said, “What is it that disturbs us? For example, they define the activities we do during Ramadan, the activities we do on national solidarity, unity, solidarity and brotherhood, as ‘the process of Talibanization in education’. Friends, in order to say such a thing, you must either not live in this society, you must not be able to read our texts, or you must have malicious intentions. He says something else, for example, they criticize Trump by holding on to his rope in their objections regarding our texts. How do you infer such a thing from the Ramadan circular? I have a hard time understanding the statement. What have we done? Let our children welcome the month of Ramadan with excitement, which everyone in Anatolia is eagerly waiting for, and we say ‘Our feelings of solidarity, brotherhood and cooperation should be internalized by our children’. I have a hard time understanding it, but the harshest expression is the ‘reactionary minority’ definition. “I return this in full to the people who said this,” he said.

‘YOU WILL NOT BE DISTURBED’

Minister Tekin said, “You will not be disturbed by us filing a criminal complaint. Defending secularism is not a crime. Secularism is the guarantee of the freedom of religious belief and worship by the state and public authority. Therefore, defending this can never be considered a crime. Since we are based on the logic that everyone’s freedom of religious belief and worship is defined in the preamble of our constitution, fundamental rights and freedoms should be provided equally for all Turkish citizens, we do not consider defending this as a crime, but on the contrary, as a virtue.” We have a President who defends fundamental rights and freedoms for all our citizens without any buts, and our People’s Alliance partner who works with him. We are the executive organs that try to act within the framework defined in the constitution, in line with the instructions of our leaders. Therefore, you will not be disturbed by us filing a criminal complaint after using such expressions about what we do. Just as you claim that you are exercising your democratic right, it is also a democratic right to fight and seek rights through the judiciary and the law. “You will not be disturbed. If you are not guilty, there is no such thing, but I chose to file a criminal complaint to express my discomfort,” he said.

“THERE IS NO OTHER COUNTRY THAT CAN DELIVER 455 THOUSAND HOUSES IN 2 YEARS WITH ITS FINANCE”

Minister Kurum also emphasized that they completed 455 thousand houses in 2 years and said, “We know that there is no other country in the world that will carry out ground surveys, draw the projects, complete the planning and deliver 455 thousand houses in 2 years with flying colors. Currently, there is no country other than Türkiye that has the experience, knowledge and determination to produce 23 houses per hour and 550 houses per day. In Europe and America, there is no other country that can insure its citizens in case of floods and fires.” “While there is an understanding that relegates people to companies, the Republic of Turkey, under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has never left its nation in trouble, in difficulty or in the open. This effort, this success is the success of our country and our nation,” he said.

Speaking about the 500 Thousand Social Housing project and saying that they have spread the construction of the century throughout the country, Minister Kurum said, “We want to spread our experience in the construction of the century to 81 provinces. With this understanding, we started the Housing Project of the Century and we are implementing our 500 thousand social housing project. We will take you one step closer to your new homes by drawing lots for 13 thousand 890 social housing that we will bring to our city within the scope of our ‘Home Owner Turkey’ project. 12 houses in the center of Gaziantep.” We will offer 1,000 homes in Araban, 330 in İslahiye, 30 in Karkamış, 750 in Nizip, 300 in Oğuzeli, and 200 in Yavuzeli to our brothers from Gaziantep. I believe that when these homes are completed, we will deliver our homes to our brothers from Gaziantep. “It will increase, rent and price pressure will decrease; the neighborhood culture will become stronger, and the tradesmen will be more vibrant and the industry will be stable. In other words, with this step we take today, we will not only make our citizens homeowners, but also make their lives easier by strengthening the social fabric of the city. I hope that each of our brothers and sisters who will find their homes once again will be blessed with their homes, and that they will live in their homes in health, peace and well-being.”

“WE ARE IMPLEMENTING SERVICES, THEY ARE PERFORMING PERCEPTION OPERATIONS”

In the last part of his speech, Minister Kurum, who reacted harshly to CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and the opposition, said, “While we are implementing all these services one by one, those who claim to be the main opposition of this country continue to try to use the earthquake region as an election material for themselves. They have not given up for 3 years. They have attempted to slow down our services with perception operations. They have tried to discredit the projects we have implemented with unrealistic claims. We have completed the houses, built the bazaars, squares and schools, and this time they will openly say ‘they will give the houses with interest’.” They are lying. We explained it, let’s explain it again. We are doing the same thing as we have done in all disaster areas for 24 years. We are fully covering the 351 billion lira infrastructure cost of the 455 thousand disaster residences we have built. In other words, our state pays 65 percent of the housing prices, including the infrastructure. Our citizens will start paying for 2 years after receiving their keys. “They will pay the same price throughout the year and become homeowners in installments of 8,750 liras,” he said.

