Türkiye’s rise in the defense industry has reached remarkable levels. Defense Industry President Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün announced that Türkiye’s defense industry exports, which were made in a year 20 years ago, are now realized in a week. Görgün said, “We export 240 million dollars in a week and approximately 1 billion dollars in defense industry per month.” Speaking at the Future AI Summit 26 hosted by Bahçeşehir University, Görgün emphasized that the transformation experienced in the defense industry in recent years is not limited only to production capacity, but the power of technology development has also increased significantly.

GIANT LEAP IN 20 YEARS
Saying that Türkiye has made a great breakthrough in the field of defense industry in the last 20 years, Görgün stated that the increase in export figures is the most concrete indicator of this. Stating that Türkiye has become a manufacturer that not only meets its own needs but also has a say in the global market, Görgün pointed out the success especially in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles. Emphasizing that it is of strategic importance for Türkiye to produce UAVs and UCAVs, which dominate 65 percent of the world market in their class, Görgün said that behind this success are strong human resources and technology investments.

CRITICAL CALL TO YOUTH
Pointing out that the role of young people is critical in the success of the defense industry, Görgün said that the average age of employees in the sector is quite young. Stating that the average age has dropped to 28 in some technology companies, Görgün emphasized that young people should be at the center of production processes in order for Türkiye to remain strong in the technology race. Addressing young people, Görgün called on them to “Be engineers of technology, not spectators.”

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS CHANGING THE BALANCES
Touching on the transformative effect of artificial intelligence in the defense industry at the summit, Görgün said that this technology stands at a different point from other technological leaps in human history. Görgün said, “For the first time, a technology is trying to be added to our minds. Artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool; it is a strategic power that transforms mind, production and decision mechanisms.”

130 SPEAKERS PARTICIPATED
At Future AI Summit 26, organized this year with the theme of “Redesigning Intelligence”, the impact of artificial intelligence in many areas from education to defense, from health to entrepreneurship is discussed. At the summit, 130 speakers discuss the present and future of artificial intelligence on three different stages. The event will continue today with different sessions and panels.

“ALLY for Future: Young Muslim Women Leadership Program” started in Ankara. Delivering a speech titled “Women Making a Difference: Examples of Leadership in the Struggle for Human Rights” at the event held at the hotel in the capital, ALLY for Future Founder and President of the Women’s Advisory Council of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Dr. Esra Albayrak said that young women from 25 countries came to the program and that they met for the 3rd time in the women’s leadership program, which they laid the foundations of with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Women’s Advisory Council, which they worked to establish 10 years ago.
Albayrak showed the participants the images of a doctor and nurse performing surgery with a phone light, an engineer trying to bring clean water with limited resources, and a mother trying to maintain her child’s routine in a war environment. Pointing out that women who lead society in the world’s most difficult conditions are almost never seen in the world’s dominant leadership narrative, he asked: “Why don’t we see women in this dominant narrative?” Emphasizing that they had to ask the question, Albayrak said that the answer dates back to the founding of the modern world. Emphasizing that their languages, colors and cultures may seem different, but they look at the horizon with the same faith and shoulder the burden of the same age together, Albayrak said:
“On the one hand, we, women, bear the weight of wars, migrations, and rising Islamophobia the most, as in every period of history. On the other hand, we are struggling to express ourselves within a map drawn by someone else’s definitions. I see many young women among you who feel the weight of these burdens intensely on their shoulders. Dear young friends, remember that that burden is your only opportunity. That burden is your treasure, not the one that oppresses you, but the one that lifts you up, makes you walk tall, and creates the steel will to stand against the unfair world. It is the treasure of history. When you look at those who change their direction, you see those who have the courage to lift the burden on their shoulders, that is, those who have a problem, those who have a problem that will get them out of bed early every morning. We may not all have to pay the same price, but we must have a cause, a problem for which we are willing to risk death.

