Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi went to Erzurum as part of a series of visits and opening programs. Minister Çiftçi, who attended the opening of the Fetih Mosque, the restoration of which started during his Governorship period, together with the Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, expressed his satisfaction with the reopening of the mosque, popularly known as the Hagia Sophia of Erzurum, for worship.

FETİH MOSQUE HAS BEEN OPENED FOR WORSHIP AGAIN

Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi, together with Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, attended the opening ceremony of the historical Fetih Mosque, whose restoration works were completed. The mosque, one of the important historical and spiritual symbols of Erzurum, was reopened for worship after the restoration. The mosque, which was renovated with an investment of 61 million liras, was put back into service for citizens with its reinforced structure and restored architecture.

MAARIF MODEL VISION AIMS TO RAISE THE GENERATIONS THAT WILL BUILD Türkiye’S CENTURY

Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi later attended the mass groundbreaking ceremony of the investments in Palandöken Hüseyin Avni Ulaş Secondary School, where 92 new classrooms will be added to education, and the launch of the Gastronomy High School, with the participation of Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin. In his speech at the ceremony, Minister Çiftçi said that the Turkey Century Education Model, implemented by the Ministry of National Education under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is based on a strong educational approach that combines knowledge with morality and academic success with national and spiritual values, and noted that this vision is an important educational move that aims to raise the generations that will build the Turkish Century.

Minister Çiftçi said, “When the 5 schools we laid the foundations for today are completed, 92 new classrooms will be added to our education community. 2 thousand 760 students will have safer and more qualified classroom environments. With this investment of 620 million liras, an important infrastructure will be provided for our children, our National Education Organization and our city.” he said.

“I WANT CHILDREN TO KNOW THAT THEIR ANCESTORS WERE REPRESENTATIVES OF A STATE THAT BUILT CIVILIZATION IN THE WORLD”

Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin noted that with the Turkey Century Education Model program, he wanted children to talk about the Ottoman Empire, the Seljuk Empire and the old Turkish states with pride and happiness because they are Turks, and said, “I want children to know that their ancestors are representatives of a state, a state tradition, that built civilization in the world. There are those who object, shout and call, but I am proud to be from Erzurum because I am a Turk and a Muslim. I want to serve my nation, my fellow citizens, my country.” I will continue.” he said.

“I FEEL LIKE I HAVE COME TO MY HOMETOWN”

Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi attended the opening of Palandöken Municipality National Mansion after the Ministry of National Education ceremony. Speaking at the program held at the Palandöken Municipality Millet Mansion, Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin stated that education investments in Erzurum continue without slowing down and said, “We currently have 18 schools under construction in Erzurum. There are 22 schools for which the tender process is being prepared. Only by the end of the year, the construction of approximately 40 schools will continue.” he said.

Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi stated that he experiences the same excitement every time he comes to Erzurum and said, “This is my third visit to Erzurum after I took office. I feel a different excitement every time I come. I feel like I have come to my own hometown. That’s why I would like to thank each and every one of you for your warm welcome. I hope that the neighborhood mansions will be beneficial and auspicious for our neighborhood, district and city.” he said.

MINISTER FARMER DELIVERED THE FIRST KEYS

After the speeches, Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi visited the Hüseyin Avni Ulaş and Yunus Emre Mahalle Mansions, which were opened. Minister Çiftçi stated that Hüseyin Avni Ulaş and Yunus Emre Mahalle Mansions, which were put into service at the opening, will be places that will keep the ancient neighborhood culture alive. Minister Çiftçi later met with citizens at the turnkey ceremony of Alipaşa Residences, which was completed with the groundbreaking of Habipbaba 2nd Stage, which was implemented within Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality.

Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi was accompanied by Erzurum Governor Aydın Baruş, AK Party Erzurum Deputies Selami Altınok, Abdurrahim Fırat, Fatma Öncü, Mehmet Emin Öz, MHP Erzurum Deputy Kamil Aydın, Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mehmet Sekmen and provincial and district protocol members in the programs he attended in Erzurum.

In cooperation with Antalya Governorship, Zero Waste Foundation and Antalya Blue Mediterranean Initiative, ‘Leave Your Mark on the Future – Plastic-Free July Meeting’ was held in the historical Phaselis South Port in order to protect marine ecosystems and raise awareness against waste pollution in the seas. Governor Hulusi Şahin examined the sea cleaning works carried out in Phaselis South Port with the accompanying delegation. Referring to the plastic waste that washed up on the shores of Antalya in recent weeks, Governor Şahin said, “We examined where they came from. The first findings point to plastics coming from Türkiye’s cities on the Mediterranean coast and from other countries. In the first investigations, we also encountered plastics with writings in foreign languages. This shows the fact that the Mediterranean is actually a big pool and pollution in one place affects another place.”

Pointing out that the problem is a common problem not only in Antalya but also in the entire Mediterranean basin, Governor Şahin said that they are focused on taking concrete measures in the short term. Governor Şahin said, “There are 29 rivers in Antalya and we know that certain pollution and plastics from these rivers reach the sea and from the sea to our shores. Therefore, we are seeking to expand the use of barriers within the framework of our initiative to prevent these. Our Metropolitan Municipality is working on this issue. We will put barriers at the mouths of all 29 rivers with the contributions of our sponsors and supporting companies. We started this practice in some of our rivers in the first place and will continue.” Zero Waste Foundation President Samed Ağırbaş said, “In the coming days, we will hold a meeting about plastic pollution in Antalya with the representatives of our Antalya Governorship and 14 ministries. Everyone is exposed to 5 grams of microplastic per week, and we inadvertently ingest microplastic into our bodies. This is harmful to both our country’s economy, the health of our citizens, and our individual economy.”

