K9 (Dog) Training and Disaster Response Unit, equipped by Türkiye, supports search and rescue efforts in the earthquake that occurred in Venezuela. K9 Training and Disaster Response Unit is running from one wreckage to another in the city of La Guaira, which was most affected by the earthquake in Venezuela and where widespread destruction occurred, with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) sign on their backs and the message “From the hearts of the Turkish people” on their cars.

7 DAYS OF MOURNING WAS DECLARED

Coordinator of the Unit, Marcos Sequera, stated that they served in Türkiye after the February 6, 2023 earthquakes and said, “As a result of what we did in Türkiye in 2023 and the relations between Venezuela and Turkey, we were provided with equipment to strengthen our intervention capacity. We received uniforms, helmets and 2 vehicles from TİKA to provide our transportation.” 2,295 people lost their lives due to consecutive earthquakes that occurred in Venezuela on June 24. 7 days of mourning were declared in the country. Meanwhile, on the 8th day of the earthquake, security guard Hernan Alberto Gil Flores (44) was rescued from his injuries.

The fraud gang called SA and DA, a 70-year-old retired couple living in Bursa’s Mudanya district, with open lines they obtained from abroad, and said that many phone lines and bank accounts were opened in their names and that these accounts were used by terrorist organizations. He frightened and directed the victim couple with the lie, “We will cooperate with you. We will search your home and examine your jewelry for fingerprints.” With this method, the suspects received foreign currency and jewelery worth approximately 4 million 250 thousand liras. Not content with this, the gang spent approximately 7 million 600 thousand lira through front companies using the credit cards of the victims. The fraudsters sold 7 properties registered to the couple well below their real value and defrauded the elderly couple of 100 million TL for 3 months.

THEY SCAMMED AND OFFERED DESSERT
In order to prevent the crime from being discovered, the fraudsters sent personnel to the house to delete the messages and all digital evidence on the victims’ phones. At the end of 3 months, the gang members offered sweets to the old couple and gave them a new mobile phone, saying “The operation has been completed, be safe.” Meanwhile, the fraudster deleted all applications, banking transactions and messages on the old phone used by the couple, eliminated digital evidence and left the house. An investigation was launched upon the application of the couple, who realized that they had been defrauded. In the investigation carried out by Bursa Provincial Police Department Public Order Branch Directorate Fraud Bureau teams under the coordination of Mudanya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was determined that the first calls were made from abroad. Within the scope of technical surveillance, 70 hours of footage from 40 different security cameras were examined and the identities of the suspects were determined one by one.

6 WERE ARRESTED
14 suspects were detained in simultaneous operations held in Bursa, Istanbul, Mersin, Şanlıurfa, Rize, Artvin, Aydın, Konya and Sarp Border Gate. While a large amount of digital material was seized during the searches carried out at the suspects’ addresses, 3 vehicles believed to have been obtained from crime were also seized. 6 of the suspects who were referred to the courthouse were arrested and sent to prison. While a judicial control decision was made for 5 suspects, 3 people were released by the prosecutor’s office. It was learned that 3 suspects who were determined to be involved in the incident within the scope of the investigation were in prison for other crimes. It was learned that the victim elderly couple has not yet received their money back, there may be other victims defrauded by gang members, and the investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Ankara Governorship announced the security and traffic measures to be implemented before the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit to be held on 7-8 July. Accordingly, between 6-9 July, comprehensive arrangements will be made on the routes used by heads of state, especially Esenboğa and Etimesgut airports.

As part of the measures, the use of scooters will not be allowed around many main arteries and summit hotels, and parked scooters will be removed by July 4. The activities of motor couriers will also be stopped in the same regions between 6-9 July.

While a parking ban is imposed on the summit routes between 4-9 July, fuel tankers, concrete mixers and other heavy tonnage vehicles will not be allowed into the city center from 16:00 on 5 July to 10:00 on 10 July.

Alternative transportation routes were determined for vehicles carrying food and medicine.

Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters will host its first official organization within the scope of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit to be held in Ankara on 7-8 July.

Crescent and Star Joint Headquarters, whose foundation was laid on August 30, 2021, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is preparing for its first official organization. The campus, whose construction has been largely completed in Ankara, will host guest defense ministers and high-level representatives of NATO within the scope of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit to be held on July 7-8.

At the headquarters, which opened its doors to members of the press for the first time with the weekly press briefing of the Ministry of National Defense, a reception is planned to be held in the “Star” section within the scope of the summit. In the campus designed with inspiration from the crescent and star Turkish flag, the Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff and the Land, Naval and Air Force Commands will operate on the same campus. The headquarters was built with a smart building concept, environmentally friendly architecture and advanced technology infrastructure; It is equipped with security systems and advanced engineering solutions against cyber security, ballistic protection, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) threats.

It is aimed that Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters, which is among the world’s leading military headquarters with its security infrastructure supported by the Steel Dome concept, will serve the current and future needs of the Turkish Armed Forces for many years.

