In his speech at the “Ministry of Family and Social Services Monitoring Unit and Case Management Workshop” held in a hotel, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said that they are together to carry the social aid work they have been carrying out with great effort in the field for years to a stronger ground.

Stating that they will consider a vision that goes beyond meeting needs, prioritizes the future of children and unites institutions around the same goal, Göktaş emphasized that they aim to reflect the information from the field more effectively into decision-making processes with the workshop they held in cooperation with UNICEF.

Göktaş pointed out that the current period has brought the understanding of the social state all over the world to a more critical point than ever before and said, “Today, deepening social inequalities on a global scale, migration, disasters, wars and new risks that challenge the family structure have made social policies one of the most strategic areas of countries.” he said.

Emphasizing that the social state is no longer a structure that comes into play only in times of need, Göktaş noted that the social state is a strong vision of the future that foresees risks, keeps the family alive, protects the child and increases the resilience of the society.

Minister Göktaş stated that Türkiye is one of the countries that has implemented this understanding in the strongest way and said, “While many countries in the world have sought restructuring of social protection systems in the face of crises, Turkey has a strong practice in this field. Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our country has reached a very large institutional capacity in the field of social assistance and social services. With the policies implemented in the last 24 years, Turkey has transformed the social state into a strong system that touches every aspect of life.” made his assessment.

“WE HAVE DETECTED 30 THOUSAND 296 VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS TO DATE”

Stating that they have built a strong model that goes into the field with social state experience, reaches every household and detects the needs on the spot, Minister Göktaş said:

“One of the strongest carriers of this understanding in the field is our social assistance and solidarity foundations. Today, we have a strong social protection network that extends to the most remote corners of our country with our 1003 foundations. This large structure is one of the mechanisms that combines the compassion of our state with the spirit of solidarity of our nation. Social needs that change from day to day bring with them different requirements. It makes it necessary to strengthen the presence of the social state in the field with a more dynamic, earlier-activated and more holistic approach. Because now issue supports “It is not just about delivering the services when the application arrives. The main thing is to reach our citizens before the needs deepen, the risks grow, and the vulnerabilities become permanent.”

Reminding that they established the Monitoring Unit with this understanding last year, Göktaş said, “With this unit, we have identified 30 thousand 296 fragile households through the Integrated Social Assistance Information System so far. We shared these households with our 920 social assistance and solidarity foundations. Sometimes we reached a child in these households who had lost a parent. Sometimes we supported an elderly person who had difficulty in meeting his self-care needs. Sometimes we touched the life of a severely disabled citizen who lived alone. Sometimes he was at risk of school absenteeism.” “We brought one of our children back to education.” he said.

“OUR MONITORING UNIT MOVES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL STATE FROM DETECTION TO SOLUTION”

Göktaş stated that they referred 3 thousand 542 households to social service centers in the last 8 months and continued as follows:

“We brought together 326 households with the provincial directorates of our Ministry of National Education and 272 households with İŞKUR. We provided regular aid to 5 thousand 582 households. We provided one-time and temporary aid to 12 thousand 355 households. In total, we brought together 13 thousand 364 individual households with our social support mechanisms. In this sense, our Monitoring Unit carries our understanding of the social state from numbers to the field, from data to people, from detection to solution. All these In the process, we have seen that a household’s needs are often not limited to a single topic. Income support is of course important, but needs can change, such as a social service intervention, monitoring a child’s education process or directing an individual who is able to work to employment.

Elderly care services come to the fore in some households. In some households, disability support or psychosocial support needs to be activated. Therefore, we cannot separate social assistance from education, health, employment, child protection and all other public services that strengthen the family. We also create our social risk maps by evaluating together these multi-dimensional social indicators that we take into account in our monitoring system. Thus, while we follow the needs of households one by one, we can see more clearly how the risks are concentrated at the regional and local level. In this sense, social risk maps are a powerful opportunity that allows us to respond to needs earlier.”

Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş explained that with this system, they addressed sensitivities in different areas as a whole, from children to women, from disabled and elderly individuals to families, and that they regularly monitored households with the Family Guide and Children Are Safe systems and quickly activated their services.

“OUR WORKSHOP WILL MAKE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEW ERA OF OUR SOCIAL ASSISTANCE SYSTEM”

Emphasizing that the case management approach has gained critical meaning at this point, Göktaş said, “Monitoring, evaluation and case management are not just a technical process for us. This approach is the most concrete equivalent of our social state vision on the field. Our goal is to carry this strong capacity we have achieved to a further stage. We want to reach every household at the right time, with the right service and with a more holistic approach.” he said.

Göktaş stated that they see the Decade of Family and Population as a strategic future vision that strengthens the future of the country, starting from the family, and said that the workshop is an important step towards this goal.

Stating that each topic discussed in the workshop will further strengthen service capacities in the field, Göktaş noted that they will evaluate case management processes, social assistance and social service integration, inter-institutional referral mechanisms, shock-sensitive social protection approach, data-based monitoring systems and new areas of need they encounter in the field.

