Politics
Assembly members slam Istanbul municipality squandering resources
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s (IBB) council on Wednesday debated the Audit Commission’s 2025 report, with opposition members alleging widespread irregularities, mounting debt and declining service quality, while municipal officials defended their record.
The second session of the April council meetings, chaired by Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan, was held at the municipality’s headquarters in Istanbul’s Saraçhane district.
During the session, Muhammet Kaynar, a council member from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and a member of the Audit Commission, said the body had identified a total of 346 irregularities over the past five years, including 44 findings in the 2025 report alone.
Kaynar argued that previously identified irregularities had not been addressed by the municipal administration. “Despite these findings, the same irregular practices have continued,” he said, adding that the municipality had failed to provide sufficient explanations regarding past audit results.
He also highlighted the municipality’s financial structure, saying that of the TL 275.4 billion (approximately $8.5 billion) in revenue recorded in 2025, approximately 86.6% came from transfers from the central government. The figure represents a 53.1% increase compared with the previous year, he said.
“Despite this level of support from the central administration, there is no visible improvement in services,” Kaynar said.
Kaynar added that the municipality had sold real estate assets worth nearly TL 5 billion in 2025 but claimed this had not translated into improved public services.
He further criticized the administration for failing to provide detailed accounting records requested by the commission. According to Kaynar, journal entries related to 2025 financial accounts were not submitted, preventing the commission from examining whether project-based borrowing was used appropriately, how much credit had been utilized and how those funds were spent.
Addressing the municipality’s debt, Kaynar said total liabilities had risen sharply over recent years. As of Dec. 31, 2025, IBB’s total debt stood at approximately TL 261.9 billion, up from TL 26.7 billion at the end of 2018.
“In seven years, the debt has increased by nearly 1,000%,” he said.
Including affiliated institutions, the combined debt of IBB, the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI) and the public transport authority IETT reached TL 336.9 billion, Kaynar said, adding that data on the debts of 31 municipal companies had not been shared with the commission.
The council also discussed IETT’s 2025 activity report, drawing criticism from opposition parties over public transport performance.
Dursun Çağlayan, deputy group chairperson of the Great Unity Party (BBP), said the report reflected systemic management problems rather than isolated shortcomings.
“There is not a single issue here, but a structural problem,” Çağlayan said, citing findings in a report by Türkiye’s Court of Accounts, which identified 68 issues, including six deemed critical.
He said service disruptions, delays and declining passenger comfort were highlighted in the report. “Citizens go to bus stops, but the buses do not arrive,” he said.
Çağlayan also pointed to a lack of investment in new vehicles and inadequate maintenance of the existing fleet, saying the institution itself had acknowledged that it had not reached its vehicle procurement targets.
“The system is being managed on a day-to-day basis rather than with long-term planning,” he said. “The financial structure is unsustainable, service quality is declining, and transparency is lacking.”
Members of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) echoed similar concerns, focusing on unmet investment targets and worsening traffic conditions.
Council member Şule Hayal said the IETT report showed that several key goals had not been achieved, including the procurement of new buses and the expansion of electric vehicle systems.
“Out of a targeted 555 new vehicles, none were purchased. Out of a planned 50 electric bus conversions, none were completed,” she said.
Hayal also criticized the municipality for failing to increase the number of sheltered bus stops, noting that none of the 300 planned stops had been built.
She said the lack of investment in transportation had contributed to worsening traffic in Istanbul, citing international data indicating that the city ranks among the most congested in the world.
“Residents spend an average of 118 hours a year, nearly five days in traffic,” she said.
Traffic congestion levels have exceeded 90%, she added, transforming what was once rush-hour congestion into a persistent, all-day problem.
Hayal also raised concerns about unpaid dues to private public bus operators, saying they had faced financial hardship due to delays in receiving payments.
“We reiterate our call for the necessary steps to be taken to ensure that these payments are made and that operators are no longer victimized,” she said.
She noted that the cost of public transport had risen significantly, with ticket prices increasing from TL 2.60 in 2019 to TL 42 in 2026, a rise of more than 1,500%.
Despite the sharp fare increases, revenues have not kept pace with expenditures, remaining at roughly one-third of total costs, she said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Tuesday he is confident that long-standing issues between Türkiye and the United States can move toward positive outcomes, citing his close cooperation and strong relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump following their high-profile meeting at the NATO Summit in Ankara.
