On the second day of Eid al-Fitr, the celebrations between political parties started. In this context, the MHP delegation paid a visit to the AK Party on the occasion of the holiday. At the meeting held at the AK Party Headquarters building, the delegation led by MHP Deputy Chairman Sadir Durmaz was welcomed by the delegation led by AK Party Deputy Chairman, Civil Society and Public Relations President Belgin Uygur. During the meeting held between the two delegations, wishes were made for the conflicts in the region to end as soon as possible.

Speaking here, Uygur stated that Eid al-Fitr was celebrated during a period when the people of Gaza, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Lebanon were oppressed, and expressed his hope that the oppression and conflicts would end.

MHP Deputy Chairman Sadir Durmaz drew attention to Israel’s policies towards Gaza and the attacks on Iran, and hoped that Eid al-Fitr would lead to a process in which suffering ends and brotherhood and peace prevail both in the region and in the world.

Eid visit from MHP to AK Party | Video

“The USA has a leader who has lost control of him to Netanyahu, it is extremely sad”

Stating that the value of Türkiye’s strong independent existence amidst the conflicts in the region has emerged once again, Durmaz said, “The sensitivities of both our President and our Chairman on this issue and their efforts to end this process peacefully, even if Türkiye is somehow wanted to be involved in it, are extremely valuable. We hope that these unjust wars and attacks will end. Unfortunately, the United States, which is the most powerful country in the world, is led by a leader who has lost his control to Netanyahu.” “That’s why we are very sad. It is extremely sad that a country that is one of the greatest states in the world, with which we are an ally in NATO, has fallen into this situation,” he said.

“There is a Türkiye that prioritizes the rights, laws and interests of our nation above all else.”

Uygur also noted that Türkiye is geographically located in a region where there are conflicts all around, and said, “Turkey is an island of peace and stability in such a geography. As the People’s Alliance, together with Mr. Devlet Bahçeli and our President, as AKP and MHP, as an alliance that focuses on the interests of the country, the unity, solidarity and integrity of our nation, our priority is the peace and security of every individual among the 86 million. Our President often expresses that Turkey is no longer the old Turkey. “When we look at our 25-year achievements, it is seen that we are very strong in the field of work and service. In addition, the point we have reached, especially in our defense industry, and our work in the field of diplomacy based on mediation and dialogue in foreign policy and international politics, can be seen as a country that prioritizes the rights, law and interests of our nation, keeping Türkiye in a safe haven in a geography where there are conflicts all around us,” he said.

Nevruz Festival, the common holiday of the Turkish geography and the herald of spring, was celebrated with international events held in Gaziantep. The event was held with the participation of AK Party Deputy Chairman, Head of Relations with Turkish States and AK Party Ankara Deputy Kürşad Zorlu, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkish States Kubancybek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the International Turkish Cultural Organization (TURKSOY) Sultan Raev, ambassadors, members of parliament, representatives from the Turkic world and the provincial protocol. The tents in which it was located were visited. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was connected to the event, which started with the lighting of the Nevruz fire, via video conferencing system. The fire jumping ritual, one of the important symbols of the Nevruz tradition, was performed. The program continued with the clinking of eggs, which symbolize birth and productivity, representing the intention to live together in solidarity and unity.

PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN CONNECTED VIA VIDEO CONFERENCE METHOD

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “My dear nation, my dear brothers and sisters, I greet you with my most heartfelt feelings. We are holding the Nevruz commemoration day event, which was held under our auspices for the first time in Istanbul last year, in Gaziantep this year. First of all, I wholeheartedly congratulate the Nevruz day of our brothers and sisters all over our cultural geography. Nevruz, the symbol of the resurrection of nature, is a blessing to our country, our ancient geography and all I pray to God that it brings peace, tranquility and abundance to humanity. We are very pleased to see that Nevruz, which symbolizes enthusiasm, joy and unity, has become a symbol of new beginnings with our neighbors as well as our country. We will accelerate the current momentum and host the 13th summit of our family council in Türkiye on this occasion. On this occasion, together with our citizens, from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan, from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan. “We wholeheartedly congratulate the Nevruz Holiday of all our friends and brothers from Turkmenistan to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Hungary. I also congratulate our Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian brothers who are struggling with the problems caused by war these days, and I hope that this meaningful day will lead to the end of the wars in our region. I hope that the spring climate brought by Nevruz will bring hope to our hearts, peace to our societies and peace to our world.”

