President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the “Provincial Organization Iftar Program” organized by the AK Party Istanbul Provincial Directorate at Atatürk Airport National Garden Hangar Istanbul. Erdoğan, who started his speech here by congratulating the participants on the month of Ramadan, said the following in summary.

As AK Party, we come together with our nation in iftar programs, from our organizations to our neighborhood representatives. We care about the problems of our people, regardless of age, young or old, unite with love, and strengthen our unity and solidarity. We are pleased to observe that our Istanbul organization is fully staffed and is making an effort to fully understand Ramadan. I would like to thank each of my brothers for the good work and exemplary activities of our organization.

While we embrace our 86 million citizens during Ramadan, we do not forget our brothers and sisters in our heartland. Unfortunately, the recent wars between Pakistan and Afghanistan, on the one hand, and Iran and the Gulf, on the other, are unforgettable. Our Turkish Religious Foundation, the Red Crescent and our humanitarian aid organizations, which are the pride of our country, are knocking on the doors of those in need with a full spirit of mobilization and delivering our country’s helping hand to the oppressed and victimized. Thank God, prayers are being said for Türkiye at iftar tables set up with the contributions of our nation in Gaza, Sudan, Somalia, Arakan and many other places. On behalf of my nation, I send my solidarity messages to all our brothers and sisters who welcome Ramadan with a heavy heart in different corners of our geography, especially in Gaza. All this pain, all this difficulty; I wholeheartedly believe that this heroic struggle against oppression, cruelty and misery will sooner or later be crowned with a permanent victory.

PEACE AND PEACE SHOULD PREVAIL

While we, as Türkiye, are working to ensure that an environment of tranquility, peace and stability prevails in our region and the Islamic world in these holy days, we are deeply saddened and concerned about the Israeli attacks against our neighbor Iran, which started with Netanyahu’s provocations. For a while, we have worked very hard to resolve disputes through dialogue and at the negotiation table. During this period, contacts were made with Mr. Trump and our other interlocutors. Other countries in our region also did their best. However, the desired result could not be achieved because the crisis of confidence between the parties could not be overcome and Israel’s efforts to poison the process continued. We regret the morning’s attacks, which, in addition to clearly violating Iran’s sovereignty, undermine the peace of the friendly and brotherly Iranian people.

Likewise, we find Iran’s missile and drone attacks against our brother countries in the Gulf unacceptable, for whatever reason. If common sense and common sense do not prevail and space is not opened for diplomacy, our region is at risk of being dragged into a ring of fire. This should not be allowed. All actors, especially the Islamic world, need to take urgent action so that the war does not escalate further, more blood is shed, and our region does not experience greater suffering. We will increase our efforts to first establish a ceasefire and then return to negotiations.

As Turkey, we are doing and will do whatever we can to solve the problems peacefully, as we have done since the first day. We follow the developments moment by moment. We do not have any problems in terms of our border security and airspace. Our military, gendarmerie, police and intelligence take all precautions at the highest level. Hopefully, we will manage this sensitive process successfully with a policy that prioritizes the security of our country and nation. Simultaneously, we will accelerate our diplomatic efforts to first establish a ceasefire and then return to the negotiation table. As a state and nation, we will continue to stand by all brotherly peoples in the region until we overcome these difficult days.

THERE WILL BE NO RETURN TO THE OLD

TODAY (yesterday) is the 29th anniversary of the February 28 intervention, one of the darkest days in Turkish political history. The 28 February intervention, described as a postmodern coup, is a new link of 27 May, 12 March and 12 September. It is the product of the same anti-people mentality, the same ideology. February 28 left behind a huge pile of debris and caused serious economic, social and individual trauma. February 28 caused Türkiye a loss of 381 billion dollars. It has left traumatic traces especially in the lives of women and girls. With the coefficient application and the imposition of 8 years of uninterrupted education, imam hatip schools and vocational high schools have been blocked.

