The Presidential Cabinet, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is meeting with critical topics at the Presidential Complex today (Monday). At the meeting; It is expected that calendaring studies on the effects of the conflicts in the Middle East on the Turkish economy, economic measures and the anti-inflation program, the latest situation in the field and legal steps in the Terror-Free Türkiye process will be on the agenda.

EFFECTS OF CONFLICTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST ON THE TURKISH ECONOMY

One of the main agenda items of the cabinet meeting to be held under the chairmanship of President Erdoğan is the effects of the conflicts in the Middle East on the Turkish economy. Increasing energy prices and its reflections will be discussed at the meeting. The measures and precautions to be taken and the latest situation in the anti-inflation program will be discussed.

CURRENT REPORTS ARE ON THE TABLE IN A TERRORISM-FREE Türkiye

Another important agenda item of the Cabinet will be the work carried out in line with the “Terror-free Türkiye” target. Current reports from the field will be evaluated in detail at the meeting. The current situation will be analyzed in the light of the latest data received from security units, and new steps that can be taken will be consulted. Calendar studies regarding the legal steps planned to be taken in line with the reports will also be among the prominent topics of the meeting.

FILES THAT CANNOT BE CONCLUDED ARE ON THE AGENDA

The murder of Gülistan Doku, who disappeared 6 years ago in Tunceli and a re-investigation has been launched, and the unsolved murders will be on the agenda of the cabinet members. New steps to be taken in this context will be discussed in order to prevent citizens’ sense of justice from being damaged. In addition, ongoing bribery, corruption and extortion investigations against municipalities will also be among the hot topics.

WILL THE Eid-al-Adha holiday be 9 days?

One of the most curious topics of the meeting is the duration of the Eid al-Adha holiday. With the decision to be taken in the Cabinet, it will be determined whether the holiday will be 9 days or not.

The Presidential Cabinet is meeting! Will the Eid al-Adha holiday be 9 days? | Video

212 suspects were caught in the operations carried out by our Police in the last 5 days within the scope of the Fight against Cyber ​​Crimes. Suspects caught in operations against “Online Child Obscenity and Harassment, Illegal Betting, Qualified Fraud” crimes based in 24 provinces; 127 of them were arrested. Judicial control provisions were applied to 35 of them. Others’ operations continue.

212 suspects were caught in the operations carried out by our Police in the last 5 days within the scope of the Fight against Cyber ​​Crimes.

Caught in operations carried out against “Online Child Obscenity and Harassment, Illegal Betting, Qualified Fraud” crimes based in 24 provinces… pic.twitter.com/r43ujXA7a5

— TR Ministry of Internal Affairs (@TC_icisleri) May 4, 2026

Under the coordination of the General Directorate of Security, Department of Combating Cyber ​​Crimes, MASAK and the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor; As a result of the work carried out by the Anti-Cyber ​​Crime Branch Directorates of the Provincial Police Departments, the suspects caught in the operations carried out in 24 provinces; -They contain obscene images of children, -They engage in POS usury, -They provide unauthorized access to our citizens’ mobile banking and gaming accounts, -They allow illegal betting and gambling, they advertise betting sites, -They mediate money transfer on illegal betting and gambling sites, -They share personal data and share inquiries, -They use the themes of “investment and product sales fraud and TOKİ application” on social media platforms and phishing sites to protect our citizens. They were found to have defrauded. It does not tolerate criminal networks that defraud our citizens; We continue our fight against crime and criminals with determination.

We congratulate our heroic police officers, our department, our MASAK, our Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and those who contributed.

On the 31st day of the İmamoğlu Criminal Organization for Profitable Organization case, the defendant’s lawyers made serious accusations against the court. The lawyers’ words towards the court caused tension. After the tension, the 31st day of the trial ended before it even started.

HE SAID TO THE COURT “YOU ARE DOING WORK UNDER INSTRUCTIONS”

The court president did not give the right to speak after Baran Kaya, the lawyer of the detained defendant Fatih Keleş, said to the court, “Are you doing business under instructions?” The president of the court said, “If I give the right to speak to every lawyer who says I have a request, how will the trial continue? You do not convey your request to me, ‘are you doing business under instructions?’ you say. When he said, “I cannot give you the right to speak in this manner, nor will I make any demands,” the lawyers did not allow the detained defendant Ahmet Guldu to make a defence.

