The capital city of CHP’s Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who made ambitious promises by saying “One of my priorities is tourism” before taking office, turned into a complete disappointment for foreign tourists. The world-famous YouTuber couple named “Fi and Nick”, who visited Ankara, clearly revealed the negligence and lack of management they encountered in the city.

Ankara, under the administration of Mansur Yavaş, who promises to revitalize cultural tourism and revive regions such as Haymana, Gordion and Çubuk, looks like it is incapable of hosting even the tourists in the center. The foreign couple who went to tour the city was faced with a complete municipality fiasco, from non-functioning escalators to neglected parks, from the collapsed transportation system to toll booths that could not be contacted.

THERE ARE NO CARDS IN THE METRO, TOll BOXES ARE EMPTY

The inadequacies in Ankara’s transportation infrastructure have become a nightmare for tourists. The couple, who wanted to take the subway but could find neither an interlocutor nor a vending machine, expressed their surprise with the following words:

“We have a small problem; we cannot find a place where we can buy an Ankara metro card. The ticket office is completely empty and there is no machine where you can buy a card in this area.”

Tourists complained about the disconnection of the transportation system and the endless walking distances between stations, and harshly criticized the inadequacy of the metro network and the lack of coordination in transportation.

“A SWEATY CHAOS!”: HEATING BUS DISGRACE AT 23 DEGREES

The lack of maintenance and control of public transportation in the capital also caused difficult times for foreign guests. Although the weather was hot, the air conditioners were not turned on on the bus, which shocked the tourists. Describing the bus journey as “complete chaos”, the couple could not hide their reactions:

“The bus was so hot, it was like they turned on the heater! It’s 23 degrees today… The bus is complete chaos. Sweaty, sweaty, sweaty chaos. Oh my God!”

DROUGHT AND NEGLIGENCE IN GENÇLİK PARK: “THIS IS SHAMEFUL”
After visiting Anıtkabir, the couple went to Genclik Park, one of Ankara’s symbolic places, and were shocked by the lack of maintenance they encountered. The couple, who described the dried and empty appearance of the artificial ponds in the park as “embarrassing” and “sad”, expressed their disappointment with the following words:

“After the longest walk of my life from the Anitkabir area to Genclik Park, we are finally here. But this place is very different from what I imagined. The artificial pond is very dry. To be honest, I was expecting more from a water feature. It looks very empty and sad right now. If it were filled with water, it would be absolutely stunning with the lights reflecting off the castle and the mosque.”

LOTS OF PROMISES, NO EXECUTION

The “vision of Ankara in tourism”, which Mansur Yavaş expressed at every opportunity, was once again failed by these painful facts reflected on the cameras of foreign travelers. Unmaintained parks, escalators that do not work, a subway system where cards cannot even be sold at the toll booths, and buses that run on central heating in hot weather…

Far from welcoming tourists under Yavaş’s administration, Ankara virtually drives them out of the city with its existing infrastructure. These images, which foreign YouTubers showed to the whole world, were recorded as one of the biggest blows to the capital’s tourism potential.

BREAKING NEWS… Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced that simultaneous operations were carried out in 27 provinces in the investigation carried out by the Investigation Bureau for the Prevention of Financing of Terrorism and Laundering Crime. He emphasized that while detention orders were issued for 104 suspects during the operation, a transaction volume of approximately 193 billion 367 million TL used in illegal betting activities was detected.

Minister Gürlek used the following statements in his statement:

In line with the instructions of our President, Mr. Erdoğan; We continue our fight against illegal betting, virtual gambling and laundering of assets resulting from crime, in coordination with all relevant institutions and organizations, especially our Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Within the scope of two separate investigations carried out with the Istanbul Provincial Police Department under the coordination of our Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office; Simultaneous operations were carried out this morning against illegal betting organizations and the laundering of criminal proceeds obtained from these activities.

In the investigation carried out by the Prevention of Terrorism Financing and Laundering Crime Investigation Bureau; A transaction volume of approximately 193 billion 367 million TL used in illegal betting activities was determined, and judicial proceedings were initiated against 104 suspects with the operation carried out in 27 provinces.

In another investigation carried out by the Cyber ​​Crimes Investigation Bureau, it was determined that an electronic money and payment institution, which was considered to be used in illegal betting and money laundering activities, reached a transaction volume of 2.1 billion TL in 2024 alone; Within the scope of the operation carried out in Istanbul, Kocaeli and Yalova, judicial proceedings were carried out against 26 suspects.

I would like to thank our Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Istanbul Provincial Police Department, MASAK, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, and all our institutions and staff who contributed to the investigation process, who carried out these investigations meticulously.

We will never compromise our fight against illegal betting and virtual gambling structures, criminal organizations and money laundering that target our society, our families and especially our youth; We will continue our fight against crime and criminals with determination.

Within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the procedures of the 54 suspects, including Buca Mayor Görkem Duman, who were detained by the Provincial Police Department Financial Crimes Branch teams, were completed.