‘IT IS THE FESTIVAL OF MEETING ON A COMMON DEnominator, NOT OF OTHERALIZATION; NEVRUZ’

AK Party Deputy Chairman and Head of Turkish States Relations Kürşat Zorlu, in his speech at the program, emphasized the meaning of Nevruz and said, “This holy day, dating back thousands of years, has been the scene of great festivities and celebrations by our ancestors to greet the awakening of nature with the arrival of spring. Nevruz, the new day, is not only a seasonal anniversary, but also an expression of renewal and beginning. Throughout history, Nevruz is not only a tradition, but also a very important event that represents the common memory and cultural continuity of our nation.” This legacy, which extends from the Seljuks to the Ottoman Empire, has been kept alive under different names in different periods, but its essence has always been unity, solidarity and brotherhood. Nevruz, whose meaning deepened during the years of national struggle, became one of the important days that reflected the spirit of resurrection of our nation. In 1921, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk personally participated in this meaningful day. It should not be forgotten that the spirit of brotherhood has endured many storms and foiled countless games. Of course, those who want to divide and sow discord among us have existed in every era. However, no matter what they do, they will never be able to destroy or extinguish our nation’s spirit of solidarity and our goal of integrating our internal front. Today, we have to keep our front strong and strengthen our unity and solidarity. The spirit of Nevruz reminds us of this. Nevruz is the holiday of embracing, not of separation, but of meeting on common ground. “We are proud to celebrate it in our beautiful city, Gaziantep, which adds value to our country with its production and culture,” he said.

‘LET THIS FIRE BRING PEACE’

Stating that Nevruz Holiday is a harbinger of unity, love and peace, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin said:

“Under the auspices of our esteemed President, my esteemed governor, and hosted by our esteemed MPs, we lit the Nevruz fire today at the Kamil Ocak Sports Hall. I wish this fire to be a fire where all evil goes away, all wars stop, all good things come, spring comes, and mother earth wars end. Let this fire bring peace, let this peace build the new world where the children in the world do not die. Nevruz did not come only to the soil. Nevruz came to our hearts as a cemre. It came with love. It came with love. If we want to transform the current world into a world where the righteous are strong, we want unity in language, unity in thought, and unity in work, with the fire we lit with Newroz. Yusuf Has Hacip says: ‘If there is unity, there is peace. If there is peace, there is love.’ Welcome to the spring, Newroz, where evil turns into goodness, separation turns into unity, hostility turns into friendship, you bring joy. “We are celebrating a double holiday.”

After various shows and concerts, the program ended with the protocol and citizens celebrating the holiday and taking commemorative photographs.

A strong and organized wave of support came from the political world to CHP Chairman Özgür Özel’s allegations against Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek. AK Party management, MPs and People’s Alliance representatives emphasized that they stand by Minister Gürlek with their successive statements. Support for Minister Gürlek was not limited to the People’s Alliance.

ÖMER ÇELİK: “BASED AND DISINFORMATION”

AK Party Deputy Chairman, Party Spokesperson and Adana Deputy Ömer Çelik was one of the first people to react. Speaking after the AK Party Central Executive Committee held under the chairmanship of Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Çelik described Özel’s claims as “baseless and disinformation”. AK Party Spokesperson Çelik Ömer Çelik said about Özgür Özel: “He is the only politician whose eraser runs out before his pencil. He makes so many mistakes that he has to use the eraser all the time. My fear is this. At this rate, he will erase the Republican People’s Party from history.”

Spokesperson Çelik stated that although Özgür Özel had been promising to explain for days, he constantly postponed it, and that the allegations he made were not based on documents, as in the past, and were later denied. Reminding that state officials declared assets, Ömer Çelik emphasized that the allegations were not based on any concrete evidence. Stating that the “I heard, they said” style of politics is frivolous, Çelik said that those who have allegations should take it to court, otherwise it is “the politics of lies”.

FATMA BETÜL SAYAN KAYA: “PERCEPTION OPERATION”

AK Party Deputy Chairman and Head of Social Policies Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya stated that Minister Gürlek made the necessary statement and evaluated Özgür Özel’s allegations as “a perception operation that is not based on evidence and aims to mislead the public”. Kaya said, “The facts cannot be covered up with slanders, and the manifestation of justice cannot be prevented.”

HARD REACTION FROM EYYÜP KADİR İNAN

AK Party General Secretary Eyyüp Kadir İnan criticized Özgür Özel with harsh words in his statement. Resharing Minister Gürlek’s statement, İnan criticized the CHP administration heavily and emphasized that politics cannot be carried out this way.

İZZET ULVİ Yönter FROM MHP ALSO GAVE CLEAR SUPPORT TO MINISTER GÜRLEK

Deputy Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party and Istanbul Deputy İzzet Ulvi Yönter said, “We stand by our Minister of Justice, Mr. Akın Gürlek, until the end” and described the allegations as “reputation assassination”.

