The Ministry of FAMILY and Social Services continues its “foster family” and “adoption” services with the understanding that the most suitable environment for the psychosocial development of children is the family. With the “foster family service” carried out in this context, children who cannot be cared for by their biological families are matched with suitable families and continue their development in a safe, loving and family environment. To date, 10 thousand 918 children are growing up with family compassion in 9 thousand 173 foster families. Within the scope of “adoption”, children who no longer have the opportunity to live with their biological family are provided with a permanent family environment. This year, 681 children under state protection were reunited with their new families, while 21 thousand 31 children have benefited from the service so far. On the other hand, “temporary foster family service” was launched within the scope of the “Strengthening the Foster Family System in Türkiye Project” carried out with the financial support of the European Union Delegation and in cooperation with the ministry and UNICEF. Children who cannot return to their families at the first stage or who are taken under state protection for various reasons are cared for by temporary foster families. To date, 246 children have benefited from this application.

With the decision taken by the United Nations General Assembly, May 15 of each year has been celebrated as Family Day since 1994. President Erdoğan noted the following in his post on his social media account on the occasion of May 15 International Family Day, which is celebrated to draw attention to the families that keep society alive and to protect and strengthen the family:

“I congratulate May 15 International Family Day to all our families, who have a sacred place in our faith, tradition and history and form the basis of our society. By supporting our families and strengthening the family institution, I hope we will reach a more prosperous future together.”

NATIONAL FAMILY WEEK
Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş shared, “Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in line with our vision of the Decade of Family and Population, we are launching a mobilization to protect and strengthen this sacred structure by declaring the last week of May as National Family Week. Because a strong family is the basis of a strong society, and a strong society is the basis of a strong Türkiye.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the Unofficial Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (TDT) held with the theme “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development” in Turkestan, Kazakhstan:

The crises experienced in our immediate surroundings have once again demonstrated the strategic value of the Turkish world acting in solidarity. We must further strengthen our consultation mechanisms and coordination in the face of geopolitical challenges. We see benefit in implementing the TDT Plus format as soon as possible. The increasing contacts of us and our ministers confirm that the Turkish states have now gained high-level reflexes on common issues. As today’s crisis centered on the Strait of Hormuz shows, transportation projects connecting the Turkish world, especially the Central Corridor, will continue to be our priority for many years to come.

THE REPRESENTATION OF TRNC IS SATISFIING

One of the things that makes the summit meaningful for us is the representation of the Turkish Cypriot people, an integral part of the Turkish world. I am pleased to see the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Tufan Erhürman at the Turkestan summit. I hope that the Turkish world will continue to strengthen its political, economic and cultural relations with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

VISIT TO HOCA AHMET YESEVI TOMB

President Erdoğan participated in a cultural tour in Turkestan before the summit. Erdoğan visited the museum and Hoca Ahmet Yesevi Tomb and prayed there with other leaders.

CYBER SECURITY IS A NECESSITY

In order to have more say and influence in the world of the future, we have to maximize cooperation, especially in technology. In this respect, I find it very appropriate that our summit is held with the theme of ‘Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development’. In terms of shaping the future, it is of great importance that we adopt the vision of the Turkish world developing through digitalization. After 115 years, it is time for us to add the phrase ‘Unity in digital vision’ to Gaspirali’s motto ‘Unity in language, idea and work’. We are aware that falling behind in the digital transformation process will also threaten our independence. In order for artificial intelligence not to turn into a tool of domination, we must approach this theme from the perspective of opportunity with the right approach. Cyber ​​security is vital and essential, just like security on land, air and sea. During our next term presidency, we aim to further advance coordination and cooperation in cyber security within the Organization of Turkish States.

Türkiye INVITATION TO MİRZİYOYEV

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Uzbekistan President Shavket Mirziyoyev. During the meeting, Erdoğan stated that they will continue to work to develop cooperation between Türkiye and Uzbekistan in all fields, especially in the defense industry and trade. Erdoğan invited Mirziyoyev to the Organization of Turkic States Summit and COP31 to be held in Türkiye.

PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN WILL MEET 100 THOUSAND YOUTH TONIGHT

“A Youth Festival”, organized by AK Party Youth Branches, will be held this evening with the participation of 100 thousand young people. AK Party Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also expected to attend the big youth festival to be held at Turka Kocaeli Stadium. AK Party Youth Branch Chairman Yusuf İbiş shared the message, “Young people, are we ready? This festival is not to be missed.” Muhammed UZUN/SABAH

GIANT CHOREOGRAPHY FOR TURKISH LANGUAGE FESTIVAL

“Our Walking Dictionary, Idioms and Proverbs” program was organized in Karaman within the scope of the 749th Turkish Language Festival and Yunus Emre Commemoration Events. Students gathered in front of Kemal Kaynaş Stadium and walked to Aktekke 15 July Democracy Square. Students participating in the march performed Türkiye map choreography here. AA

OUR CANDIDATE FOR UN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION MEHDI EKER

We are in a technological transformation in agricultural production. We have announced our candidacy for the Director General election of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to be held in July 2027. I believe that you will see Dr. as the common candidate of all Turkish states for this important task. We are waiting for your valuable support to Mehdi Eker.

