Within the framework of the corruption investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, proceedings were initiated against the suspects, including CHP’s Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım (57), for the crimes of “Bribery”, “Extortion” and “Tender Rigging”. 12 suspects, including Yalım, were detained in the operation carried out simultaneously in the provinces of Uşak, Ankara and Kocaeli. While it was claimed that Uşak Municipality made repeated invoices in company tenders and took the difference as a bribe, it was determined that pressure was put on Yalın’s family members to be given a partnership in the company in the new businesses to be established, otherwise the tender would not be awarded. On the other hand, it was determined that the mayor, his deputies and senior managers in the municipality went to entertainment venues, and the expenses there were paid from the municipal budget through the food bill.

HE COULD NOT RECEIVE A BRIBE, HE WAS PUNISHED

It was determined that Özkan Yalım listed the employees of his own Yalım Garden as municipal staff and paid their insurance through the municipality. In addition, the corrupt mayor, who demanded 10 vehicles from the shopping mall owner and businessman EA on behalf of the municipality, learned that he could buy a maximum of 3 vehicles, had the shopping mall sealed, saying it was against the legislation, and was fined 65 million lira. During the investigation, it was determined that the deputy mayors collected money under the name of aid/donation to the Uşakspor Club and that these money were brought to Yalım’s office and delivered to the private secretary. It was revealed that Uşak Mayor’s Private Secretary Hasan Doğukan Kurnaz was the president of Uşakspor Club, from whom he collected bribe money under the name of ‘donation’ in January 2025. The statement that Kurnaz, who handed over his duty in June of the same year, said that he was appointed as the club president at the discretion of the mayor, came to mind again.

HE TRANSFERRED HIS ASSET TO HIS DRIVER

It was revealed that Özkan Yalım transferred the goods he acquired thanks to bribe money to his driver Cihan Aras in 2025, with the concern that they would be confiscated during the operation. In addition, it was learned that Yalım, who is married and the father of 3 children, had 2 lovers, and it was determined that the woman named AA was employed by the municipality in 2024 in a high-paid position, but did not actually work, and SA was a municipal employee. The prosecutor’s office determined that there was intense communication traffic between the relevant persons and common base records regarding the relevant dates.

In MASAK reports, it was determined that there were large amounts of money movements in the suspects’ accounts, the source of which could not be determined. It was evaluated that there was a discrepancy between the financial and professional profiles of the financial transactions. In the operation carried out yesterday morning, Özkan Yalım was caught with his 21-year-old girlfriend SA in a hotel in Ankara. The young woman, who had no hotel registration, was detained upon instruction. It was learned that his other lover AA was detained in Kocaeli. During the detention process, Yalım opened the door wrapped in a towel and asked the police for permission to change. Afterwards, Yalım opened his password and handed over his phone to the teams entering the room. However, during the search, a second phone belonging to Yalım was found hidden in SA’s underwear. The phone, which was thought to contain evidence regarding the events subject to investigation, was taken by the teams.

SOME NAMES TAKEN INTO CUSTODY

Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım, Uşak Deputy Mayor Halil Arslan, Uşak Municipality Accounting and Finance Manager Hüseyin Yaman, Uşak Municipality Private Secretary and former Uşakspor Club President Hasan Doğukan Kurnaz, Uşak Municipality Executive Driver Murat Altınkaya and Uşak Municipality staff Cihan Aras.

President Erdoğan addressed the Strategic Communication Summit (STRATCOM), organized for the 5th time this year in Istanbul by the Directorate of Communications, with a video message:

Welcome to Istanbul, the meeting point of continents, cultures and hearts, you have brought joy. As Turkey, we will continue to maintain our principled, determined and peace-oriented stance that centers on human values ​​and justice, and to mobilize all our means to rebuild peace and trust not only in our region but all over the world. It is more important than ever before to end the tragedies that hurt all of our hearts, as in Gaza, and to restore peace, tranquility and stability throughout the world, especially in our region. The international system established by the victors after the World War is experiencing a major crisis of legitimacy in almost every field.