BECAUSE HE IS HUMAN…
Underlining that he was not talking about artificial problems imported from the agendas of other centers, Albayrak said, “I am talking about the cause of establishing our own story, constructing our own narrative, and making an understanding that sees humans as valuable just because they are human, dominant in the world.”
Albayrak said, “This problem is much more critical in our current period because we are currently standing on two great thresholds of history.”
“We talk about the troubles, but we witness that the same troubles create an opportunity. On one side, Gaza… It clearly shows us the moral bankruptcy of the established global order and so-called universal values. That map we have been talking about from the beginning is literally crumbling before our eyes. This is a historical threshold. On the other hand, it is a beginning that has not yet been written. Artificial intelligence is the technocolonial order that we see can be rebuilt with artificial intelligence. Humanity is in the beginning days of perhaps the greatest transformation since the printing press. This transformation is either the existing unjust system or the beginning of it.” “The old map is collapsing, the new map has not been drawn yet, the moral codes have not been written yet, but we may have the opportunity to be at the table of the new order. We, as young people, must be candidates for this.”
Albayrak thanked the Ministry of Family and Social Services for bringing them together in the program, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other institutions for their support.

THE MOST PRIMARY SUBJECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT MARCH
In his opening speech, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said, “Women, who were once excluded from university gates, public institutions and working life due to their beliefs and clothes, have today become the most essential subjects of Türkiye’s development march.” Göktaş noted the following: – The rate of female university students, which was 14 percent in 2002, will be 53 percent in 2025.
– The rate of female lecturers, which was 36 percent in 2002, is 53 percent today.
– Women’s representation in the Turkish Grand National Assembly increased to 19.8 percent.
– 40 percent of judges and prosecutors are women.

AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik said, “Our presidential candidate is President Erdoğan.” AK Party Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK) convened yesterday under the chairmanship of President Erdoğan. Making evaluations about the meeting, Çelik answered journalists’ questions. Çelik used the following expressions for MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli’s statement ‘rejecting early elections’: “We welcome Mr. Bahçeli’s statements. His statements reiterated that the candidacy of our President is the common will of the People’s Alliance and our unity and solidarity. It was a statement showing the consensus and determination on this issue. For our party, our Presidential candidate in the upcoming elections is our President Erdoğan.” He also made evaluations about the Terror-Free Türkiye process. Çelik emphasized that very important progress has been made in our country and that the Parliament report is extremely important. Çelik said: “At today’s point, it is important that the report stands behind its content and its signature. It is the dissolution of the armed structure of the PKK and the KJK, with all its elements and extensions, and the end of its illegal structure. These illegal structures must be removed from Türkiye’s agenda. Today, we can clearly say that we are at a new stage. A legal framework will emerge to ensure the disarmament and the termination of the existence of the terrorist organization and its illegal structures in order to ensure that the requirements of the commission report are fulfilled. We believe that this legal framework will be put into Parliament as soon as possible.” “We think it should be considered on the agenda.” Pointing out that the legal framework stage has been reached where the terrorist organization will disappear and the armed structure will end, Çelik said, “It is important for all political parties and all circles to contribute to this legal framework. Turkey is capable of overcoming this issue with a common will, without making any compromises, and with the experience of the state.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke as follows at the AK Party Ankara Organization Meeting held at ATO Congresium:

WE WILL HOST WORLD LEADERS: While our political opponents are fighting for seats day and night, we, as the government and alliance, are struggling to prepare Türkiye for the future. Ankara will host important summits this year. NATO 36th Meeting of Heads of State and Government will be held on 7-8 July. We will host many leaders, including US President Donald Trump, on the occasion of the summit. In the autumn, our family council, the Organization of Turkish States Summit, will be held in Ankara again. This year, Ankara’s international visibility will increase more than ever and it will make a name for itself as the center of global diplomacy.

WE DID NOT TRY TO FIND NULL ARGUMENTS: As the AK Party, our understanding of politics is based on work and service. We are not among those who sweep problems under the rug, but rather work to solve them. We didn’t look for excuses, we didn’t take refuge in excuses, we didn’t try to find ridiculous arguments.

HE SEEN EVERYTHING WHICH HE HAD HAD A HAMMER AS A NAIL: But those who could not do politics with a vision and a project could not show the same skill in finding solutions to problems as they did in making excuses. You know, he saw everything that had a hammer in his hand as a nail. They have no words other than excuses and heroism. Because they do not have a plan or project that they can present to the nation. We all follow what they are dealing with; There are no days without fights and noise. They harm not only themselves but also the political establishment.