The suspects were transferred from the Provincial Police Department Yeşilyurt Service Building to the Izmir Courthouse under extensive security measures.

INVESTIGATION

A detention order was issued for 62 suspects within the scope of the corruption investigation carried out by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against Buca Municipality and its subsidiaries.

A total of 53 suspects, including Buca Mayor Görkem Duman, former Buca Mayor Erhan Kılıç, deputy mayors, former CHP District Mayor Ç.K., managers and employees of municipal subsidiaries, some company owners and contractors, were detained by the Provincial Police Department’s Financial Crimes Fighting Branch teams on June 1 at specified addresses in Izmir, Ankara, Erzincan and Çanakkale.

It was stated that 3 of the suspects were in prison, arrest warrants were issued for 4 people abroad, and efforts were continuing to capture 2 suspects.

On June 2, with the capture of municipal subsidiary manager K.B., the number of suspects detained increased to 54.

The suspects were brought to the Provincial Police Department Yesilyurt Service Building.

It was stated that the investigation file covering the municipal administration, zoning units, subsidiaries and contracting circles included irregular zoning transactions, floor and flat increases in return for bribes, bribery in license and residence permit processes, the use of municipal subsidiary credit cards for personal expenses, the “cash machine officer” system, direct procurement and tender irregularities.

It was claimed that some contractors used special methods among themselves to make payments to municipal officials, that construction companies bribed municipal staff to ignore the irregularities in their projects, and that this payment traffic was referred to as “soap” in some circles, meaning “problem solving/postponement”.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke at the joint press conference held after his meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Fidan stated that he was pleased to be in Bangladesh and said, “First of all, I would like to express our great satisfaction with the election of my brother Rahman as the President of the 81st General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). I congratulate him once again.” he said.

Stating that the election held at the UN General Assembly and Bangladesh’s victory are a great proof of how the new era that started in Bangladesh has a worldwide impact, Fidan said, “The result is a very important indicator of the respect that the international community has for Bangladesh. We have no doubt that Bangladesh will successfully carry out this important task with its active role in the UN and Mr. Rahman’s vast experience.” he said.

Reminding that Bangladesh entered a new era after the elections and referendum held in Bangladesh on February 12, Fidan said, “Turkey has been a very strong supporter of this. We are very pleased with this.” made his assessment.

Stating that the intense contact traffic between Bangladesh and Turkey further deepens the relations and strongly demonstrates the common will to explore new areas of cooperation, Fidan said, “We continue our efforts towards our goal of deepening our deep-rooted partnership in a wide range and taking it to a much stronger and visionary dimension on solid foundations.” he said.

Fidan emphasized that they also negotiated to increase the bilateral trade volume from 1.3 billion dollars to 2 billion dollars.

Stating that they also signed a memorandum of understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Protection of Cultural Heritage with Bangladesh Minister of Culture Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Fidan said, “I hope that this text, which is an indication of our determination to protect the common heritage of humanity, will be beneficial for our countries.” he said.

“WE ARE ACTING TO FIND A PERMANENT AND FAIR SOLUTION TO THE ROHINGIA ISSUE”

Fidan stated that Bangladesh carries a “humanitarian responsibility” on its shoulders at a time when global challenges are increasing and said:

“Unfortunately, the tragedy suffered by Rohingya Muslims continues. I would like to emphasize once again that Bangladesh, which has hosted more than one million Rohingya for years, has made a historic sacrifice on behalf of all humanity. We act in solidarity and coordination with relevant neighboring countries and organizations in order to find a permanent and fair solution to the Rohingya issue. As Turkey, we are making intense efforts to keep this crisis on the agenda of the international community.”

Minister Fidan stated that he will also visit the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and said, “We will have the opportunity to examine the activities carried out by our institutions such as TIKA, AFAD, Red Crescent and Diyanet Foundation, and hopefully we will also visit our Field Hospital. While we continue our humanitarian aid to improve the situation of the Rohingyas, we will also continue to support their safe, dignified and voluntary return to their country.” he said.

Emphasizing that establishing the stability, security, peace and prosperity of the region is among the main priorities of Türkiye’s foreign policy, Fidan said, “Today, regional conflicts have affected global dynamics more than ever. The fact that current conflicts and instability tend to escalate and spread to wider geographies is a source of deep concern for all of us.” he said.

“THE PRIORITY FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD BE TO STOP ISRAEL’S AGGRESSIVENESS AND TO ELIMINATE THE WAR ENVIRONMENT IN THE REGION”

Fidan stated that the US-Israeli attacks on Iran negatively affect the whole world beyond the region and continued as follows:

“We welcome the progress in the talks between Iran and the USA in this respect. We also hope that these talks will reach concrete results and create a basis for permanent peace and stability. Establishing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and returning to the pre-war situation is a necessity for the global economy, energy and security.”