Meanwhile, the International Strategic Communication Summit (STRATCOM Summit) 2026, organized for the 5th time this year by the Directorate of Communications, brings together policy makers, experts, communication professionals, academics, civil society representatives and think tanks in the world capital Istanbul, and discusses how communication can contribute to strengthening resilience in the international system, increasing coordination and building a more stable structure.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan answered questions regarding the agenda last night on A Haber. Fidan made important statements about the US/Israel-Iran war that started on February 28 and dragged the world into uncertainty, its impact on the countries in the region and Türkiye’s strategy in this process. Minister of Foreign Affairs Fidan briefly stated the following:

THE WAR IS FACED WITH THE DANGER OF REGIONAL SPREAD:

A seed of discord was sown that would make it difficult for Muslims in the region to come together again. What makes us sad is that, unfortunately, the region is being drawn, step by step, into a game scripted by Israel. We see civilian targets being hit from time to time. Nearly 8 thousand missiles have been fired at the Gulf countries so far. Islamic countries fighting each other is exactly what Israel wants. Gulf countries should not fall for Israel’s trick. Our position was that countries that did not intervene in any way should not be attacked. We have a vision to bring a solution for the region.

WHEN AND HOW WILL THE WAR END: If Israel maintains its influence on US politics, this war will continue. The problem is that the world cannot exert pressure on Israel.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE WAR DOES NOT SPREAD: Our number one goal is for the war to stop. It is important for us that war does not become more widespread. I hope the war will end at one point or another, but regional instability, that is, as if a nuclear bomb was dropped, no plants grow in one place for 30 or 40 years. After the nuclear bomb, when there is a war in some places, serious hostilities between societies, between cultures, and between countries continue for years. We don’t want this to happen.

A STAGE HAS BEEN REACHED IN THE NEGOTIATIONS: Now it seems like a stage has been reached in the negotiations. So at least negotiations have started. There is message transfer through Pakistan. The current negotiating positions are different from the pre-war negotiating positions of both sides. My statement to both sides; So don’t take these opening positions too seriously, but if there is actually an intention on both sides, they can definitely be brought together somewhere. Iran rightfully has an incredible loss of trust in America. While there were negotiations twice before, there was a war situation. Now there is a situation of what could happen in the third one. We say that this was the war we were afraid of, but it is important to stop it now. Americans also show willingness at this point.

PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN’S INTENSIVE CONTACTS: (Could unforeseen problems arise regardless of the intentions of the parties) Maybe. We have some thoughts on that subject, but maybe there is no need to express it too much right now. Both our President and we have intense contact with the parties here. Hopefully, as I said, we are working hard to bring this to a point. Europeans are looking for a lot. The beautiful thing is this; Just like in the Gaza War, the whole world’s expectation is that this unjust war will stop as soon as possible and its negative effects will end.

OUR GOAL IS TO STOP THE WAR

As Türkiye, we had several main goals that we set for ourselves from the beginning. The first is to prevent the war from breaking out if possible, but to stop the war if it did. The second is to prevent the war from expanding and spreading further. The third is to keep Türkiye out of this war. Our President has presented a very clear vision on these issues. This accumulated energy, which dates back to previous years, especially due to the nuclear issue and other issues, emerged in the form of a war.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) Türkiye Country Strategy Meeting was held in Istanbul last night, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Meeting with senior executives of the world’s and Türkiye’s leading companies at the Dolmabahçe Office, President Erdoğan said in his speech, “The whole world feels the negative effects of the war in a wide range of areas, from energy markets to the functioning of production, informatics, transportation and trade networks. As I have stated before on different occasions, all humanity, as well as the parties to the conflict, are paying the price of this meaningless, unlawful and unnecessary war that has deeply shaken our region for a month.”

MEETING ON COMMON GROUND

President Erdoğan said that while there is an opportunity to find common ground through diplomacy and dialogue, we all bear the burden of the sabotage of these roads together as the human family, and added: “It is a fact that if the conflicts do not end, the price to be paid will increase. Geographic distance will not have any meaning in this process, and even countries located on different continents will be more affected by the energy dimension, as it is understood.”

Erdoğan emphasized that global risk analyzes reveal that the international system has entered a more competitive and more fragile period and said, “In this new period, the global economic order is exposed to threats from many fronts. The erosion of energy security and supply chains, the erosion of the international trade regime and protectionist policies increase vulnerabilities, and all these developments reduce the number of stable economies.”

Türkiye’s POSITION

At the meeting held with the theme “Growth in a Global Center: Strengthening Competitiveness and Resilience”, Türkiye’s position in the global economy and cooperation opportunities were discussed. Within the scope of the meeting, the strategic dialogue session, attended by 23 international investors from 16 countries with a total value of 1.2 trillion dollars from different sectors such as manufacturing, technology, energy, finance, infrastructure, asset management, health, food and aviation, witnessed comprehensive evaluations on Türkiye’s role in the global economic system, investment potential and long-term growth perspective. The meeting was attended by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, Presidential Investment and Finance Office President Ahmet Burak Dağlıoğlu, President of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey Fatih Karahan and AK Party’s Deputy Chairman in charge of the economy Nihat Zeybekci, as well as BlackRock President and Chairman of the Board of Directors and World Economic Forum. Forum Co-Chairman Laurence Fink and World Economic Forum President and Chief Executive Officer Alois Zwinggi also attended.

PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN RECEIVED LAURENCE D. FINK

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received World Economic Forum and BlackRock President Laurence D. Fink at the Presidential Dolmabahçe Working Office. Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar were also present at the meeting, which was closed to the press. During the meeting, global economy, investment opportunities and cooperation in the field of energy were discussed.

According to the statement made by the Directorate of Communications, within the scope of the 5th STRATCOM Summit organized by the Directorate in Istanbul this year, “A Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Joint Working Commissions and Committees within the Scope of the Turkey-Azerbaijan Joint Media Platform” was signed between the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by Presidential Communications Director Prof. Dr. It was signed by Burhanettin Duran and President of the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ahmed İsmayilov. The memorandum of understanding envisages the development of existing cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan in the fields of digital and social media, audiovisual media, strategic communication and crisis management. With the memorandum of understanding, the parties agreed to establish a joint working commission and standing committees within the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Joint Media Platform.

Turkey-Azerbaijan Joint Media Platform was established within the scope of the “Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation Between Turkey and Azerbaijan in the Field of Media” signed on December 10, 2020, during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Azerbaijan. The platform aims to strengthen the integration between the media of the two countries, ensure accurate information to the public and carry out a joint fight against disinformation.

Minister Kurum spoke at the high-level event held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to celebrate International Zero Waste Day.

Stating that the meeting in question was organized to protect the future of humanity and to remember respect for nature and its resources, Kurum said:

“We all know that the steps Türkiye takes today in the fight against zero waste and the climate crisis will shape the world of tomorrow. This is very clear; it is not possible to protect our future without changing our consumption habits. The amount of waste we produce today has exceeded the rate of nature’s renewal. As Turkey, in the words of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we have considered this understanding not as a policy, but as a mobilization.

We initiated a social transformation that touched the lives of millions of people and changed habits in a short time. Because our nature is tired, our resources are diminished, our balance is disrupted. Look, even in 2022 alone, we have wasted approximately 1 billion tons of food, that is, approximately 1/5 of the total food. Just reducing food waste; “It stands before us as a climate solution that can have a very high impact.”

“ZERO WASTE IS NOT A CHOICE, IT IS AN OBLIGATION”

Explaining the importance of zero waste with examples, Kurum said, “Zero waste is not a choice, it is an obligation. As Turkey, we supported this idea not only with individual efforts, but also with corporate and social mobilizations.” he said.

The institution stated that today 205 thousand points in Türkiye are equipped with the Zero Waste Management System, the recovery rate has increased to 36 percent, and that they have made a change in mentality in every segment of the society, thus, 74.5 million tons of waste was recycled, 553 million trees were saved and 150 million tons of carbon emissions were prevented.

“We will strive to ensure that the steps we take as Turkey during the COP31 process are not limited to our own country, but spread from neighboring countries to Africa, from Asia to Latin America,” said Kurum, adding that this “will not remain just words, but they will look for a way to take action.”

Emphasizing that they now have “zero tolerance” against climate change and stating that they will “give the strongest message” to the whole world at COP31 in Antalya, Minister Kurum invited everyone in the hall to Antalya.

Stating that they will fully support the development of all innovative systems and concrete commitments regarding the prevention of food waste during COP31, with a zero waste approach, the Authority said, “Every step we take today will determine the future of not only Türkiye but also the world. We are the voice of humanity and the pioneers of action.” he said.

The institution underlined that President Erdoğan’s wife, Emine Erdoğan, gifted the zero waste movement to humanity as an initiative of conscience and heart, and said:

“The following warning of First Lady Erdoğan is very valuable: ‘Türkiye, with its high sense of responsibility towards our common home, should be a guide to all nations who want to switch to zero waste.” We must be a guide because if a school in Pakistan separates waste, a village in Africa will have clean water. If an island in Indonesia carries out a sea cleanup, coral reefs in the Caribbean will revive. If a business in Germany implemented a zero waste system, air and water quality would improve in cities across Asia. “Now we are taking our understanding of the global, of humanity, to a new phase.”

At the high-level event, video messages of Emine Erdoğan, the intellectual architect and supporter of the Zero Waste Project, and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has supported this project since its establishment as the highest official of the UN, were published.