Göktaş stated that the power of the social aid system does not come only from the digital infrastructure, that the real reward of this power comes from the human resources working in the field, and that increasing the professional competence of foundation officials is one of the most basic topics of this process.

Stating that they aim to further strengthen the training and capacity building programs with the results of the workshop, Göktaş said, “I believe that our Monitoring Unit and Case Management Workshop will make significant contributions to the new era of our social assistance system. At the same time, it will strengthen the coordination between our institutions and carry our social state vision to a more effective basis.” he said.

UNICEF Türkiye Representative Paolo Marchi also gave a speech here. On the other hand, a promotional video regarding the functioning of the Monitoring Unit was also shown at the workshop.

Within the framework of the visit, President Görgün held meetings with the Japanese Minister of Defense, the commanders of the Japan Land Self-Defense Forces and the Maritime Self-Defense Forces. Görgün also met with the President of the Japan Defense Equipment and Technology Agency (ATLA) and agency officials.

JAPAN AIMS TO INCREASE DEFENSE EXPENDITURES

Changing geopolitical threats, Russia’s attack on Ukraine, North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, and China’s rapid increase in military capacity caused Japan to re-plan its “National Security Strategy” in 2022.

Japan’s annual defense spending is expected to reach 1.9 percent of the country’s gross domestic product in fiscal year 2026. The Tokyo administration aims to increase this rate to 2 percent in the 2027 fiscal year.

Aiming to transition to a “proactive” defense approach, both technologically and militarily, by loosening its traditional restrictions in the face of regional threats in the Indo-Pacific, Japan aims to establish a more integrated defense mechanism with its allies and to diversify its suppliers.

According to the foundation’s statement, Turkish Maarif Foundation, established with Law No. 6721 adopted on June 17, 2016, has become one of Türkiye’s strongest education and culture focuses in the global arena with its emphasis on “10 Years Building the Future”. The Foundation prepares more than 75 thousand students for the future in 66 countries on 6 continents.

The foundation, which has built a multi-dimensional structure from pre-school to higher education, from science festivals to sports organizations in a ten-year period, has become an education brand that can set the agenda worldwide with the Istanbul Education Summit, where important issues related to education are discussed.

Turkey’s Maarif Foundation, which has undertaken Türkiye’s international education vision, today operates with 524 schools, 2 universities, 16 education centers, 57 student dormitories and 12 Türkiye Studies Centers around the world.

The foundation, which has an important role in the fight against FETO, took over schools and 1 university from FETO and restructured them in 23 countries, from Afghanistan to Pakistan, from Somalia to Tunisia and Venezuela.

The foundation, which simultaneously has 245 new schools and 1 university in strategic regions around the world and in the geographies needed by the Turkish diaspora, has deepened its global presence by tripling the number of countries in which it operates.

MULTILINGUAL AND MULTI-DIRECTIONAL EDUCATION

The foundation of Maari’s ten-year success lies in a unique educational approach that respects local values ​​but is open to international standards.

Foundation schools, which fully comply with the national curricula of the countries in which they operate, also successfully implement international programs such as Oxford, IB and Cambridge at the required levels.

The “International Maarif Education Model” (IM), developed by the Foundation at the K-12 level, stands out with its constructivist approach. With this model, it is aimed to raise students as global citizens who are equipped not only in academic exams but also in areas such as critical thinking, multilingualism, technological literacy, social skills and aesthetic sensitivity.

A VISION THAT CROSSES CLASSES: SCIENCE AND CULTURE DIPLOMACY

Turkish Maarif Foundation, which does not see education as limited to four walls, brings together global education actors and young talents with giant organizations such as TEKNOFEST, Istanbul Education Summit, Science Fest Africa and African Maarif Sports Games.

While the science festival, held for the first time in Ivory Coast, increases the interest of high school students in 27 African countries in STEM fields, the sports games, which started in Mali and reached 20 countries and thousands of athletes with the participation of neighboring countries, reinforce intercultural friendship bonds.

Istanbul Education Summit, held with a different visionary theme every year, is an international platform that shapes global education policies.

The Foundation’s emphasis on “10 Years Building the Future” was also a period in which Türkiye’s cultural diplomacy activities and humanitarian ties on a global scale were strengthened.

MAARİF GRADUATES BECOME CULTURAL AMBASSADORS

More than 3 thousand young people who come to Türkiye for higher education after graduating from Maarif schools become cultural ambassadors by studying in 68 different cities and 143 universities of the country. These young people, who are guided by the professional guidance and career planning support offered by the Maarif Agency, are considered the most valuable legacy the foundation leaves to the future.

Stepping into its second decade with a strong institutional capacity, quality and sustainability vision, Turkish Maarif Foundation continues its global march with the determination to add value to the common future of humanity, in line with the goal of “operating in all UN member countries” stated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

According to the news of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the council of ministers gave the green light to the 50 percent – 50 percent joint venture between Leonardo and the Turkish company Baykar for the design, development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles, with some conditions.