MASTER FROM THE DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE GNAT GROUP: WE EXPECT THE SAME TRANSPARENCY FROM ÖZEL

AK Party TBMM Group Deputy Chairman and Ankara Deputy Leyla Şahin Usta said in her statement, “Our Minister made the necessary statement and clearly stated that the process will be followed by legal means, with all its documents. However, we expect the same openness and transparency from Özgür Özel.” He used his expressions. AK Party TBMM Group Deputy Chairman Usta continued his words and said, “A clear statement should be made to the public about the assets of the persons on trial, especially Ekrem İmamoğlu, other than the salaries declared by them.”

MAHİR ÜNAL: “POLITICS IS DONE WITH PROOF”

AK Party MKYK Member Mahir Ünal reminded that Özgür Özel could not support similar claims with concrete data before and said, “Politics is not done with slander, but with data and proof.” MKYK member Ünal stated that Minister Gürlek’s statement was “the strongest answer of the truth”.

MUSTAFA VARANK: IS IT A COINCIDENCE THAT THOSE WHO DEFEND DIPLOMA CORRUPTION AND THOSE WHO CRITICIZE THE MINISTER ARE THE SAME?

AK Party Bursa Deputy Mustafa Varan said, “Do you think it is a coincidence that those who wildly defend Ekrem İmamoğlu, a diploma fraudster who failed the university exam, transferred to a university in Türkiye by fraudulently defrauding people’s rights, and those who wildly criticize a Minister who is successful in the university exam, attends classes carefully, takes notes carefully, and tries to earn pocket money from these notes are the same people?” He made a statement.

CONSECUTIVE SHARES FROM OSMAN GÖKÇEK

AK Party MKYK Member and Ankara Deputy Osman Gökçek drew attention with two separate statements he made while resharing Minister Gürlek’s statement. Gökçek, referring to Özgür Özel’s Luxembourg claim, criticized the claims by saying, “Luxembourg has no sea.” He also pointed out the silence regarding the Muhittin Böcek allegations and emphasized that the public is waiting for a clear answer.

VISUAL REACTION FROM MEHMET UMUT TUNCER

AK Party MKYK Member and Deputy Chairman Mehmet Umut Tuncer also reacted to the allegations in his post, mocking the allegations and saying, “You can even see a port in Luxembourg.”

ABDULKADİR ÖZEL: WE FINISHED LAW SCHOOL WITH THOSE GRADES

AK Party Hatay Deputy Abdulkadir Özel made a statement as follows: “I wish every penny we gave to our student friends who took regular notes and sold them… We may not have been able to save the world, but we graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Law with those grades.”

SUPPORT FROM THE PHILOSOPHY PARTY GROUP CHAIRMAN KAYA

Support for Minister Gürlek was not limited to the People’s Alliance. Saadet Party Istanbul deputy and GNAT Group Chairman Bülent Kaya said, “The Minister of Justice’s publication of a web printout showing the title deed records regarding the allegations against him is an important step in terms of discussions. Justice does not tolerate controversy and stain.” he said.

LARGE SUPPORT TABLE DRAWED ATTENTION

Many MPs and party officials, including AK Party Deputy Chairman, Promotion and Media Chairman Faruk Acar, Economic Affairs Chairman Nihat Zeybekçi and General Secretary Eyyüp Kadir İnan, MKYK members Ayşe Keşir, Hilal Kalyoncu Kuş, Hilmi Türkmen and Mehmet Kırmızı, re-shared Minister Akın Gürlek’s statements regarding Private.

Statements from a wide range of people, from AK Party Deputy Chairman to MPs, from TBMM commission chairmen to alliance partners, revealed a strong support picture for Minister Gürlek. These simultaneous and clear messages from the upper echelons of politics and the intense statements of support invalidated the claims that “Akın Gürlek was left alone” made by CHP executives and various names in the opposition media.

Minister Fidan made a written evaluation to members of the press after his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Fidan stated that it is evaluated that the war in the Gulf countries will last for 2-3 more weeks and said, “The decisive factor here will be the attitude of the USA. Israel will try to influence the USA and will want to prevent a ceasefire or a peace in a short time. Assessments that the initial positions of the USA and Israel are moving away from each other have increased. This may result in a further prolongation of the war. The option of negotiating while there is a war does not seem very likely. But if I declare a short-term ceasefire and start negotiations during this period, ‘If I do not get results from the negotiation, I will start the war again.’ We should also take into consideration the possibility of saying that.

