Yılmaz spoke at the “Turkish Red Crescent Awards Ceremony” held at the Presidential Beştepe Nation Congress and Culture Center with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Stating that the Turkish Red Crescent started its journey of kindness 158 years ago on June 11, 1868, Yılmaz celebrated the birthday of the association.

Pointing to the future vision of the institution, Yılmaz said, “We are laying the foundation of the Plasma Fractionation Facility with the help of our President. It is a great honor for us. Today, on the one hand, we commemorate our history, we show loyalty to our history, on the one hand, we host and thank our very valuable donors, volunteers, and Red Crescent members, and on the other hand, we are taking an important step not only for the future of our Red Crescent but also for the future of our Turkey.” he said.

Yılmaz emphasized that the Turkish Red Crescent has become a charity movement that rushes to the troubles of the oppressed all over the world and is the first to turn on the light in times of disaster, and said:

“If this act of kindness reached more than 45 million people last year, many unnamed heroes of goodness have contributed to the prayers of these people and the oppressed. This story, the story of goodness, 158 years ago, is not actually the story of an institution. It is the story of our citizen who gave his own blood for the healing of a patient he did not know. It is the story of our volunteers who leave their own pain and rush to the pain of others in earthquakes, floods and fires, even though they are themselves victims of disasters.”

Stating that every volunteer and every donor who will be awarded today represents the power of goodness, Yılmaz stated that every award given shows that goodness is contagious.

“RED CRESCENT OPERATES IN 44 COUNTRIES”

Yılmaz stated that they operate in 44 countries abroad and that the aid entrusted to them by donors is delivered to those in need and prayers of kindness are conveyed to the donors.

Underlining that Gaza is experiencing the worst atrocity the world has ever seen today, Yılmaz said, “Women and children in Gaza are fighting hunger to find a piece of bread there. They are trying to find a place to lay their heads. With the contribution of our donors, 2.5 million Gazans who can reach a piece of bread in Gaza today, thanks to our soup kitchens, and receive health care, send their greetings and prayers to you.” he said.

Yılmaz emphasized that Türkiye is the country that provides the most aid to Gaza and said that, thanks to the contributions of donors, the Turkish Red Crescent is the association that provides aid to the most countries and reaches out to the most oppressed among 192 national societies.

Pointing out that the work carried out was not a coincidence, Yılmaz noted that this success was possible thanks to the donors’ trust in the Turkish Red Crescent and the volunteers’ efforts to do good by sacrificing their time and resources.

Yılmaz said, “We Red Crescent members know that as long as our nation and this spirit of charity of our nation are behind us, and as long as it is passed down from generation to generation, the Red Crescent will continue to provide this service for centuries.” he said.

AWARD RECIPIENTS

The award recipients in the program are as follows:

“Dedicated Volunteer of the Year” Yonus Özer, “Inspiring Volunteer of the Year” Hüseyin Seven, “Inspiring Blood Donor of the Year” Büşra Tokgöz, “Stem Cell Donor of the Year” Zübeyir Güçlü, “Young Blood Donor of the Year” Onur Yetkin, Abdullah Halid Er, Hasan Sünger, “Blood Donor of the Year” Canan Karabulut, “Individual of the Year” Donors” Kemal Taşhan (Kavi Gıda) and Mustafa Mangan (Mangan Proje), “Real Estate Donor of the Year” Abdullah Kaymak (BTPAR), “Consistent Donor of the Year” Sancak Yatırım, Kuralkan Bilişim, Starwood Orman Ürünleri AŞ, “National Corporate Donor of the Year” LC Waikiki, Atasay Kuyumculuk, İnci Ecza Deposu, “Donation Special Awards” Borsa Istanbul, MÜSİAD, YDA İnşaat, Kalyon Foundation, Anadolu Group, “Red Crescent Goodness Ambassador of the Year” Acun Ilıcalı (Acun Medya), “Public Institution Donor of the Year” Presidential Protection Services General Directorate personnel, Türkiye Sigorta, Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), “Corporate Blood Donor of the Year” Şahinbey Municipality, THY Support Services, Kardemir AŞ, “Corporate Volunteer of the Year” Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin and “Palestine Special Award” Renad Attallah, “Red Crescent Disabled Volunteer of the Year” Selma Keziban Yıldız, “Young Red Crescent Volunteer of the Year” Ayşe Tatar, “Red Crescent Women Volunteer of the Year” Sevde Hazal Ak, “Volunteer of the Year” Mustafa Canbaz.

