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.”

Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Knowledge Dissemination Foundation, was welcomed with shows of love by the Rohingya refugees he visited in Bangladesh.

Bilal Erdoğan, TİKA President Abdullah Eren and former football player Mesut Özil visited the Humanitarian Aid Hospital in the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar region.

Bilal Erdoğan also visited the TİKA center located in the camp where Rohingya Muslim refugees live. Bilal Erdoğan and Eren met with the students here and toured the center. The delegation visited the music class and TIKA Computer and Robotics Workshop, distributed gifts to the children and took photos.

Pointing out the efforts to eliminate the educational deficiencies of Rohingya Muslims, Bilal Erdoğan thanked TIKA for its contributions to the process.

Mesut Özil and TIKA President Eren played football with the refugees at the 3rd Rohingya Football Tournament cup ceremony organized by TIKA. Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims watched the ceremony. After the match, awards were presented to the successful teams and players.

Bilal Erdoğan and Eren later chatted with the students at the Turkish Religious Foundation El Şifa Model Girls’ School.

Meanwhile, Bilal Erdoğan broke his fast at the house of Muhammed Ayub, one of TİKA’s development ambassadors in Cox’s Bazar.

According to the appointment decisions published in the Official Gazette with the signature of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, appointments and dismissals were made in the Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs, while there were also job changes in governorships and governors.

APPOINTMENTS IN THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

Deputy Ministers of the Ministry of Justice Ramazan Can, Hurşit Yıldırım, Mehmet Yılmaz and Niyazi Acar were dismissed. Abdullah Aydoğdu, Burak Ceyhan, Can Tuncay and Sedat Ayyıldız were appointed in their places.

APPOINTMENTS IN THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS

Deputy Ministers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Münir Karaloğlu, Mehmet Sağlam, Mehmet Aktaş were dismissed. Hakkari Governor Ali Çelik, Afyonkarahisar Governor Kübra Güran Yiğitbaşı and Mehmet Cangir were appointed as Deputy Ministers. Uşak Governor Naci Aktaş was appointed to the Afyonkarahisar Governorate, General Director of Population and Citizenship Affairs İbrahim Taşyapan was appointed to the Hakkari Governorship, Support Services Department Head Serdar Kartal was appointed to the Uşak Governorate, Gümüşhane Governor Aydın Baruş was appointed to the Erzurum Governorate, and Governor-Chief Property Inspector Cevdet Atay was appointed to the Gümüşhane Governorate. In addition, with the decision, the appointment of Hüseyin Kaptan as Deputy Governor of Gaziantep to Şanlıurfa-Ceylanpınar District Governor was annulled, while the places of duty of 160 people were changed.

DEPUTY GOVERNOR AND DISTRICT GOVERNOR APPOINTMENTS

According to the appointment decisions published with the signature of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with the decision dated February 19, 2026 and numbered 2026/63, Iğdır Deputy Governor Abdurrahman Çelebi, Tunceli Deputy Governor Ertuğrul Aslan and Kastamonu-Tosya District Governor Uğur Ünsal were appointed to the Head of Immigration Management Department. Çankırı Deputy Governor Abdulhamit Mutlu was appointed as the Branch Manager of the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs. In addition, the decision regarding Hüseyin Kaptan’s appointment as Şanlıurfa-Ceylanpınar District Governor with the decision dated 27 May 2025 and numbered 2025/205, while he was the Deputy Governor of Gaziantep, was annulled. By decision, Burdur-Bucak District Governor Bayram Gale became Konya Deputy Governor, Düzce-Akçakoca District Governor Deniz Pişkin became Osmaniye Deputy Governor, Mersin-Mezitli District Governor Turgay Gülenç became Bolu Deputy Governor, Antalya-Gazipaşa District Governor Selami Korkutata became Kütahya Deputy Governor, Tekirdağ-Malkara District Governor Eyüp Kaykaç became Sakarya Deputy Governor. Diyarbakır-Kocaköy District Governor Şükrü Alperen Göktaş as Adıyaman Deputy Governor, Kayseri-Yahyalı District Governor Hamza Selçuk as Hatay Deputy Governor, Van-Saray District Governor Ökkeş Safa Türkoğlu as Kahramanmaraş Deputy Governor, Şanlıurfa-Bozova District Governor Halil İbrahim Yeşilyurt as Sivas Deputy Governor, Immigration Management Department Head Soner Divli and Former Amasya-Gümüşhacıköy District Governor Baha Büyükkaymakçı was appointed as Niğde Deputy Governor. On the other hand, Bayburt-Aydıntepe District Governor Abdulkadir Nar was appointed as Siirt Governorship Legal Advisor. With the decision, the duty places of 8 deputy governors and 16 district governors were changed, while deputy governors were appointed to 17 provinces and district governors were appointed to 135 districts.