We really went through a very difficult and painful period. We have gone through dark days that were said to “last a thousand years”. They closed our parties and said, “You cannot do politics with us.” They said, “You can’t even be a headman.” They built walls in front of us. But we did not bow to any of them, we eliminated the attacks one by one. We restored the rights of our brothers who were dismissed or forced to resign during the February 28 period. We put an end to arbitrary practices and meaningless bans on the headscarf. Lastly, on and after July 15, we blocked these tutelage centers with the greatest support of our nation. As long as we are in Türkiye’s wheelhouse, God willing, no one will be able to go back to the past.

VISITED GIRLS’ DORMITORY

After the iftar program, President Erdoğan visited Marmara University Faculty of Theology Foundation Ayşe Eren Higher Education Girls’ Dormitory in Üsküdar. Erdoğan chatted with the students here and also took a souvenir photo.

Breaking news… Within the scope of the extortion investigation carried out by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, a detention order was issued this morning for 13 people, including CHP’s Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan. While 9 people, including Özcan, were detained in their homes in the dawn operation carried out by the gendarmerie teams, the search for the 4 fugitive suspects continues.

AN INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN STARTED FOR THE CRIME OF EXTRACTION

Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that the suspects extorted bribes from the managers of 6 large chain markets in Bolu between April and November 2024 and that Bolu Bel. He launched an investigation against the suspects, claiming that they committed the crime of extortion by benefiting the Joint Stock Company. In line with the findings of the investigation, detention orders were issued for 13 suspects.

BREAKING NEWS: Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan was detained within the scope of bribery investigation | Video

9 SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY

Here are the names taken into custody: CHP’s Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can, Municipal Council Member Ali Sarıyıldız, Municipal Company Official Ergün Temel, Deputy Police Chief Hakan Yılmaz, Municipal Council Member Cahit Görüş, Municipal Council Member Mehmet Ağan, Municipal Council Member Naim Ayhan, Editor-in-Chief Tahsin Arslan.

4 FUGITIVE SUSPECTS ARE WANTED

The 4 fugitive names for which the search continues are: Mayor of the Municipal Council H. Ekrem Serin, Deputy Director of Zoning and Urbanization Yasin Bargaç, Municipal Council Member Buse Özkan, Municipal Council Member Sinan Pekcan.

In the statement read by AK Party Ankara Provincial Deputy Chairman and Head of Human Rights Cemal Güngör, it was stated that February 28 served the same dark purpose as other interventions in Turkish political history. Güngör said, “In terms of its purpose, February 28 is what May 27, September 12 and July 15 are. In fact, this process is a heavy blow not only to politics but also to society, the consequences of which are planned to last for generations.”

EMPHASIS ON THE WAVE OF OPPRESSION

In the statement, it was reminded that the tanks were used against the will of the nation during the February 28 period and the following statements were made:

The elected government was dismissed, a great wave of persecution was initiated against religious people, especially headscarved women,

It was emphasized that citizens were excluded from state institutions due to their religious sensitivities.

“WE DROPPED THE GUARDIAN FOCUS ONE BY ONE”

Drawing attention to the democratization steps taken during the AK Party government, Güngör stated that the tutelage centers were eliminated and Türkiye was brought to the standard of democracy it deserved. However, he pointed out that some of the attitudes towards headscarves and local clothes recently have protected the “risk of the February 28 mentality resurging.”

“OUR STRUGGLE WITH THE Türkiye CENTURY VISION WILL CONTINUE”

Stating that the fight against the coup mentality is a “fight for rights and great Türkiye”, Cemal Güngör completed the statement with the following words:

“Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we will continue our will to stand tall against the coupist mentality. We will always keep the understanding of national will alive in order to never encounter similar processes again in our history of democracy.”

“İZMİR PORT IS NOT BEING DISPOSED”

Bursalı Aksoy, who also made evaluations regarding the operation transfer of Izmir Port, stated that the operation transfer does not mean the transfer of ownership and that the port will continue to serve the economy of Izmir and Türkiye.

Expressing that the aim is to increase the capacity and competitiveness of the port, Bursalı Aksoy noted that the “divestment” perception that is being tried to be created in the public opinion is not correct.

In his statement, Bursalı Aksoy criticized the politics of perception and emphasized that the discussions should be conducted on legal grounds, not ideological.