Erdoğan made the remarks in a social media post after holding bilateral talks with Trump at the Presidential Complex, where Türkiye welcomed the U.S. president with a full state ceremony featuring military honors, Turkish and American flags, and an official reception.
“I was pleased to host my valued friend, U.S. President Donald Trump, who paid an official visit to our country on the occasion of the NATO Ankara Summit,” Erdoğan wrote. “I believe we will achieve positive results on many of the issues on our agenda through our solidarity and strong relations.”
The meeting took place on the opening day of the July 7-8 NATO Summit, which Türkiye is hosting for the second time after the alliance gathered in Istanbul in 2004. Trump’s visit also marks the first by a sitting U.S. president to Türkiye since Barack Obama traveled to the country in 2015.
The leaders met as NATO members debated some of the alliance’s most pressing security challenges, including increased defense spending, military production, support for Ukraine, regional stability, and burden-sharing among member states. Trump has urged allies to raise defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product, making the issue one of the summit’s defining topics.
Türkiye entered the summit with growing influence inside the alliance, backed by NATO’s second-largest military, an expanding defense industry, and its strategic position between Europe, the Middle East, and the Black Sea region.
Although neither side released a detailed readout of the discussions, the meeting was widely expected to cover several key bilateral issues. Among them were defense cooperation, including the future of U.S. sanctions on Türkiye and Ankara’s long-standing interest in rejoining the F-35 fighter jet program. Trump has previously suggested he is open to advancing defense ties with Türkiye, pointing to his personal relationship with Erdoğan.
Regional security also likely featured prominently, with discussions expected to include developments in Syria, the broader Middle East, the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, counterterrorism efforts, and energy security.
Economic cooperation was another likely focus, as both governments continue exploring opportunities to expand trade and investment while strengthening collaboration in Türkiye’s rapidly growing defense manufacturing sector. Turkish-made drones and other advanced defense systems have been showcased during the summit’s Defense Industry Forum.
The meeting underscored the increasingly personal diplomacy between Erdoğan and Trump, a relationship that has endured despite years of disagreements over issues such as Türkiye’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system and differing approaches to the conflict in Syria.
Trump has repeatedly described Erdoğan as a close friend and an important strategic partner, saying their relationship played a major role in his decision to attend the Ankara summit.
Erdoğan’s message reflected optimism that their longstanding rapport can translate into tangible progress on issues that have complicated U.S.-Türkiye relations for years, while reinforcing cooperation within NATO as the alliance confronts evolving global security challenges.
The NATO summit continues with plenary sessions, bilateral meetings, and working groups involving alliance leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with additional announcements expected as discussions progress.
First Lady Emine Erdoğan on Tuesday said she was honored to welcome NATO leaders and their spouses to an official dinner held during the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, expressing hope that the gathering would strengthen dialogue and consensus as the alliance confronts growing global challenges.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Emine Erdoğan hosted the official dinner on Monday evening at the Presidential Complex as part of the summit’s high-level program, bringing together heads of state, government leaders and their spouses attending the two-day NATO meeting.
In a statement shared on her NSosyal account, Emine Erdoğan reflected on Türkiye’s role as host and emphasized the importance of cooperation in addressing common international challenges.
“We were greatly pleased to host the heads of state and government and their esteemed spouses at the official dinner on the occasion of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, hosted by our country. At a time when efforts to find solutions to the world’s common problems are gaining momentum, I hope this important summit will further advance the culture of dialogue and consensus,” she said.
The 36th NATO Summit, held July 7-8 in Ankara, marks the second time Türkiye has hosted the alliance’s leaders following the 2004 summit in Istanbul.
The meeting has brought together leaders from NATO’s member states to discuss some of the alliance’s most pressing security and defense priorities.
Among the key issues on the agenda are increasing defense spending, expanding military production and industrial capacity, strengthening collective security, sharing defense responsibilities among allies, continuing support for Ukraine, and reinforcing alliance unity amid an increasingly volatile global security environment.
The summit has also provided a platform for a series of bilateral meetings between participating leaders. U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other NATO leaders are taking part in discussions centered on transatlantic security, European defense cooperation and regional stability.
Alongside the political meetings, the summit’s opening day featured a Defense Industry Forum, underscoring Türkiye’s expanding role in NATO’s defense industry and its position as one of the alliance’s key military contributors.