WE COULD NOT SOLVE THE OPPOSITION’S CHRONIC VISION PROBLEM: We solved many problems of our country during our rule, but we could not solve the opposition’s chronic vision problem. Unfortunately, we could not teach opposition actors who were accustomed to comfort how to work, develop projects and serve. We could not teach them to take a local and national stance on issues such as foreign policy, defense, the fight against tutelage and terrorism. Türkiye’s opposition gap, far from closing, is growing larger. Believe me, we feel sorry for our country when we see the deplorable state in which the political institution has fallen into the hands of those who love their seats and careers.

WE MADE THINGS CALLED DREAMS: No one thought that Türkiye could make big moves in such a short time in areas such as education, health, justice, security, transportation, economy, foreign policy and tourism. Very few people believed that our country could write a success story in the defense industry, of which Ankara is the locomotive. If we said that we would increase our exports from 36 billion dollars to 275 billion dollars, our tourism income from 12.4 billion dollars to 65 billion dollars, our defense exports from 248 million dollars to 11 billion dollars, and our national income from 236 billion dollars to 1.6 trillion dollars, we would be accused of dream mongering. If we said that we would make Türkiye first a regional power and then the quarterback of global politics, we would be accused of being a dreamer. We have undertaken a development move that was unimaginable and unimaginable 25 years ago.

WE EMBROIDED OUR NAME IN THE HEART OF OUR NATION: We turned dreams into goals, and goals into realities, one by one. With our radical reforms and silent revolutions, in the famous words of the late Özal, we brought Türkiye to a new era. With the support of Ankara, we had the pleasure of serving all of Türkiye and every individual of our beloved nation. While we raised the service standards in our country, we also raised the expectations of our citizens to higher levels. Thus, as the most successful team of our 103-year-old republic, we had our name engraved with glory and honor both in the hearts of our nation and in history.

WE WILL CELEBRATE OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM

This year we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of our party. We will celebrate our 25th anniversary with great enthusiasm in mid-August with a program worthy of us, our movement and our struggle. Ankara; He personally witnessed every stage of this party, from its fall into the hearts of the nation to its establishment, from its infancy to its coming to power. We founded the AK Party in Ankara. When we founded our party, almost no one thought that our country would make great progress in such a short time.

WE WANT TO SEE THE OPPOSITION WITH WHICH WE WILL COMPETE IN SERVICE

We do not find it right that Türkiye’s second largest party, whether it is our rival or the opposition, is associated with fights and tension. We are not faced with an opposition plagued by internal turmoil; We want to see an opposition with which we can compete in service, vision, work and ideas. Our search for an opposition that suits our quality and caliber continues today.

THE HEROIC ACTION OF JULY 15 WILL NOT BE ERATED FROM MEMORIES

The people of Ankara, whose ancestors rushed to Feth-i Mübin and defended their homeland in the War of Independence, defended the future of our nation on the night of July 15. We have not forgotten what happened that night in Kızılay, Social Complex, Parliament, Provincial Police Department, Gölbaşı, Kahramankazan and many other places. We have not forgotten the resistance of the brave men of Ankara who used their chests as a shield against bullets. We have not forgotten the sacrifice of our farmers from Ankara, who set their year’s harvest on fire for their country in one night. We have not forgotten the epic of our brothers who ran to the squares upon our call and prevented the coup with their bare hands. This aspect of Ankara does not change; This courage, this wisdom, this heroism of the people of Ankara will never be erased from our nation’s memory.

The statement at the police station of Erhan Karaal, Deputy General Manager of Kültür A.Ş., affiliated with IMM, who was tried without arrest in the “İmamoğlu Criminal Organization for Profitable Organization” case, who was kidnapped in Maltepe, Istanbul and rescued in a movie-like operation, has been revealed. 12 suspects detained regarding the incident were referred to the courthouse after their procedures. Erhan Karaal, the then Financial Affairs Manager of Kültür A.Ş., which caused a public loss of 6.2 billion lira through the advertising tenders given to pro-government companies in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, was being tried as a member of the organization in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality indictment, and his kidnapping 1 month before he was to make his defense drew attention to the tender files in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

In his first statement, Erhan Karaal, whose treatment continues in the hospital, was alleged to have said, “They forced me into the vehicle and beat me. They did not even allow me to look left or right. We changed a few vehicles. Then they took me to a warehouse.” Allegedly; The suspects asked Karaal about the location of 500 kilograms of gold, which was obtained through corruption by the Ekrem İmamoğlu Crime Organization and was considered lost. In Karaal’s statement, “When the suspects first beat me, they asked me, ‘Where is the 300 kilograms of gold?’ they said. And I said, ‘I don’t know.’ They beat me and asked ‘Where is the 500 kilograms of gold?’ they asked. They continued to beat him. “If the police had not come a little later, they would have killed me,” he was alleged to have said. It was learned that Karaal was tortured for 36 hours, his nails were pulled and he was beaten with an iron pipe.