THE ARRESTED DEFENDANT LAUGHED: “LET ME DEFEND ME”

At the hearing, it was Ahmet Guldu, the employee of fugitive businessman Murat Gülibrahimoğlu, to defend himself. He laughed, and when he could not start his defense, he reacted to the lawyers and shouted, “Friends, just let me make my defense.” Güldü, who was identified, could not start his defense.

İmamoğlu did not leave the hall

After the court president decided to evacuate the hall, İmamoğlu and his lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan did not leave the hall. The Gendarmerie Commander told them not to cause any difficulties. İmamoğlu said to the commander, “I will not leave here. Use your authority if you want.”

TENSION CONTINUED, THE HEARING IS OVER

The presiding judge stated that the hearing would not continue if the courtroom was not evacuated. After the ongoing tension, the bailiff announced that the hearing was postponed until tomorrow. Thus, the 31st day of the IMM trial ended in tension. The hearing will continue where it left off tomorrow.

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu examined the ongoing works in the Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye- Gaziantep High Speed ​​​​Train Project Tarsus City Crossing within the scope of the Mersin program. Minister Uraloğlu, who received information about the project from the relevant people, said in his statement here that the line is a 312-kilometer high-speed railway line starting from Mersin and going to Gaziantep. Minister Uraloğlu, who made a statement regarding the part of the project passing through the center of Tarsus, said, “Our railway has a structure that essentially divides our city into two. It is a region where there are mostly level crossings. In our evaluation here, we decided to take a section of 2,400 meters completely underground, with the idea that our people can walk with their luggage in the city, go to the station, get on the train from there, and not interrupt life as much as possible, and allow the section above it to integrate life and carry out social activities.” “We have turned it into an area that will provide opportunities,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS NETWORK
Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye- Gaziantep High Speed ​​Train Project will not only be a regional transportation investment, but also a part of a strategic corridor that will integrate Türkiye into international logistics networks. The line in question will be integrated with the Development Road Project extending from Ovaköy to the Persian Gulf in the future. With this integration, cargo arriving at Faw Port will be transported to Europe via Turkey; Mersin Port will stand out as one of the most important logistics gates of this process opening to the Mediterranean. With the Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High Speed ​​Train Project, which is built for a speed of 200 kilometers, the travel time of approximately 6.5 hours will decrease to 2 hours and 15 minutes. When the project is completed, it is expected to carry an average of more than 3 million passengers and around 37 million tons of cargo annually.

5 MILLION VEHICLES USED
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made a written statement on the anniversary of the Zigana Tunnel, which opened on May 3, 2023. Minister Uraloğlu said, “Thanks to the tunnel, the route was shortened by 8 kilometers. Travel time decreased by an average of 20 minutes, 10 minutes for automobiles and 60 minutes for heavy tonnage vehicles. We also reduced carbon emissions by 44 thousand tons. 5 million 277 thousand 434 vehicles used our Zigana Tunnel in 3 years.”

The World Decolonization Forum will be held in Istanbul on 11-12 May. More than 70 academic papers will be presented at the forum, where academics, intellectuals and activists from the critical traditions of Africa, South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and the West will come together. With the decolonial art exhibitions that can be followed simultaneously and the Decolonized Film Festival that will take place at Atlas Cinema the same week, participants will be provided with an honest dialogue environment where different disciplines rarely meet on the same ground. NÛN Education and Culture Foundation Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Esra Albayrak said that they are waiting for everyone who believes that the legacy of humanity cannot fit into a single story at the Atatürk Cultural Center on 11-12 May. In his analysis of decolonization, Albayrak briefly noted the following:

Colonialism is not a page closed in the 1960s, but a structure that continues its existence by acquiring new forms. Academic studies carried out under the title of postcolonial studies for years still seem far from fundamentally analyzing the global structure in which colonialism is reproduced in different forms.