“THE SENSITIVITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC MUST CONTINUE”

Minister Fidan continued his words as follows: “The sensitivity of the international public opinion must continue, we must not forget or relax in any way. Otherwise, there is a risk of returning to massacres, hunger and misery for our Gazan brothers. That is why we continue our work with a great sense of responsibility and the spirit of struggle. We have had an uninterrupted effort on humanitarian aid since the first day. Turkey has been acting in a spirit of mobilization on this issue with all its institutions, organizations and non-governmental organizations.” Explaining that a ship is taking aid supplies from Türkiye to Palestine today, Fidan stated that there are attempts to send many containers to Gaza, especially with the opening of the Rafah Border Gate.

Türkiye IS CONSIDERING SENDING 20 THOUSAND CONTAINERS TO GAZA

Fidan noted that Türkiye is considering sending 20 thousand containers to the region in the first stage and said, “Our President is very sensitive about this issue.” he said. Emphasizing that Israel has reservations about this issue because the containers in question are metal, Fidan stated that they discussed this issue with their relevant counterparts today. Fidan also touched upon the Palestine Technical Management Committee, which was established in the second phase of the ceasefire process in Gaza, and stated that 15 committee members served there. Minister Fidan reminded that President Erdoğan received the Chairman of the National Committee of Gaza Administration, Ali Shaas, and said, “The main thing here is that while Gaza is getting back on its feet, local government bodies need a serious renewal and capacity in the basic service elements that will bring them to the people. Everything here has been destroyed and destroyed. The support of countries like us is needed to get this capacity back on its feet.” made his assessment. Fidan underlined that Türkiye is ready to provide all kinds of support in terms of both humanitarian aid and capacity increase in Gaza. Fidan pointed out that a local police force will be formed to ensure security in Gaza and the training of these police officers will begin, and said, “We have a commitment to provide training to this police force.” he said.

Türkiye IS CLOSELY FOLLOWING THE US-IRAN TENSION

Minister Fidan also made evaluations about the tension between the USA and Iran. Emphasizing that the US-Iran negotiations are essentially very important, Fidan said: “Actually, there are many reasons to be hopeful. We especially hope that a result will be reached in the nuclear file. However, on the other hand, we observe that the military mobility has increased. We are closely monitoring whether this military activity aims to put pressure on the ongoing negotiations or whether it is preparation for a previously decided military operation.” Fidan emphasized that Türkiye hopes that the process will be resolved through negotiation without the need for any military operation, and stated that there are positive signals that progress has been made in the negotiations between the parties, especially on some issues. Minister Fidan noted that they are closely following the issues regarding where this process between the USA and Iran will evolve and how the parties will approach the process from now on.

In his speech at the Iftar Program with the Families of Martyrs held at Çankaya Mansion, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the holy month of Ramadan, whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is salvation from eternal torment.

Important statements from President Erdoğan!

“THE HIGHEST POINT AFTER PROPHETY IS martyrdom”

Praying to God that the season of mercy and blessings will bring goodness for the Turkish nation and the entire Islamic world, President Erdoğan said, “I wish God’s mercy to all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of their homeland, nation, flag and values that they hold dear to their hearts. I remember with gratitude our brothers who have attained the rank of veterans while fighting on this holy path, and I wish them all a fruitful life. These are the precious entrusts of our martyrs. May God always grant you and the families of the martyrs patience and patience.” he said. Erdoğan stated that according to Islamic belief, the highest rank after prophethood is martyrdom.