In the program, Turkish Red Crescent Alaca Representation received the “Most Successful Representation of the Year” award, Turkish Red Crescent Gaziemir District Branch received the “Most Successful Branch of the Year” award, and Turkish Red Crescent Konya Provincial Center received the “Most Successful Provincial Center of the Year” award.

Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi completed his official contacts in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Minister Çiftçi made evaluations about his visit at the press conference he held at Ercan Airport. The Minister of Internal Affairs stated that, within the scope of the visit, he met with the President of the TRNC, the Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic and the Prime Minister, and then visited the Turkish Embassy in Nicosia, and that many issues from security to migration management were discussed in the meetings between the delegations.

A STUDY AND EVALUATION MEETING WAS HELD

Çiftçi said, “As of today, I have completed my official visits and contacts in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, where I came yesterday. Hopefully, we will set out for our hometown soon. It has been an extremely busy program. First in the morning, I visited the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Speaker of the Parliament, and the Prime Minister. Then, I had the opportunity to visit our Turkish Embassy and Ambassador on this occasion. In the afternoon, my counterpart here is our Minister of Internal Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. “We came together with Mr. Dursun Oğuz and our delegations. Our delegations were quite crowded. We had a full landing, so to speak. We had a nice working and evaluation meeting with our esteemed Minister of Internal Affairs, our Gendarmerie General Command, our General Directorate of Security, our AFAD Presidency, our Coast Guard Command and all units affiliated with our Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

“WE WILL NOT GIVE AREA OF ACTIVITY TO NEW GENERATION CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS”

Stating that the main issues discussed in the meetings were the fight against new generation criminal organizations and the fight against drugs, Minister Çiftçi said, “Today, in the meeting we held with our esteemed Minister of Internal Affairs, we reached a consensus and unity of power on the issues we discussed, especially to further increase our fight against new generation criminal organizations and not to give these organizations an area of activity. We reached a full agreement on this issue. Unfortunately, new generation criminal organizations do not know borders. We will not recognize any limits in cooperation. We will continue our cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for a more effective fight on this issue.” “One of our important agenda items was the fight against drugs. Because drug trafficking feeds terrorist organizations and also provides financing to terrorist organizations. We have reached an agreement to fight effectively against drug dealers,” he said.

“WE DO NOT SEE THE SECURITY OF Türkiye AND TRNC AS SEPARATE FROM EACH OTHER”

Emphasizing that Türkiye will continue to support the TRNC with all its means, Çiftçi stated that cooperation in the field of security will be further developed. Çiftçi said, “Apart from this, we will increase the support of our Directorate of Migration Management under our Ministry of Internal Affairs, AFAD Directorate and other areas. We will share all the opportunities of our state and the opportunities of our Ministry of Internal Affairs as much as we can. We will further deepen our cooperation here in terms of sharing experience and assigning personnel. Our aim is to ensure the peace of Türkiye and to contribute positively to the security of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Because we do not see our own security and the security of our Cypriot brothers as separate. We are two friends. “We consider that the more we develop the cooperation between our brother and sister countries, the more our people will benefit from it and it will be in our common interest,” he said.

“I STATE THAT WE ARE ALWAYS BY THE SIDE OF THE TURKISH CYPRUS IN THEIR JUST AND LEGITIMATE CASE”

Stating that Türkiye-TRNC Friendship Group President and AK Party Konya Deputy Orhan Erdem was also included in the delegation, Çiftçi said that he believed that the contacts made within the scope of the visit would yield concrete results in the future. Minister Çiftçi said, “When I return to Türkiye, we will ensure the necessary coordination with our deputy ministers, Gendarmerie General Command, General Directorate of Security, and Coast Guard Command. We will revisit the contributions we can make. I believe that our cooperation will develop further.”

Minister of Internal Affairs Çiftçi stated that, within the scope of the visit, he also made contacts with Türkiye’s Embassy in Nicosia, units affiliated with the Security Forces Command and the martyrs’ cemetery. The Minister said, “We are returning to Türkiye from here with the hope of increasing our cooperation in different fields on our next visit. I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to our President, the Speaker of the Parliament, our Prime Minister and my esteemed counterpart Mr. Dursun Oğuz, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, for their hospitality today. We, as the Republic of Turkey, as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, always stand by the rightful and legitimate cause of the Turkish Cypriots and will continue to do all we can to support them.” “I express that we are ready. On this occasion, I convey my greetings and respect to all my Cypriot brothers,” he said.

