Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, in his post on his social media account, stated that he hosted the valuable lawyers of Sumud Fleet, which has become one of the symbols of the struggle for humanity, at the Ministry. Stating that the blocking of humanitarian aid intended to be delivered to Gaza once again clearly reveals Israel’s approach to systematically violating international humanitarian law, Gürlek said, “The indictment prepared by our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the attack on the Sumud Flotilla has been accepted; the trial process has officially started in the file containing the most serious accusations such as crimes against humanity, genocide, torture and plunder.” he said.

“STRONG WILL FOR THE BUILDING OF A JUST WORLD”

Minister Gürlek stated that in the face of attacks targeting the right to life of Gaza civilians, determined struggles continue to hold those responsible accountable before international law. Gürlek said, “Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our country will continue to defend the just cause of the Palestinian people on every international platform; to stand by the Palestinians against oppression and to demonstrate a strong will for the construction of a more just world.” he said.

In the statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was stated that the Greek Fisheries Control Directorate has established prohibited fishing zones in areas over which it does not have authority, and said, “It has been determined that Greece has established fishing prohibited zones in some areas in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean where it does not have authority, and that various maps have been published contrary to international law on the official website of the Greek Fisheries Control Directorate. Maps that draw non-existent, imaginary maritime borders between Turkey and Greece in the Aegean and the Mediterranean and violate Turkish maritime jurisdictions there are not valid. Greece’s 6 seas.” “The illegal restrictions it imposes on fishing activities in areas over which it has no authority, in maritime areas and in international waters, beyond its 10000-mile-wide territorial waters, are also null and void for Türkiye.”

“WE REMEMBER THE DECLARATION OF ATHENS ON FRIENDLY RELATIONS AND GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD”

Stating that Greece acted against international law, he said, “Turkey will not accept any unilateral and illegal measures that may be brought against the legitimate activities of Turkish fishermen based on international law and historical rights. With this understanding, we remind that Türkiye maintains its stance that a sincere and comprehensive approach should be adopted for the solution of problems on the basis of international law, equity and good neighborliness within the framework of the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighbourhood, dated 7 December 2023.”

In his speech at the international meeting titled “International Policy and Practice Sharing on the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment” held in a hotel in the capital with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s wife, Emine Erdoğan, Göktaş stated that they are together to address one of the most critical issues of the age in all its dimensions. Stating that they aim to create an international cooperation basis to provide a safe digital environment for children with the two-day program, Göktaş thanked UNICEF and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Violence Against Children for their contributions, and expressed his gratitude to First Lady Erdoğan for their participation.

Emphasizing that children are now growing up at the very center of the digital world, Göktaş said: “According to UNICEF data, one child in the world is introduced to the internet every half a second. Children are living a life intertwined with screens. This new reality imposes a very clear responsibility on us, to protect our children in the digital space with determination. The digital world offers great opportunities, yes. It facilitates access to information, yes. It diversifies learning opportunities and makes children’s talents visible. However, the same field carries with it multi-layered risks such as bullying, abuse, addiction, privacy violation, harmful content and manipulation. This “These risks can lead to serious consequences that increase anxiety in children, deepen loneliness and cause depressive effects. On the other hand, OECD findings reveal that children are also surrounded by data privacy violations, invisible guidance of algorithms and targeted advertising.”

Pointing out that technologies such as deepfake reveal more complex and dangerous forms of child abuse, Göktaş said, “For this reason, we have to consider digital environments not only as a technical development area, but also with legal, ethical, educational and social policy dimensions. Ensuring the safety of our children in digital environments is not only a national but a global responsibility. In this direction, we aim to create a strong and sustainable international cooperation basis.” he said. Göktaş noted that at this point, a framework that strengthens protective and preventive mechanisms is needed more than ever, and said that this framework should support the family, include the school in the process, impose clear responsibilities on digital platforms and maintain strong international cooperation.

Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and President of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), held a joint press conference with German Minister of Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Carsten Schneider. Making a speech here, Kurum said, “Countries must fulfill the commitments they have made so far.”

“COUNTRIES MUST FULFILL THE COMMITMENTS THEY MADE TODAY”

Minister Kurum stated that countries must fulfill the requirements of the COP and said, “Countries must fulfill the commitments they have made so far. In other words, many COP meetings have been held. Dozens of decisions have been taken in many meetings. We clearly think that decision-making is over, words are over, action must be taken.” shared his opinion. In this sense, the institution noted that they expect countries to present their plans and report their progress transparently, and that this is important for the integrity and continuity of COP31. Underlining that they want to develop the process with concrete practices and get results, Kurum said, “We will establish consensus to nourish the norms and coalitions to carry out the implementation.” he said. Explaining that they have a strong cooperation with Australia regarding the negotiations, Minister Kurum said, “This cooperation will actually be realized in accordance with the spirit of the Paris Agreement, with a perspective and understanding in which all countries are included, everyone can express themselves freely and no one is left behind.” made his assessment. Reminding that the Turkish National Team will compete with Australia in the World Cup, Kurum said, “The only platform we expect to compete with Australia this year will be the World Cup group stage.” he said. Stating that the competition here will be tough, Kurum said, “However, when the match is over, we will continue to rework our common vision and common will for COP31. And we will increase that strong unity even further. In the end, friendship will win.” he said.

“WE WANT TO TRANSFER OUR EXPERIENCE TO THE WHOLE WORLD”

Minister Kurum stated that he announced the thematic priorities and implementation mechanisms of the COP31 presidency in Berlin to the whole world and said, “These include zero waste, clean energy, decarbonization in industry, oceans and seas, which concern us all. Food security… Today, in the area where we talk about climate change, there are still millions of people who cannot access clean food.” he commented. Emphasizing that they will not be modest in creating climate-resistant cities, Minister Kurum reminded that the disaster of the century occurred in the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş in Türkiye. Minister Kurum continued his words as follows: “After these earthquakes, with the will of our President, we built and delivered 455 thousand houses to our citizens in 2 years with a view and understanding that are climate-sensitive and will minimize the effects of climate change. We want to transfer this experience to the whole world. That’s why we attach great importance to climate-resistant cities.” Stating that people see and feel that things are changing in the environment they live in, Kurum said, “Droughts are increasing, precipitation and weather events are increasing.

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek made important statements about the special unit established regarding the Gülistan Doku investigation, school attacks in Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa, and unsolved incidents.

“EVENTS THAT HURT THE SOCIETY”

Stating that there are some events and iconic names that hurt the society, Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek said, “Gülistan Doku and Rojin Kabaş are among them. Our Chief Public Prosecutor said that there is movement in 2025. A notification is coming in 2025. There is new evidence. Our Chief Public Prosecutor said that there is movement in 2025. A notification is coming in 2025. Secret witnesses are being heard. There is new evidence.”

“THE EVIDENCE MATCHES THE WITNESS STATEMENTS”

Minister Gürlek, who made important statements about the Gülistan Doku file, explained the witness’s statements as follows:

“He told the grave site. A sample was taken from there. The gun was buried with him. The gun oxidises in the soil. A report is prepared in line with what the witness said and the evidence. There are also confessors during the investigation phase. What the police officer said about the governor was also included in the file. There is something developing in stages. We issued a red notice together with Umut Altaş. He made statements to his brother and lawyer. But he has to make statements in person.”

“PERCEPTION IS BEING MADE”

Minister Gürlek said, “If Gulistan has a grave, our only goal is to uncover it.”

“We also want the family to go and pray. This is our only wish. And for the criminals to be punished. In law, ‘politicians, governors, mayors’ are not considered. The prosecutor’s office did a fine job. A special team was formed. The evidence matches the statement of the secret witness. There was indeed a body where the secret witness said. There is a perception that ‘If there is no body, there is no murder’. There is no such thing. There are many decisions regarding this.”