We clearly see that the human rights discourse, which has become global since the second half of the 20th century, has not gone beyond the “white man’s burden” rhetoric, despite all its flashy propositions, and has even been turned into a tool of exploitation and taming the other.

The “epistemic arrogance” created by the formation of the production and circulation processes of knowledge under the hegemony of a single center is one of the main responsible for the alienation and meaning crisis that humanity is dragged into today.

Today, we have to question the roles and hegemonic epistemic powers of the world’s respected universities, institutions that produce knowledge and represent international law, in the construction of the current crises and unfair order.

The declaration of “Science diplomacy for regional stability” was announced to the public within the scope of the consultation camp held between 1-3 May, with the participation of academics who were awarded by the Science Dissemination Foundation in various science disciplines. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Science Dissemination Foundation, Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, the Chairman of the Science Dissemination Society, Yusuf Tülün, the Chairman of the Science Dissemination Awards Award Commission, Prof. attended the program held in Istanbul. Dr. İdris Sarısoy and academicians who received awards at the 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025 Science Dissemination Awards attended.

‘CRISIS CANNOT BE SOLVED’
Sharing the declaration with the public, Prof. Dr. Zekeriya Kurşun said, “The destruction experienced in Gaza, the weakening of the regional security architecture, the pressures on the energy corridors, foreign interventions and the uncertainties in the international system clearly show that the peace, security and prosperity of our region cannot be entrusted only to exocentric structures. Under these conditions, it is inevitable for the countries of the region to build a new basis of cooperation based on their own historical, cultural, scientific and civilizational accumulation. At a time when the Western-centered international order is having difficulty in producing permanent solutions to regional crises, a new regionalism under the leadership of Türkiye.” “Turkey is one of the natural carriers of this process, thanks to its Islamic civilization heritage, historical and cultural ties with the Turkish world, modern science and higher education capacity, development in the defense industry, diplomatic experience and strong relations with regional institutions. In this context, science is not only a technical activity but also a strategic diplomacy tool that produces common concepts that build trust among the countries of the region, contributing to preventing crises and supporting long-term stability.”

‘SCIENCE ATTACHES SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED’
Listing the suggestions in the declaration, Prof. Dr. Kurşun said: “With the support of the regional institutions with which Türkiye is affiliated, a permanent scientific commission should be established to ensure the production of common concepts, common thoughts and common policies among the countries. This commission should develop region-specific conceptual frameworks in the fields of social sciences, philosophy, international relations, security, education and technology. Science attachés should be established in the countries of the region. Science attachés to work within embassies and consulates should establish connections between universities, research institutions, scientists and technology centers, encourage joint projects and promote scientific developments diplomatically.” “Common funding mechanisms, research programs and scientific projects should be developed between TÜBİTAK, HÜSEN, TÜBA and similar institutions and equivalent research and research institutions in the countries of the region.” Prof. Dr. Kurşun said, “Common defense and security technologies research networks should be established. This process should not be seen as an arms race, but as an effort to secure the region’s security in its own scientific and technological capacity.”

‘WE SHOULD INCREASE THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN STUDENTS TO 1 MILLION’
Speaking at the program, Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Science Dissemination Foundation, stated that there are approximately 350 thousand foreign students in Türkiye and said: “Turkey currently provides scholarships to only 15 thousand of them. The rest come with their own means. If we talk about the economy of this business, if we think a little shallowly, we have to accept that one student has as much economy as at least 10 tourists.” If there is talk about how the USA or the West has become the center of brain drain in academia, Bilal Erdoğan pointed out that Türkiye is also on this path and continued his words as follows: “If someone is trying to distort the perceptions about international students in Türkiye, know that they are betraying our nation. Or acting as someone else’s tool. In this regard, the rapid increase in the number of international students in Türkiye to 1 million should be a concern for our entire nation. These students are businessmen, opinion leaders, politicians, “They become decision makers. This increases Türkiye’s effectiveness in the African part. Who are those who do not want this? We know them too. Türkiye has the potential to generate at least as much income as tourism. Our hospital infrastructure and health infrastructure are very strong.”