Israel may also follow a policy such as ‘Let the war last as long as possible, let’s cause more damage to Iran’. The attitude of the USA against this approach will gain importance. Israel gives the impression that it will not stop it without eliminating military and industrial targets that are important to them. Assassinations continue. Israel started this war. The problem is not that there are no plans to end the war. The problem is that Israel does not want peace. “We emphasize this fact everywhere, at every opportunity,” he said.

‘WE WILL CONTINUE TO USE ALL DIPLOMATIC GROUNDS’

Pointing out that many things may change in the Gulf after the war, Minister Fidan said, “They may engage in new pursuits in the field of defense industry. After the end of the war, Gulf countries can clearly state their expectations from Iran and focus on economic cooperation if certain conditions are met. Iran may also come forward with some demands regarding US bases in the Gulf. This is also an important point; oil and LNG passing through the Strait of Hormuz go to China, EU countries, South Korea, Japan and India. These countries “What will their expectations be? We see that trust in Türkiye has increased after this war. We have not taken an ambivalent stance since the beginning. Everyone sees that we are clearly telling all parties about the mistakes that have been made and that what has been done to Iran and the Gulf countries are wrong,” he said.

Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi met with press representatives at the Security and Emergency Situations Coordination Center (GAMER) and answered questions. He made important statements regarding Türkiye’s new era security vision. Minister Çiftçi emphasized that continuity in state administration is essential and stated that a more proactive and holistic approach will be adopted in Türkiye’s security strategy in the new period. Stating that not only physical capacity will be increased in the new period, Çiftçi noted that digitalization, local and national technologies and strengthening inter-institutional coordination are among the priority targets. “We want to establish a permanent system that will dry up the sources of crime,” said Çiftçi, adding that a structure based on a strong state, strong technology and strong community cooperation will be created.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMBAT

Minister Çiftçi said, “We will not leave any space in the digital world where criminals can feel safe.” he said. Stating that he is the father of a special operations police officer, Çiftçi stated that he knows the problems of the personnel closely and announced that efforts are continuing for a new regulation suitable for the growing structure of the organization. Çiftçi emphasized that security is to be permanently established in Türkiye and said, “We will continue our work with determination for a Türkiye where our citizens feel safe everywhere.”

EMPHASIS ON DETERMINATION

Çiftçi said that children are a priority in the new security approach, school environments are closely monitored and possible dangers are detected in advance thanks to the technological infrastructure. Minister Çiftçi said that there was no unusual situation at the border gates.

Intensive work continues at Türkiye’s first Center for Combating Islamophobia, established within Ankara Bilim University. The center, whose short name is ‘CENTERCIF’, has organized many different national and international events, from conferences to competitions. Within the scope of the work, ambassadors of Muslim countries were visited one by one, and UN Special Representative for Combating Islamophobia, Miguel Angel Moratinos, was also hosted in Ankara. The Center also organized the ‘Strategic Roadmap to Combat Islamophobia Consultation Meeting’ at the Presidential National Library about 2 months ago. Representatives from many important institutions such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, RTÜK and YTB attended the meeting.

5 MAIN GOALS

Speaking to SABAH, Ankara Bilim University Rector and CENTERCIF Director Prof. Dr. Yavuz Demir announced that they created 7 different working groups for the next road map. Noting that they have 5 main goals in the long term, Demir shared: “Our priorities are to support academic research in the field of Islamophobia, to guide national and international legal grounds, to handle problems in a data-oriented manner, to act against Islamophobia not alone but with a wide network of stakeholders including international initiatives, and to ensure that the organizational structure of the center becomes a well-established and effective structure.”

COUNTRY BY COUNTRY ANALYSIS

Noting that the CENTERCIF Advisory Board currently consists of respected members from different countries, Demir also announced that they will hold an international summit together with RTÜK in Bosnia-Herzegovina in July. Demir said, “Our activities to establish cooperation based on knowledge and experience sharing with research centers and institutes in different countries of the world operating in areas such as Islamophobia and discrimination continue. We establish strong contacts with international umbrella organizations in order to produce permanent policies on a global scale. By establishing country-focused working groups, we carry out special studies for in-depth analysis of Islamophobic practices, discriminatory practices and legal gaps in relevant countries.”

THE INSTITUTE WAS ALSO FOUNDED

Noting that in addition to CENTERCIF, the Islamophobia Research Institute was established within the university, Demir said, “Our institute aims to conduct research on this subject in addition to postgraduate training. On the other hand, our center currently continues its activities on our university campus. However, we aim to move to a new location in a short time.”