WE ARE READY TO SHARE OUR EXPERIENCE IN DEFENSE

Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Ukraine and many other crises point to the need to strengthen our defense and increase our industrial cooperation. As Türkiye, we are ready to share the experience we have gained in the defense industry, which we have shaped with high technology, with the members of our organization. We attach importance to defense industry institutions holding meetings within our organization.

MAY HIS LEGACY FULL OF WISDOM LIVE FOR GENERATIONS

President Erdoğan’s wife, Emine Erdoğan, used the following statements in her social media post regarding her visit to the Tomb of Hodja Ahmet Yesevi: “I commemorate Hodja Ahmet Yesevi, who has been a light to hearts for centuries, with mercy and respect; I hope that his legacy full of wisdom will continue to live on for generations.”

THE “TRANSPARENT MANAGEMENT” DISCOURSE HAS COLLAPSED!

One of the most striking investigation files was the claim that the data collected by the municipality was not shared with the public. According to the file, it was claimed that some data collected by Ankara Metropolitan Municipality since 2019 were not published in accordance with the principles of “transparency”, “accountability” and “open management”.

However, in his previous statements, Mansur Yavaş said; “There is now a transparent administration in Ankara. We share all the expenses we make with our citizens,” he said. However, in the investigation file, it was stated that the data collected by the municipality on behalf of the public was not published in an open and accessible manner, and therefore an investigation was initiated within the scope of accusations of “abuse of office” and “public official not reporting the crime”. It was noted that an investigation permit was requested on February 6, 2025, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office sent a letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs on September 10, 2025, and the Ministry stated in its response dated September 17, 2025 that the preliminary examination process was continuing.

YAVAŞ’S “NO INVESTIGATION” DEFENSE WAS A SUBJECT OF DISCUSSION

The resulting files brought Mansur Yavaş’s frequent public statements, “There is not even a single investigation against me,” back to the agenda.

It is noteworthy that ABB management, which has been at the center of criticism recently due to water outages, transportation problems, price increases and service disruptions in the capital, is now on the agenda with successive investigation files.

The audit reports, tender discussions and investigation processes that emerged in Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, which the opposition has cited as an example of “transparent municipality” for years, have further increased criticism against the municipal administration.

The Istanbul Natural Resources Summit, which had a great impact on an international scale last year with the participation of 10 ministers from 9 countries, will be an important platform where critical messages will be given in terms of energy security, investment and global cooperation this year.

ON MAY 22

The Second Istanbul Natural Resources Summit (İNRES 2026) will be held on May 22 at Lütfi Kırdar Congress Center. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to open the summit. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar will also address the participants at the opening ceremony.

HIGH-LEVEL PARTICIPATION FROM MANY COUNTRIES

The summit will be hosted by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources; It will bring together decision makers, investors, public representatives and international organizations in the field of energy and natural resources in Istanbul. Ministers and deputy ministers from many countries from Europe, Asia and Africa are expected to attend.

MAIN AGENDA ENERGY SECURITY

Energy security will be the main agenda item at the Ministerial Session, which will be attended by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar. In addition to global developments such as the Hormuz crisis, the latest situation in the field of oil, natural gas, mining and critical minerals will be evaluated. Ministers attending the summit will share their predictions regarding global energy markets.

THE ROLE OF STATES IN ENERGY POLICIES WILL BE DISCUSSED

In the session attended by guest deputy ministers, the roles that states should undertake in energy and investment policies will be discussed. Participants will discuss the importance of public policies in the energy transformation process and opportunities for cooperation between countries.

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT WILL BE ON THE TABLE

In the session where managers of public companies, CEOs of international energy companies and representatives of financial institutions will come together, investment opportunities, financing models and global economic developments in the energy and mining sector will be evaluated.

BILATERAL MEETINGS

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Bayraktar will also hold bilateral meetings with the guest ministers participating in INRES 2026. In these meetings, current and potential cooperation issues between countries are planned to be on the table. It is expected that some agreements will be signed within the summit margin.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, in his post on his NSosyal account, said, “We support our producers and work with all our strength to increase production. We are transferring the agricultural support payment of 3 billion 755 million liras to the accounts of our farmers. May it be beneficial and fruitful.” he said.

According to the visual in the post, cattle breeding support (calf) is 2 billion 895 million 868 thousand 200 liras, solid organic organomineral fertilizer support is 330 million 131 thousand 500 liras, small-scale fishing support is 144 million 790 thousand 400 liras, planned production support is 130 million 977 thousand 800 liras, cattle husbandry support is (malak) 121 million 444 thousand 120 liras, plant production basic support 82 million 948 thousand 15 liras, rural development investment support 49 million 619 thousand 965 liras, a total of 3 billion 755 million 780 thousand liras will be paid. Payments for producers whose calf support payment ID number and tax ID number have the last digit of 0-2, and other support payments will be transferred to their accounts in one go after 18.00 today.