‘IF THE CONTRACTORS HAVE ANY CONNECTION, I WILL COMPLAIN’
It was learned that Karaal said, “I had problems with these men, it is true. However, I do not think that the kidnappers are related to them. If they have a connection, I will file a complaint” regarding the two contractors in custody and a suspect who was dismissed from Kültür A.Ş.

In the simultaneous operation at a total of 90 addresses in 4 provinces centered in Istanbul, 42 suspects, including CHP’s Adalar Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat, Deputy Mayors Hüseyin Yılmaz and Fırat Durak, and municipal council members Yavuz Çiftçioğlu and Mehmet Nuri Kaya, were detained. The 3 people were released after their statements. Of the 39 suspects who were referred to the courthouse and interrogated by the prosecutor’s office, 35, including Akpolat, Yılmaz and Durak, were brought to court with a request for arrest. Judicial control was requested for 4 suspects. In the chain of scandals in which Akpolat and his assistants played the leading role, it was determined that every transaction, from turning a blind eye to illegal construction to license negotiations, had a “tariff”.

“A PROFIT-MAKING WHEEL”

According to the investigation file, the municipal administration first sent the police to illegal constructions and intimidated the property owners with sealing and high zoning fines. Then, intermediaries and deputy mayors stepped in and started negotiating bribes to “solve” these problems. With the investigation file, it was determined that this structure in the Adalar Municipality turned bribery into a “constant and profitable wheel” and used public resources for personal benefits.

“LET’S NOT GO TO THE BOTTOM, MAYOR”

It was determined that Deputy Mayor Hüseyin Yılmaz reminded Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat on January 21, 2026 that this place had reached the settlement license stage and that it had been “lowered” by 60-70 thousand euros in the previous period, and said, “Mayor, we should not go below 150 thousand euros.” It was determined that Mayor Akpolat said, “Let’s meet, I will talk like a monster, let’s not go below 100 thousand euros. We worked hard for that.” Later on, when Levent Durmuşoğlu offered 500 thousand liras (approximately 10 thousand euros) for the settlement, it was revealed that Hüseyin Yılmaz underestimated the figure by saying “Are you kidding me?”

On February 10, 2026, in the office room where the president and his deputy were present, it was seen that Durmuşoğlu objected to this figure, stating that the owner of the land, Müge Bouillon, was in financial difficulties.

It was revealed that after İrfan Durmuşoğlu did not pay the requested 150 thousand euros, the municipal administration put pressure on other construction works pursued by this person. Durmuşoğlu stated that his other projects on Pazar Street, Burhan Street and Şehit Ümit Ortaç Street were sealed because he did not pay the money.

In the tapes, it was determined that İrfan Durmuşoğlu said, “They are sealing this side to get 150 thousand dollars from me,” referring to the municipality administration, and described the situation as “i…ness” and “i…ness”.

THE MANSION BELONGS TO THE CEO
Negotiations for granting a residence and hotel license to a luxury mansion belonging to Müge Bouillon, who lives in France, on Heybeliada show that the municipal government works in foreign currency. It was determined that İrfan and Levent Durmuşoğlu were responsible for the business of this land belonging to Bouillon, who is the CEO of the Sweden-based gaming company Embracer Group.

SECURITY DEPARTMENT HEAD DELIVERED THE HARD DISKS
The corruption network in the Adalar Municipality was revealed through the statements and camera recordings given to the prosecutor’s office by Kasım Turan, the Security Department Chief of the municipality. While 2 hard disks were taken under protection by the police units on March 25, 2026, the disks were seized and an investigation was initiated with the decision of the Istanbul Anatolian 8th Criminal Judgeship of Peace dated March 26, 2026.

PROVEN BY TECHNICAL FOLLOW-UP
When the seized hard disks were examined, the moments when the people who allegedly paid bribes entered the municipality building with packages or bags considered to be money in their hands were captured.