TRNC Minister of Internal Affairs Dursun Oğuz, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Nicosia Ali Murat Başçeri and Turkey-TRNC Friendship Group Chairman, AK Party Konya Deputy Orhan Erdem were also present at the press conference. Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi left the Island after the meeting.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the Turkish Red Crescent, social and financial support has been provided to 20 thousand 995 vulnerable group convicts and detainees in 56 penal institutions since 2020. The cooperation period was extended by 1 year after 5 years. In order not to sever family ties of child and young convicts, the KIOSK video call system was established in 26 institutions; In 5 years, 10 thousand 632 children were able to meet with their families. Child-friendly areas, playgrounds and nurseries were created in 13 institutions for children aged 0-6, and cultural and educational events were organized. Barbering and cooking workshops were opened in Tarsus Juvenile and Youth Penal Institution and Sincan Penal Institution.

TRAINING WAS ALSO GIVEN
In 2023-2025, 10 Red Crescent Corporate Clothing Assistance Areas were established and textile support was provided. In the new period, activities were expanded to include video call fee support, in-kind aid to disadvantaged convicts, dissemination of vocational workshops and Red Crescent corporate clothing support. Disaster and emergency training will be provided to prison staff by Red Crescent experts.

Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi, who was in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) for official contacts, met with TRNC Minister of Internal Affairs Dursun Oğuz.
During the visit to the TRNC Ministry of Internal Affairs, Minister Çiftçi was accompanied by Turkey’s Ambassador to Nicosia, Ali Murat Başçeri.
During the meeting, where gifts were exchanged, TRNC Minister of Internal Affairs Oğuz presented Minister Çiftçi the jersey of the TRNC Football National Team, which came first in the CONIFA 2026 European Football Championship. Speaking during the visit, Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi stated that the purpose of their visit was to improve relations between the two countries and said, “The more we develop the cooperation between the two countries, the more we will increase and reinforce our mutual security.” TRNC Minister of Internal Affairs Dursun Oğuz also drew attention to the historical ties between the two countries and emphasized that the cooperation between the ministries of the two countries will continue to develop.
Following the visit, a delegation meeting was held between Türkiye and TRNC on security, migration, smuggling and other issues. AA

Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) showed the world in the Humanitarian Aid Exercise that it is ready to perform any task in case of disasters that may occur abroad as well as at home.

The exercise was carried out between 7-11 June 2026, under the responsibility of the Turkish Armed Forces Humanitarian Aid Brigade Command, at the Martyr Lieutenant Hasan ŞAHAN Barracks in Ankara. 5 countries, including Bulgaria, Iraq, Japan, Mexico and Pakistan, participated in the Distinguished Observer Day of the exercise, which was held yesterday. 658 personnel, 10 search dogs and 101 vehicles served in the exercise.

The aim of the exercise was to support the humanitarian aid activities of the brigade in disasters and emergencies, within the existing legislation, within its own means and to support the activities of the civil authorities, and to successfully carry out all assigned tasks. The Distinguished Observer Day of the exercise was held yesterday. There was participation from 5 countries (Bulgaria, Iraq, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan) to the Distinguished Observer Day.

In the exercise scenario, first light level search and rescue teams arrived in the area. Law enforcement took up perimeter security. An aerial exploration of the debris area was made with a helicopter. Mountain Search and Rescue (DAK) teams were sent down to search the land. Search dogs were dispatched to the area. The missing victims were found and evacuated by helicopter. Special Engineering Battalion Command opened the roads closed in the disaster area. Heavy-duty search and rescue teams arrived by road. AFAD field coordination center came into operation. HAZMAT/CBRN elements scanned for gas leaks and hazardous materials. The stranded victim was rescued. A voice search was made. Search dogs detected alive in the wreckage. Sensitive listening devices and search cameras were used, and inside debris imaging was performed with Searchcam.

CHP’s Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay did not keep the promises he made to the people of Izmir in the election squares during his tenure of more than 2 years. Tugay, who took the presidential seat in the local elections held on March 31, 2024, is drawing reactions for not fulfilling the promises he made to the people of Izmir in the election squares.

‘THIS IS CHP MUNICIPALITY’
AK Party Izmir Provincial Chairman Bilal Saygılı blamed Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay for the sea taxi project that was promised during the election period but could not be implemented despite the passage of time. Saygılı, who made a statement on the issue on his social media account, reminded the promises made by Tugay during his candidacy for both Karşıyaka Mayor and Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor. Saygılı said, “There are promises in CHP municipalism, but no action! Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay has still not been able to implement the Sea Taxi project, which he announced to be implemented within the first 180 days during his mayoral candidacy period, despite the 798 days that have passed. Moreover, Mr. Tugay, in his statement in February 2020, during his term as Karşıyaka Mayor, announced that the Sea Taxi application would begin to serve in June of the same year. However, there is neither a Sea Taxi nor a Sea Taxi. “The promises made have become reality,” he said.