“THE OPPOSITION Boasts, ‘I SENT TRASHBINS TO THE EARTHQUAKE ZONE’, AND DOES NOT LIKE 455 THOUSAND NESTS”

Stating that the opposition is talking nonsense instead of doing service, Kurum said, “They are still talking; however, they have not even hammered a nail into Gaziantep. You have seen the Grand Mosque in Hatay, right? They took on the responsibility of saying ‘We will build it’, but our mosque is still in ruins. Come on, I have passed the earthquake zone, at least do not neglect your service in the provinces you govern. The condition of the roads in Izmir is known, the traffic in Istanbul has turned into India. The traffic in Ankara has gone crazy, the water is gone.” The problem is not over. In other words, this mentality, which is incapable of bringing water to our nation, is trying to give us a lesson in urban planning in the earthquake zone. He boasts that he does not like the 455 thousand homes. We talk with the work, not with words. Before you even lay the foundation, we will give you the keys and drink tea with our people. You cannot remove the rubble, we will finish it and raise the call to prayer from the mosques. We talk to our people in our bazaars and squares. That’s why they also get angry at those who appreciate us, who give us their due, and who visit us. We are in every step that can be done for the benefit of our nation. Why are you disturbed by this? Let me tell you, they have been using the literature of victimization for years, and they are disturbed by it even more. “Because we will continue to work day and night for our nation. Thank God, we have experienced a disaster recovery process that is followed with envy by all countries in the world. Our success is known to every fair person. We say, ‘We do not want any other blessings to overshadow it,’ and we continue on our way,” he said.

Following the speeches, a draw was held to determine the beneficiaries of 13 thousand 890 houses planned to be completed in the city. In addition to the Minister Kurum, Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber, members of parliament, Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, Şahinbey Mayor Mehmet Tahmazoğlu, Şehitkamil Mayor Umut Yılmaz, city protocol and many citizens attended the ceremony.

MINISTER GÖKTAŞ: SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATION COMING SOON

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş recently made statements regarding social media regulation. In his post, Göktaş stated, “We are implementing our social media regulation to protect our children very soon.”

Minister Göktaş noted the following:

“Continuously scrolling the screens on social media has become so normal that we no longer focus on a subject for more than 8 seconds. This constant state of stimulation harms our children more than it does us. Our children’s attention span has decreased by at least 30 percent in the last 10 years. This directly affects their focus, friendship relations, and success rates at school. This has made the teaching process of our teachers very difficult. For this very reason, social media regulations for children are being discussed and implemented all over the world. We want to provide a safer internet environment for our children.” We want support from you, our parents, and our teachers in this regard. Together, we can make safe internet possible for our children.”

In the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, detention orders were issued for 21 people on charges of ‘buying, accepting or possessing drugs or stimulants for use’, ‘using drugs or stimulants’, ‘encouraging and mediating prostitution’ and ‘facilitating the use of drugs or stimulants’.

THEY WERE RELEASED

The suspects, who were detained and their procedures at the police station were completed, were sent to the courthouse yesterday. Singer Murat Dalkılıç, Duman band soloist Kaan Tangöze, actors İsmail Hacıoğlu and Kemal Doğulu were released after giving statements to the prosecutor’s office. Among the suspects referred to the court, businessman Barış Talay, model Tolga Kulakçı, phenomenon Dilara Kırmıt, Tolga Sezgin and Ramazan Bayar were arrested and sent to prison. 12 suspects were released on condition of judicial control. It was learned that some suspects defended themselves by saying, “I use it myself, not to sell it.” On the other hand, while the drug test of the phenomenon Melis Yürür, who was previously detained, was negative, drugs were detected in the tests of Gaye Kıray and Aykut Tarakçıoğlu. Drug residue was also found in Kemal Can Parlak’s hair.

Turkish Red Crescent has accelerated its aid activities in order to reduce the effects of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The institution sent off the 21st Kindness Ship, the largest shipment ever sent, from Mersin Port on the first day of Ramadan. There are approximately 3,300 tons of humanitarian aid on the ship, including approximately 175 thousand food parcels, as well as clothing, hygiene, shelter, water and basic living materials. After the ship reaches Egypt’s El-Arish Port, the aid is planned to be shipped to Gaza via the Rafah Border Gate by trucks.