Fidan underlined that diplomatic efforts have been intensified in line with the understanding that disputes can only be resolved through dialogue, and said, “In this context, we also find Pakistan’s mediation efforts to make the ceasefire permanent very valuable and we continue to actively support these efforts.” he said.

Stating that while progress is being made in the talks, they are occasionally concerned about the ceasefire being violated, Fidan said, “The parties should avoid steps that would endanger the diplomatic process. The international community should also demonstrate a common will to end the war. In particular, it is essential to prevent Israel’s attempts to sabotage the ceasefire.” he said.

Fidan stated that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned the entire region into a war zone to prevent the two-state solution in Palestine and said:

“Israel continues the genocide it committed in Gaza, which left deep wounds in the conscience of the international community, and adds a new one every day to its unlawful initiatives targeting the two-state solution in the West Bank. The priority for the international community should be to stop Israel’s aggression and eliminate the atmosphere of war in the region.”

Fidan stated that it is essential to end Israel’s occupation and attacks in Lebanon once and for all and ensure tranquility.

Minister Fidan emphasized that we will continue to take steps that will embody the common will to strengthen Bangladesh-Türkiye relations with new projects and consolidate stability, peace and prosperity in South Asia.

BANGLADESH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS RAHMAN SPOKE WITH FİDAN AT THE JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE

Bangladesh Minister of Foreign Affairs Khalilur Rahman said, “Turkey is an extremely important partner. It is a very important partner that supports Bangladesh’s candidacy for the presidency of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.” he said.

Rahman spoke at the joint press conference held after his meeting with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Reminding that he made his first visit to Türkiye as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rahman stated that they met with his counterpart Fidan today within the framework of mutual respect and understanding.

Noting that the meetings they held represent the long friendship between Bangladesh and Türkiye, Rahman stated that they found Fidan’s visit important.

Rahman thanked Türkiye for sending observers to the parliamentary elections held in his country.

“Türkiye is an extremely important partner. It is a very important partner that supports Bangladesh’s candidacy for the presidency of the UN General Assembly.” Rahman said, adding that they will not forget Türkiye’s support in this regard.

Rahman emphasized that they think multilateral cooperation is extremely important in the face of global challenges.

Stating that Fidan’s visit coincides with an important period for Bangladesh-Türkiye relations, Rahman said that they aim to take the cooperation and partnership between the two countries to further levels.

Rahman stated that he told Fidan during the meeting that Turkish investors could benefit from investment opportunities in various special economic zones in Bangladesh.

Emphasizing that one of the most important humanitarian and diplomatic challenges facing Bangladesh is the Rohingya crisis, Rahman stated that he has undertaken important duties in this regard before and is well aware of the dimensions and gravity of the problem.

Rahman stated that he brought up the Rohingya issue again in his acceptance speech after his election as the President of the UN General Assembly.

Expressing his appreciation for Türkiye’s role in the Rohingya crisis, Rahman pointed out that Ankara has been with Bangladesh since the beginning of the crisis in terms of humanitarian aid and diplomatic support.

Reminding that Fidan will also visit the Rohingya camps within the scope of his visit, Rahman noted that the Turkish hospital is one of the most important support mechanisms in the camps and that Türkiye also contributes to regional and international initiatives to solve the crisis.

Minister Çiftçi shared a post on the “International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Conflict” on his NSosyal account.

Çiftçi emphasized that children, wherever they live in the world, should be on the side of love, mercy and hope, not wars, conflicts and oppression, and said:

“On the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Conflict, we remember with mercy all the children who lost their lives, and we feel in our hearts the pain of millions of our children who are struggling to survive in the shadow of wars. The human tragedy in Gaza has deeply wounded everyone with conscience. This situation in which innocent children lose their lives, are injured, become orphans and are deprived of their most basic rights to life is a common test of humanity. Our wish is a world where no child is a victim of war, where tears are replaced by smiles. “May God help the oppressed children and bring humanity together around justice, mercy and conscience.”

EVENTS HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED, TRAFFIC REGULATION WILL BE MADE IN SENSITIVE AREAS

Within the scope of the governor’s decision, all public events such as exams, symposiums, panels, graduation ceremonies, festivals, concerts, entertainment and celebrations planned to be held by public institutions and non-governmental organizations from 06:00 on Monday, July 6, to 24:00 on Sunday, July 12, have been stopped.

In addition, it has been reported that no private or official, indoor or outdoor events that will risk security, disrupt traffic or cause mass arrivals and departures will be allowed on the arrival and departure routes to be determined by the security units, in the hotel area where the guests will stay, around the Presidential Complex and ATO Congresium Congress and Exhibition Center where the meetings will be held.

WEDDINGS IN SENSITIVE AREAS WILL BE SUBJECT TO PERMISSION

It was emphasized that weddings and similar organizations in areas outside the designated sensitive areas are outside the scope of the ban, but permission must be obtained from the relevant district governorships to hold such events within sensitive areas.

In the statement, all public institutions and organizations were asked to provide all necessary support and facilities in order to avoid any disruptions in implementation during the summit.