The alarm about the Ankara NATO Leaders Summit continues in the Western press. The summit to be hosted by Türkiye is given wide coverage in the US and European media. Finally, the US-based Bloomberg agency covered the summit. “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will show why Europe needs Türkiye,” said the news, “NATO meeting in Ankara
“Before the summit, Turkey became the vital base of the alliance with its 10 billion dollar domestic defense industry,” the statement said. Bloomberg analysis emphasized that the S-400 and F-35 crises can be overcome and that Türkiye sees itself as the leader of the European security architecture in the post-US period.

THE MOST CRITICAL SUMMIT

The Ankara Summit, where the historic decisions taken at NATO’s summit held in The Hague last year will be implemented for the first time, will constitute one of the most important turning points after the Cold War as the starting point of the “NATO 3.0” process, which expresses the Alliance’s comprehensive transformation from defense expenditures to force structure, from the defense industry to transatlantic burden sharing.

AGENDA INTENSIVE

There are many critical topics on the leaders’ table that will shape the future of the Alliance, from the implementation of the decisions taken at the Hague Summit last year to increasing defense expenditures, from the implementation of the NATO Force Model to strengthening the production capacity of the defense industry, from the new responsibilities that Europe will undertake to continuing support to Ukraine.

COMING WITH A DELEGATION OF 1000 PEOPLE
US President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Ankara on the afternoon of July 7 as part of the NATO Leaders Summit. During the program to be held within the scope of the official visit, Trump will be welcomed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex. Soldiers in special uniforms representing 16 major Turkish states will also take part in the welcoming ceremony.

Within the scope of the program, Erdoğan and Trump are planned to have a one-on-one meeting and then a meeting between delegations.

It is expected that Trump will rest after the talks and then attend the official dinner to be held in honor of NATO leaders at the Presidential Complex. While the US President is expected to come to Ankara with a delegation of more than 1000 people, the visit is considered to be important for the NATO Summit as well as for Türkiye-US relations. Betül USTA/ANKARA

TRUMP WILL COME WITH HIS NEW PLANE
US President Donald Trump will come to Ankara with his new plane. The helicopter was disassembled and transported to Türkiye. A test flight was made with the helicopter, which was reassembled by a special team. Trump will use ‘The Beast’ as his vehicle of office.

Qualifications to be sought in the personnel, application form and time, acceptance of the application, reasons for making and terminating the contract, forms and procedures of the record to be given, actions to be taken in cases of failure in duty, failure to adapt and not being able to benefit from them, principles applied in the extension of the contract, necessary conditions for specialist corporals to become specialist sergeants, principles applied for those to be promoted to the petty officer class, subordinate-superior relations and the procedures regarding these matters. The form and other related issues will be regulated by the regulation prepared jointly by the Ministries of National Defense and Internal Affairs.

With the amendment made to the Law on the Regulation of Public Finance and Debt Management, it is aimed to authorize the Minister of National Defense or the Minister of Internal Affairs, depending on their interest, to manage the accounts opened in foreign currency at the Central Bank in order to ensure more effective, economic and efficient use of the funds allocated to the budgets of the ministries of National Defense and Internal Affairs in order to initiate, maintain and develop relations with friendly and allied countries within the scope of grants and aid activities for defense and security purposes to be made to foreign countries and organizations on behalf of Turkey and to direct the following periods.

Accordingly, the President or individuals and organizations determined by the Presidential Decree will be authorized to negotiate and sign agreements regarding grants and aid for defense and security purposes to foreign countries and organizations on behalf of the Republic of Turkey. Grants and aid provisions to be given to foreign countries for this purpose will be covered from the appropriations to be placed in the budgets of the ministries of National Defense and Internal Affairs. The agreements in question will enter into force with the Presidential Decree. The cash grants and aid specified in the agreement can be recorded as an expense in the budget and transferred to a foreign currency account opened at the Central Bank. The relevant minister to whom appropriations are placed in the budget will be authorized to manage the opened accounts. Payments will be made from the relevant account within the framework of the provisions of the agreement and the principles to be determined by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS WILL ALLOCATE 10 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL QUOTA AND APPOINTMENT PERMITS

The “Public Employment” provision of the Contracted Private and Private Law is being amended. Accordingly, without prejudice to compulsory situations arising from mobilization, war or the fight against terrorism, those who have completed at least 7 years of service as contracted sergeants and privates, those who have a positive qualification certificate, and provided that they meet the conditions other than the exam conditions in the relevant legislation and are not over 41 years of age as of the date of application, public institutions and organizations will be employed as execution and protection officers, market and neighborhood guards, forest conservation officers, administrative surveillance personnel, protection and security officers, police officers, firefighters, drivers and support personnel. can be appointed to contracted positions within the framework of the procedures and principles in this article, within the quota and appointment permissions.

Applications of those who want to benefit from this provision will be received every year and their personal information regarding the recruitment conditions will be notified to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security by the Ministry of Internal Affairs or National Defense by the last day of October. It will be essential to renew the application every year. Notifying the information of the relevant personnel will not constitute a right for appointment alone.