“WE ARE PROUD AS A NATION”

Emphasizing that sacrificing one’s life for one’s homeland, one’s nation, one’s faith and the future of one’s nation is undoubtedly the greatest act of sacrifice and heroism, President Erdoğan said, “As valuable as reaching the rank of martyrdom is in the sight of God, it is equally valuable for those left behind to be patient and fortitude. We are close witnesses that our martyrs’ families always observe this sensitivity and always preserve their nobility and fortitude. We would like to emphasize here again that we are proud of you as a nation.” I want it.” He said:

“WE HAVE NEVER COMPROMITED OUR INdependency AT ANY PERIOD IN OUR HISTORY”

Reminding that they went through very difficult tests to make this land where they have lived for a thousand years their eternal homeland, President Erdoğan noted that they were exposed to the Crusades, Mongolian attacks and occupation attempts.

Emphasizing that many cities were plundered, towns and villages were burned, destroyed and ruined many times, Erdoğan continued his words as follows:

“Whatever they did, they could not expel us from these lands. They could not silence the Adhan of Muhammad, which rose to the sky five times a day. They could not lower our flag, which was waving coyly in the sky. They could not occupy our state and enslave our nation. Today, I want to say this with pride, we lost our lives, we buried our children whom we consider dear to our lives, but we never compromised our independence at any time in our history. With the inspiration we received from all the difficulties we encountered and our martyrs. We were saved with the spirit of Malazgirt, with the spirit of Çanakkale, with this spirit, we stopped the bloodshed in Cyprus, with this spirit we eliminated the economic attacks, manipulations and disinformation campaigns aimed at subverting our national unity. We also remind ourselves of this issue, which has been going on for nearly 50 years. “I see the benefit, the values that our martyrs entrusted to us at the expense of their lives 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 trusts and not to cast a shadow on these trusts for 23 years.”

“WE ARE ALSO AWARE OF HERDS OF HYENA DRESSED IN LAMBSIDE”

President Erdoğan stated that today world politics has been reshaped and there are serious crises, conflicts and tensions in the immediate environment.

“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 that they have monopolized as a stick are emerging one by one. We all see once again that what they call civilization is a monster with only one tooth left.” Erdoğan said:

“Thankfully, our state manages these difficult processes very successfully under the management of experienced and qualified staff. We are very aware of the games played, the traps set, and the herds of hyenas in sheep’s clothing, as well as the trappers. At the point we have reached today, Turkey is taking all kinds of steps for its own security, not only within its borders, but also beyond its borders. Wherever there is a threat and danger, we neutralize it at the source without obtaining permission from anyone. Thanks to the operations of our heroic army and other security units, the mobility of terrorist organizations has been seriously reduced.” The level we have reached in the defense industry in 23 years is already evident. Today, we can meet our own needs in almost every field, including UAVs, UCAVs, missiles, rockets, ships, helicopters and tanks. Thank God, we have persevered, we have worked, we have relied on ourselves in 23 years. “We have come this far. Now we want to make all these gains on the field permanent.”

In the statement made on DMM’s NSosyal account, the following statements were made:

“The claims made on some social media accounts that attempt to position Türkiye as a country that makes unilateral gains in the field of energy, especially oil exploration in Somalia, are clear disinformation and a deliberate distortion targeting the mutual cooperation between Turkey and Somalia.

The agreement signed between TPAO and the Somali Petroleum Authority clearly stipulates that natural resources belong to the Somali people.

Türkiye-Somalia relations continue with mutual cooperation between two sovereign, friendly and brotherly countries. “We are kindly requested not to pay attention to disinformation that is black propaganda targeting this solidarity, which is getting stronger in many areas every day.”

The claims made on some social media accounts that attempt to position Türkiye as a country that makes unilateral gains in the field of energy, especially oil exploration in Somalia, are clear disinformation and are intentional targeting the mutual cooperation between Turkey and Somalia… pic.twitter.com/1D09dNFPMe

— Center for Combating Disinformation (@dmmiletisim) February 19, 2026