While the Council of Ministers approved the agreement for the joint venture of Leonardo and Baykar, the government in Italy; It was stated that it resorted to the “Golden Power”, which is a legal mechanism that allows controlling, vetoing or imposing special conditions on companies and investments in strategic sectors related to critical infrastructure such as defense, national security, energy, telecommunications and transportation, and stipulated that international development activities should be directed only to countries in line with NATO and the European Union (EU).

It was also stated that the confidentiality of confidential information and the technology used will need to be guaranteed.

In the news in Il Messaggero newspaper, it was stated that the Italian government gave the green light to a joint venture between Leonardo and Baykar for the production of UAVs and said, “The Council of Ministers yesterday approved the creation of a joint venture, 50 percent of which will be owned by Leonardo and 50 percent of which will be owned by the Turkish company Baykar, to produce ‘new generation remote-controlled air systems’, using its special powers under certain rules and conditions.” expressions were used.

While it was stated in the newspaper’s report that Defense Minister Guido Crosetto insisted on the green light, it was noted that the government imposed some restrictions with its “Golden Power” authority, and among these, the UAVs produced for the protection of “national strategic interests” and the continuity of the supply chain had to be directed only to countries “in line” with NATO and EU policies.

Leonardo and Baykar’s joint company named “LBA Systems” was announced in March 2025 and the agreement was signed in June 2025.

The US District Court for the Southern District of New York approved the joint application of the US Department of Justice Southern New York District Attorney’s Office and Halkbank to dismiss the criminal case. With the court’s approval of the application, the criminal case that had been going on for 9 years ended.

“THE CASE HAS BEEN FINALLY AND FINALLY CLOSED”

In the statement made by Halkbank to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), “The criminal case against our bank, which has been going on for years in the USA, has been definitively and finally closed. We hope that the decision will be beneficial to our Bank, our investors, our customers and our employees.” It was said.

The statement also said, “Our Bank, which has been serving our country’s economy for 88 years, will continue its activities in a strong, reliable and uninterrupted manner, in accordance with all national and international regulations, today and in the future, as in the past, and will continue to contribute to the growth of both the banking sector and the country’s economy.” expressions were used.

HALKBANK GENERAL MANAGER ÖZDİL: THE BANK’S POSITION IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS WILL BE STRENGTHENED

Making a statement on the subject, Halkbank General Manager Recep Süleyman Özdil said, “I would like to express my gratitude to everyone, especially our state and nation, who supported us during this long and difficult litigation process and always stood by us.” he said.

Stating that the legal process was completed without any judicial or administrative sanctions for the Bank, Recep Süleyman Özdil said, “The positive completion of the process, which we carried out meticulously, once again confirmed our sensitive compliance policies, which we have established in line with national and international financial regulations, and our integrated approach based on transparency and trust. This decision will allow us to focus on our activities more predictably and with higher motivation.” he said.

EMPHASIS ON INCREASED TRUST AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIONS

Emphasizing that the Bank’s position in international markets will be further strengthened in the coming period, Recep Süleyman Özdil continued as follows:

“We expect this development to increase our foreign funding opportunities, further our existing relationships with correspondent banks, and deepen our collaborations with international financial institutions. In the new period, we anticipate that the trust of international investors and financial circles in our Bank will increase steadily and investors’ interest in our Bank’s products will strengthen. Increasing trust and international cooperation will diversify our financing resources, create room for maneuver in managing our resource costs, and contribute significantly to our growth targets. Thus, we will be able to offer the resources we will obtain from international markets to the service of the real sector more effectively; “We will be able to further increase the support we provide to the financing of production, investment, employment and exports.”

ÖZGÜR ÇELİK WAS ALSO REFERRED TO DISCIPLINARY

Sarı said that, apart from this, they also disciplined 3 former provincial presidents, who were mentioned in the indictment and were the subject of the case, more commonly known as the butlan case, although they were not currently provincial presidents, and said, “One of these friends is our previous term Mardin Provincial Chairman Mehmet Kılıçarslan, another is our previous term Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, and another is our previous term Batman Provincial Chairman Hüseyin Yaşar. These 6 friends, 3 of them are the current provincial chairman and 3 of them are the previous term provincial chairman. “We have cautiously referred it to the High Disciplinary Board,” he said.

CONGRESS COMMISSION HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED

Sarı also gave information about the preparations for the ordinary congress and said, “Apart from this, we said that we would initiate a process regarding the ordinary congress, both with the statement made by Mr. Chairman, with the decision we took at the last party assembly, and with the evaluation we made at the Central Executive Board last week, that we would form a commission and that this commission would run the process related to the ordinary congress in the coming period, especially the ordinary congress calendar, and that it would be assigned to this issue. This issue came to the agenda of our Central Executive Board today and a commission consisting of 6 of our friends was established. These friends of ours.” “And our members of the Executive Board are Orhan Sarıbal, Yıldırım Kaya, Adnan Demirci, Nevaf Bilek, Hasan Efe Uyar and Deniz Demir. These friends of ours will serve in the Ordinary Congress Preparation Commission as our members of the Central Executive Board. In the coming period, they will complete their work as soon as possible and submit a calendar specifically for the ordinary congress to the Republican People’s Party.”