Public institutions and organizations will be obliged to allocate 10 percent of the total quota and appointment permits to be recruited within the scope of this provision in the personnel recruitments to be made that year for the staff and contracted titles of execution and protection officers, market and neighborhood guards, forest conservation officers, administrative surveillance personnel, protection and security officers, police officers, firefighters, drivers and support personnel, and notify the Ministry of Labor and Social Security with the recruitment conditions until the end of December. Provided that 10 percent of the previous year’s quotas or appointment permits reported to the Ministry are used in the new year, they will not be subject to the new year’s open and transferred appointment numbers.

For those on the list sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of National Defense, placements will be made or will be made in one go to the quotas notified by public institutions or organizations by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security to determine the candidates who will be subjected to an oral examination until March 1 of each year. Among those who meet the conditions in the guide to be published, candidates 4 times the quota will be determined by lottery method, taking into account their preferences. Information about those who are appointed among those who are successful in the oral exam to be held within 3 months by the commissions formed by the relevant institution, will be notified by the relevant public institution and organization to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the institution where the public personnel information system is located, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs or National Defense, depending on its relevance, by the relevant public institution and organization within one month of their appointment.

In the oral exam to be held by the commission established by the relevant institution, candidates will be evaluated on the basis of their “general culture and general ability”, “understanding and summarizing a subject, ability to express and reasoning power”, “merit, representation ability, suitability of their attitudes and behaviors for the task”, “self-confidence, persuasiveness and credibility”, “openness to scientific and technological developments”. Each member of the examination board will evaluate the candidates out of 20 points for each of the characteristics written in the paragraphs, and the scores given will be recorded separately in the minutes. It will be calculated how many points each member gave to the candidate in total out of 100 full points. The oral exam score of the staff will be determined by taking the arithmetic average of the scores given by all members out of 100.

Contracted non-commissioned officers and privates who leave after completing 7 years of service will not be required to have a private security basic education consisting of theoretical, practical and weapons training, not less than 120 course hours in the Law on Private Security Services; at least 8 years of primary or secondary school education will not be required for those who will perform unarmed duties; and at least a high school or equivalent school graduation requirement will not be required for those who will perform armed duties.

The appointed personnel will benefit from the financial and other rights of the staff or position to which they are appointed, starting from the date of commencement of duty. Their service periods as contracted sergeants and privates will be evaluated in determining their earned rights, salaries, grades and levels, by counting as 1 grade advancement for each year and 1 grade advancement for every 3 years, provided that they do not exceed the grades they can be promoted to according to their education status stipulated in the Civil Servants Law. Within the scope of this provision, those appointed to civil servant positions cannot be appointed to another title for at least 4 years. Those who do not start their duties despite receiving appointment approval and those who leave their duties for any reason after starting cannot be re-employed within the scope of this article. Those who are appointed to these titles declared by public institutions and organizations, in any way, will be deemed to have used the right granted in this regulation.

Procedures and principles regarding application, notification, lottery, appointment and other transactions will be regulated by a regulation to be jointly issued by the ministries of Labor and Social Security, Internal Affairs and National Defense. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security will be authorized to resolve any doubts that may arise within the scope of this provision, to request the necessary information and documents, to conduct research and examination, and to direct the implementation.

PROCEDURES AND PRINCIPLES FOR PROCEEDING TO THE SENIOR SPECIALIST

According to the change in the procedures, principles and conditions regarding the promotion of contracted sergeants and privates to the rank of specialist sergeants, the requirement to be successful in the physical qualification and evaluation test and written and/or interview exams will be required.

The regulation also determines the evaluation principles for physical qualification and evaluation tests, as well as written and interview exams. Accordingly, if a written exam is held, the written exam will include general culture subjects and professional knowledge subjects. At least 50 points out of 100 will be required in the written exam. The written exam may be administered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs or National Defense, or by other public institutions and organizations or universities, depending on the interest.

In order to be considered successful in the physical qualification and evaluation test, the candidate must get at least 50 points out of 100 from each of the tests to be applied and the arithmetic average of the scores obtained from these tests must be at least 60 points.

In case of an interview exam, the chairman and members of the interview team will be determined by the Ministry of Internal Affairs or National Defense, depending on their interest. More than one delegation may be formed depending on the number of candidates. During the interview, candidates will be evaluated out of 100 full points in terms of general appearance, ability to understand what is asked of them, self-confidence, CV, personality, psychological structure, ability to express themselves, ability to use body language, emotional balance, extroversion, adaptability, responsibility, openness, suitability for the profession and willingness. The interview exam score of the candidate will be determined by taking the average of the grades evaluated independently by each member. The candidate participating in the interview exam will be required to score a minimum of 70 points.

The proportions of the physical qualification and evaluation test and written and/or interview exams within the evaluation score based on success ranking will be determined by the Ministry of Internal Affairs or National Defense, depending on their relevance.

In case of equality of evaluation scores based on the success ranking, priority will be given to the one with the higher physical qualification and evaluation test scores first, and if the equality continues, to the one with longer actual service time, and if this is also equal, priority will be given to the one taking into account the education level, rank status and reward or penalty points, respectively.

After the proposal was accepted, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Tekin Bingöl closed the meeting to meet at 15.00 on Tuesday, July 14.