“IF YOU WANT TO TAKE CARE OF IZMIR”

AK Party member Bursalı Aksoy stated that the people of Izmir are faced with a chronic CHP problem and said that CHP figures should get rid of their efforts to create perception and start producing services. At the end of his speech, Bursalı Aksoy addressed CHP members:

“If you really want to protect Izmir, if you want to serve the people of Izmir; implement infrastructure projects so that our citizens do not fish in the streets after every rain. Prevent leaks in water lines, no one will be left without water when the water in the dams runs out. Collect garbage from the streets so that our children will not face the threat of the epidemic. Lower the exorbitant prices in basic services and let the whole city breathe a sigh of relief.”

In the program moderated by YTB President Abdulhadi Turus, names from different cities of Europe who have achieved success in academia, science, medicine, law, civil society and business world shared their experiences.

WE ARE TOGETHER WITH THE REAL HEROES OF THE STORY

Speaking at the opening of the program, Turus greeted the participants from all over Europe and said, “Our proud paintings from all over Europe… Welcome all of you to the ‘Success Stories’ meeting, you have brought joy.” Stating that they are together with the leading names of the Turkish diaspora, who have reached the top in medicine, law, academia, business world, art and many other fields, Turus stated that the existence in Europe, the future, how the glass ceilings were broken and the legacy to be left to the generations will be discussed. Stating that they “left the protocol conversations outside the door”, Turus said, “Today, we are on our own. We wanted to get along in a friendly, natural environment by listening to each other, making eye contact, and commiserating.” Emphasizing that they are together with the names who wrote the “Success Story” of European Turks, Turus said, “Both sides of our table are very strong.”

THERE IS A SERIOUS CULTURAL CORRUPTION EXPERIENCED IN THE WORLD

Speaking at the panel, Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Science Dissemination Foundation, stated that he was happy to see that the Turkish diaspora has reached an assertive point in Europe. Pointing out the importance of non-governmental organizations in Türkiye working more closely with Turks in Europe, Erdoğan said that mutual interaction should be increased. Drawing attention to the identity issue of societies, Erdoğan stated that there is a serious cultural corruption in the world and noted that societies being at peace with their own cultures and identities will provide self-confidence and bring relations to a more balanced basis. Stating that healthy communication cannot be established if one society claims superiority over another, Erdoğan emphasized that everyone should protect their own values ​​and respect the characteristics of others. Referring to the importance of Turks in the diaspora preserving their identities while becoming respected citizens in the countries they live in, Erdoğan said, “Success is of course success, but success in the diaspora with its identity is a greater success.” While the panel also discussed the issues of smearing Türkiye and encouraging migration abroad, Erdoğan said that young people were affected by dirty politics.

AK Party Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Yayman, in his post on his NSosyal account, stated that February 28 was a black mark on democracy. “The February 28 process, which is a dark page in our history of democracy, has gone down in history as a symbol of the pressure on the nation’s faith, identity and choice.” Making his evaluation, Yayman noted that the mentality that tried to overshadow the will of the nation at that time tried to stop Türkiye’s democratic march by ignoring the values ​​of the society.

Emphasizing that the essence of these lands is not surrender, but wisdom, Yayman stated that the nation has defended democracy with patience, determination and faith, and has clearly shown that the order that the tutelage centers want to establish cannot be permanent.

“THERE WAS NO POWER THAN THE POWER OF OUR NATION”

AK Party Deputy Chairman Yayman said in his post: “While erasing the traces of this understanding over the years, Turkey has stepped into a new era with a strong leadership and a determined political will. The strong will demonstrated by our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been an important turning point in the construction of a Türkiye that is at peace with the values of the nation. As a matter of fact, on the night of the July 15 coup attempt, it was seen once again that this nation has the courage and determination to stand tall against every hand that reaches out to its will. Today “Our duty is to defend our democracy, freedoms and the will of the nation more strongly, without forgetting what happened in the past, and to institutionalize democratic reforms. Because the real owner of this country and the one who will determine its future is no power greater than the power of our nation.” He included his statements.