While the summit’s primary focus remains on defense and security policy, the official dinner and accompanying spouses’ program served as an important diplomatic event, highlighting the role of hospitality and informal engagement in fostering closer relations among allied nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to attend the NATO leaders’ summit, joining heads of state and government from across the alliance for talks expected to focus on collective defense, regional security and burden sharing.
Trump’s aircraft landed at Ankara Airport, where he was welcomed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before departing for the Presidential Complex where he was expected to hold talks with the president. On Air Force One, Trump was accompanied by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This was also the inaugural flight abroad for the new presidential plane gifted by Qatar with Trump aboard. Ankara Airport, originally Etimesgut Airport, was heavily modified and had its runways expanded specifically for leaders and delegations arriving for the NATO summit.
The two-day gathering is expected to bring together leaders from NATO’s 32 member states, with discussions set to cover defense spending, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the alliance’s deterrence posture and broader security challenges.
The U.S. president will hold one-on-one talks with Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex in the capital, and U.S.-Turkish delegations will hold talks separately on the margins of the summit.
It was also reported that the agenda in the Erdoğan-Trump meeting will be diverse, but four topics will be the main items in discussions. These include the lifting of Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions, Türkiye’s readmission to the F-35 program, the U.S. sale of engines for Türkiye’s locally made fighter jet Kaan and new defense projects.
Additionally, Trump and Erdoğan are expected to discuss boosting bilateral trade volume and possible collaboration on energy.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday held talks with his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb as the latter arrived for a two-day NATO summit in the Turkish capital.
Later on Tuesday, Stubb will attend a dinner hosted by Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan in honor of the heads of state and government and their spouses.
Finland became a full member of NATO in 2023. It shares a long 1,340-kilometer (832.64-mile) border with Russia, the longest of any NATO ally, and has built its defense posture around that reality for decades, with the USSR’s successful invasion in 1939-1940 still long remembered. Its spending reflects post-Ukraine urgency and a long tradition of credible territorial defense.
Türkiye was instrumental in Finland’s membership of NATO, as well as in the admission of Sweden. Ankara initially objected to the memberships, conditioning that both countries should take more action to combat terrorism, and consented to their admission after Finland and Sweden demonstrated commitment to that extent.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, at the Presidential Complex on Tuesday as the latter arrived for bilateral talks and a key NATO summit in Ankara. While delivering comments, the U.S. president vowed that they would lift CAATSA sanctions.
Speaking alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex after arriving in Ankara for the NATO leaders summit, Trump said the time had come to remove sanctions that have strained relations between the two NATO allies.
“We’re going to lift the sanctions,” Trump said. “We don’t want to sanction our friends. I don’t want to choke my friend with sanctions.”
The sanctions were imposed under the U.S. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) after Türkiye purchased the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, leading Washington to suspend Ankara from the multinational F-35 fighter jet program in 2019.
Asked whether Türkiye could rejoin the program, Trump praised Ankara as a reliable ally.
“Türkiye has been a much more loyal partner than many others,” he said.
Moreover, Trump also said he might not have attended the NATO summit had it not been hosted by Türkiye.
“Frankly, if this summit had not been held in Türkiye, and if my friend, a very strong leader, a very strong person, had not been here, I probably would not have come,” he underlined, referring to Erdoğan.
Calling Türkiye a militarily powerful country under Erdoğan’s leadership, Trump remarked that relations between Washington and Ankara were at their strongest point in years.
“I have great respect for President Erdoğan,” he said. “This is truly in the interest of both countries. I can say that our relationship with Türkiye is better now than it has ever been.”
Trump also defended U.S. spending within NATO, saying Washington had invested “trillions of dollars” in the alliance to protect European allies from security threats, including those posed by Russia.
The U.S. president was scheduled to attend the summit’s official dinner later Tuesday. On Wednesday, he is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa before concluding his visit with a news conference and departing Ankara.
Trump’s arrival in Ankara
The two men, who often refer to each other as “friend,” first met on the tarmac of Ankara Airport, a military airport redesigned for Air Force One and other presidential planes. They later proceeded to the airport’s guest house and, later, to the Presidential Complex.
A ceremonial team of guardsmen dressed in historical costumes of Turkish states of the past, from Seljuks to Ottomans, attended the welcoming ceremony for Trump at the complex.