‘THE BIGGEST HELP EVER’

Red Crescent President Fatma Meriç Yılmaz emphasized that this shipment is the largest aid ship of the Red Crescent so far and said, “We bought the largest aid ship we could get and loaded the most aid so far. Despite this, we still have aid materials.” Stating that the aid flow to Gaza is affected not by the capacity of the Red Crescent, but by the restrictions on border crossings, Yılmaz stated that they are in a position to send new ships in a short time. Yılmaz said, “We are in a position to lift the kindness ships again after a week. We are ready in terms of both operational capacity and donations. However, our speed is limited to the speed of the trucks entering there.” Emphasizing that the production capacity within Gaza is of vital importance due to the slowness in border crossings, Red Crescent President Fatma Meriç Yılmaz stated that Red Crescent soup kitchens are the most sustainable aid channel.

Iftar for 1 MILLION 800 THOUSAND PEOPLE

Stating that the daily hot meal production for 30 thousand people in Gaza was increased to 60 thousand with Ramadan, Yılmaz said, “We aim to support iftar and sahur for 1 million 800 thousand people during Ramadan, whether they come and buy it or we deliver it.” Stating that the meals are delivered to the tents in packaged form and served to patients and healthcare workers, Yılmaz said that this model is of strategic importance as it is not dependent on external entrances.

GAZA TRADESHOPS WILL BE KEPT SUSTAINED

Explaining that the TURKISH Red Crescent plans to purchase 60 thousand food parcels locally in order to support the economic life in Gaza, Yılmaz stated that this is also a social economy move to keep the tradesmen in the region afloat. Emphasizing that hygiene materials are among the priority topics, Yılmaz stated that lack of hygiene weakens the immune system and increases the risk of epidemic diseases, and noted that it is imperative to keep this channel open at all times.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with the families of the martyrs at the Çankaya Mansion at the first iftar of Ramadan. “After prophethood, the highest rank is martyrdom,” said Erdoğan, adding:

Our nation has gone through very difficult tests to make this land, where it has lived for a thousand years, its eternal homeland. It was exposed to Crusades, Mongol attacks, and invasion attempts. No matter what they did, they could not remove us from these lands. They could not silence the call to prayer that rose to the sky 5 times a day, and they could not lower our flag that was waving coyly in the hearts. They could not occupy our state or enslave our nation.

We lost our lives, we buried our children whom we considered dear to us, but we did not compromise on our future. We survived all the troubles with the inspiration we received from our martyrs and the spirit of Çanakkale and Manzikert. It is with this spirit that we opposed the 7 powers in the War of Independence, we stopped the bloodshed in Cyprus with this spirit, we wrote the July 15 epic with this spirit, and we eliminated economic attacks and disinformation and manipulations against our national unity with this spirit.

THE WORLD IS BEING RESHAPED

It is with this spirit that we have continued our fight against terrorism for 50 years. The values ​​that our martyrs entrusted to us are the homeland, the call to prayer, the flag, independence, and protecting the rights and laws of the nation. We have been struggling to protect these relics for 23 years. Today, world politics is being reshaped. There are serious crises and tensions around us.

The ugly faces of the actors who have been selling us morality for years, talking about democracy and using the concepts of ‘rights, law and freedom’, which they have monopolized, as a stick, are being revealed one by one. We are very aware of the games played, the traps set, the trappers, and the herds of hyenas dressed in sheep’s clothing. Thanks to the operations of our heroic army and other security units, we have seriously limited the mobility of terrorist organizations.

Significant success was achieved in a short time in the terrorism-free Türkiye study that we started 16 months ago. We act carefully, cautiously and meticulously. We are determined to save Türkiye, hopefully forever, from this scourge of terrorism that has been burning our hearts for half a century. There are also good developments in our neighbor Syria.

Please know that we do not and cannot tolerate any initiative, attitude or action that would disturb our relatives of martyrs and veterans. Even though those who feed on deadlock, those who rely on tension, and those who do not want Türkiye to get rid of the bloody shackles do not see our good intentions, you see our sincerity. We will not fall for their tricks. We will be vigilant and will never give favors to those who try to sow discord between us. You are entrusted to us by our martyrs. It is our duty to protect the trust properly.

Our state will continue to be with you with all its resources tomorrow, as it was yesterday. We have introduced many services, opportunities and conveniences for you in 23 years. We supported the relatives of martyrs and our veterans on a wide range of issues, from the right to additional employment, to care opportunities for our veterans, to the right to discount on bills. Hopefully, we will never leave you alone from now on and will continue to provide all kinds of support. His wife Emine Erdoğan, who attended the iftar with President Erdoğan, also shared the following statements on social media: “We were very pleased to meet with the valuable families of our martyrs and our veterans at our first iftar table. I commemorate our heroic martyrs with mercy and our veterans with gratitude. May God help and protect our Mehmetçik who are on duty for the homeland in all corners of our country.”