The Turkish-flagged dry cargo ship “Mv Reyhan Sarı” was attacked off the coast of Novorossiyk on the night of July 21, while it was on its way to bring the coal cargo it received from Russia’s Taman Port to Trabzon. While the attack with a kamikaze drone caused damage, Savaş Çakar (54), who worked in the engine room, lost his life. The 2 injured crew members were transported to Samsun by Coast Guard helicopter. The ship arrived at Trabzon Port yesterday morning. The ship was first scanned for explosives by bomb expert teams. Then, the body of Savaş Çakar, who lost his life in the attack, was taken out from under the iron piles. Following the work supported by the fire brigade, Çakar’s body was taken to the Forensic Medicine Institute for autopsy.

OUR PAIN IS TOO GREAT
Savaş Çakar’s brother, Sabah Newspaper Kocaeli Correspondent Abbas Çakar, experienced the pain of losing his brother. Abbas Çakar, who went to Trabzon, said, “He had been working on ships for about 30 years. He had recently started working in this company. We last spoke on the phone 5 days ago. He said that they had received cargo from Russia and would come to Trabzon. After the attack, I contacted the company and asked about my brother’s condition. They first told me that he was ‘seriously injured’. Then we learned that he had died. My brother has two children, one of whom is autistic. My nephews are orphaned. Our pain is great.” Meanwhile, images of the attack emerged. The moments when the ship was targeted were caught on camera.

THE PAINFUL DAY OF OUR FRIEND ÇAKAR
Sabah newspaper reporter Abbas Çakar, who came to receive the body of his brother who died in the attack, said, “Our pain is great. 2 of my nephews have become orphans.”

The trial of 63 defendants, 37 of whom are detained, continues, including CHP’s detained defendant Mustafa Bozbey, who was suspended from his post as Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, and CHP’s Turgay Erdem, former Mayor of Nilüfer Municipality, as part of the bribery and corruption investigation carried out in Bursa. In the third hearing of the case heard at Bursa 2nd High Criminal Court, Selda Nartop, an employee of the Eski Nilüfer Municipality Planning Directorate, was heard. Nartop said, “Ayşegül Erkol, my superior, put heavy hierarchical pressure on me. My freedom to examine the file was restricted with expressions such as ‘the president said let’s solve it’, ‘the district president’s job’, ‘sign it so I don’t have any trouble’, ‘let there be no mess’ in the message records I submitted. It can be seen in the documents that she stated the names of high-level officials and individuals and stated that I should approve it immediately, otherwise I would have a headache.”

INSTEAD OF A DEFENSE, HE SLAMMED
Another name whose defense was taken at the HEARING was Ayşegül Erkol, former Director of Zoning and Urbanization of Nilüfer Municipality, who is one of the names at the center of corruption allegations. Erkol, who was expected to defend himself before the judge, instead of defending himself, reproached the then Mayor, CHP’s Turgay Erdem. Stating that he has been a civil servant for 32 years, Erkol said, “I told Erdem that I wanted to be the deputy mayor. However, I was not appointed to this position. If I had been appointed to this position, my pension would have been higher. I am resentful. I was not involved in the bribery process.”

MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, while evaluating Manisa Deputy Özgür Özel’s decision to leave CHP and establish a new party, also made a suggestion regarding the distribution of “Treasury” aid. Bahçeli said that the Treasury aid to the parties should be distributed according to the number of MPs they have. Bahçeli answered Özgür Özel’s questions about leaving CHP and establishing a new party. Bahçeli said, “A new party is emerging from the CHP. There have been signals of this for a long time, and various lists have been published to the public about how many deputies will go. Some say 80, some say 90, but ultimately a new party is being established. In addition, another topic of discussion is how the assets will be distributed.” Bahçeli continued his words as follows: “If a new party emerges from the CHP and the assets of the CHP, such as buildings and official vehicles, remain with the existing party, in such a case; it is ethical to transfer a share of the 1 billion 815 million liras paid from the treasury to the CHP in 2026, from the treasury aid in proportion to the number of deputies who left the CHP and transferred to the new party.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a cooperation agreement between the two countries on the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet in November 2025. The weekly press briefing meeting of the Ministry of National Defense was held at ROKETSAN’s Lalahan Campus. Here, in response to journalists’ questions, it was stated that “Within the scope of Eurofighter procurement, flight personnel are planned to be sent to the United Kingdom in August 2026 and flight training will begin in a short time. Within the scope of the signed contract, flying and maintenance personnel will continue to be sent to the United Kingdom for a period of years.”

DELIVERIES IN 2030
The delivery of the aircraft purchased from the UK will begin in 2030 and the aircraft will be put into inventory. 20 aircraft will be delivered to Türkiye: 6 in 2030, 8 in 2031, and 6 in 2032. The project cost for 20 new production Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, mission equipment of the aircraft and various types and amounts of ammunition was announced as approximately 5.4 billion British Pounds. The fuselage production and final assembly of the aircraft will be done in the United Kingdom. Türkiye’s Typhoon fleet will be equipped with a comprehensive weapons package, including the Meteor air-to-air missile. Meteor is known as the most advanced European-made missile that strengthens Eurofighter’s “beyond visual superiority” capability with a range exceeding 200 kilometers. Ankara will also supply Eurofighters from Qatar and Oman. The delivery of all aircraft will be completed in 2032 and the Turkish Air Force will become even stronger with Eurofighter Typhoons. Türkiye’s F-4 fleet will be renewed with the deliveries. With the Eurofighter procurement, the Turkish Armed Forces will have aircraft other than US origin in their inventory for the first time.