This is Trump’s first visit to Türkiye in his two presidential terms and the first by a sitting U.S. president after the end of the Biden administration. Erdoğan visited the White House last year, and the two leaders often hold phone calls in critical times, including the recent U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. Trump, however, is no stranger to Türkiye, where skyscrapers bearing the name of his franchise tower over central Istanbul. He attended the opening ceremony of the towers in 2012, alongside Erdoğan, then prime minister.
Speaking to journalists before their meeting, the two leaders affirmed good ties and friendship. “We feel stronger now having my precious friend here in Ankara,” Erdoğan said.
“We are very good friends, you are a respected leader,” Trump said in turn. “We are going to talk about trade, military, Iran,” the U.S. leader said. Trump also expressed his frustration with NATO. “I was very disappointed with NATO. I am not sure they would be there for us. Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars if they are not there for us?” he said.
On Türkiye’s return to the F-35 program, Erdoğan said he trusted Trump as “a man of his word.”
The Turkish president also said he will discuss engines for Türkiye’s indigenous Kaan fighter jet with Trump during the NATO leaders’ summit, adding he expects Trump to reiterate positive commitments.
In the aftermath of the ouster of Özgür Özel as chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the party’s divide between supporters of Özel and reinstated Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu continues to grow.
This is most evident in acts of vandalism at the party’s provincial branches, where pro-Özel chairs are replaced with pro-Kılıçdaroğlu ones.
Özel himself resisted evacuation from the party’s headquarters in May, and his loyalists followed his example in their refusal to vacate party offices in provinces.
Provincial chairpersons who made headlines for their criticism of Kılıçdaroğlu, who is often branded as a “traitor” for accepting the reinstatement, are being dismissed by the new administration gradually. Repeatedly emphasizing that it will not allow a dual power structure within the party, the Kılıçdaroğlu administration is appointing new provincial chairpersons to replace those who have been removed. With these appointments, tensions over the evacuation have shifted from the party headquarters to provincial offices.
In some provinces, party buildings are not being vacated, while in others, property inside provincial headquarters is being vandalized. Walls are being covered with profanity and insulting graffiti, and in many provinces, bank accounts, vehicles and official record books have not been handed over to the new administrations. It is alleged that Özgür Özel and his associates have promised parliamentary candidacies to former provincial chairpersons who, despite repeated calls for calm, continue to fuel unrest by refusing to comply.
During this process, the provincial headquarters in Izmir was taken over only after a confrontation involving kicking, punching and shouting obscenities. In Malatya, a building that had not been vacated was entered only with the assistance of a locksmith late at night. Supporters of Özel, who are accused of continuing unlawful actions, stormed the building and wrote the word “Traitor” over a poster of Kılıçdaroğlu. In Batman, it was revealed that the provincial headquarters had been thoroughly ransacked by the previous administration. In Çanakkale, the provincial headquarters has likewise not been vacated.
As in many other provinces, a chaotic situation is continuing at the Ankara provincial headquarters of the party. The former administration, which is accused of unlawfully occupying the building, has been paying individuals to stand guard during the night. In addition, as in many other provinces, the official record books and bank accounts have not been handed over to the new administration. Sources close to the Kılıçdaroğlu administration claimed that these transfers are being deliberately delayed because of suspicious financial transactions in the bank accounts. It is also claimed that former administrators across the country, who are vacating buildings under police supervision while staging what is described as “resistance demonstrations,” are attempting to create a new narrative of victimization through these incidents.
-
Refugees1 day agoProsecutors credit gold trader in Iran sanctions case with key help before sentencing
-
Politics16 hours agoTurkish FM says Erdoğan-Trump ties could help ease NATO divisions
-
Daily Agenda3 days agoBREAKING NEWS… Citizenship shield for FETO traitors! Here is the hypocrisy of the West: SABAH received the rejection answers of the fugitives who were not extradited!
-
Daily Agenda3 days agoBREAKING NEWS… NATO Summit statement from Director of Communications Burhanettin Duran: The alliance’s efforts in the field of deterrence and defense will be evaluated
-
Refugees2 days agoTrump plans to meet with Ukrainian and Syrian presidents at the NATO summit
-
Politics9 hours agoUS President Trump arrives in Ankara in inaugural visit, for NATO summit
-
Daily Agenda1 day agoAK Party General Secretary Eyyüp Kadir İnan: We kept the reputation of our nation and the interests of our country above all else.
-
Daily Agenda7 hours agoHere is the menu presented to NATO leaders: Flavors from all over Türkiye were included