First Lady Erdoğan met with representatives of the associations and foundations of which she is the honorary president, at Bozdağ Film Plateau. Speaking here, Erdoğan stated that Ramadan is a school that raises souls, and fasting is the best lesson of this holy school.

Man’s spiritual need for fasting is described by Sezai Karakoç, “O fasting, the reviving wind, the spring of Islam/Blow down to the human soul from the great mountain of inspiration/Make it drink kevser, pour out the pure life from your crystal glass/To the thirsty horizons, to the horizons of the human heart.” Noting that he expressed it very well with his verses, Erdoğan prayed that this holy month would be a mercy to the thirsty horizons, heal the tired hearts of the oppressed, and bring goodness to all humanity.

First Lady Erdoğan stated that civilizations have founding values ​​and said:

“One of the pillars on which our civilization is built is ‘kindness.’ Looking for reasons to do good in life, looking at our family, neighbors, friends and humanity from this perspective is the spiritual climate of this land. First of all, our Prophet presented goodness to us as a life purpose. Our Prophet said, ‘O Allah, make living a means of increasing all kinds of goodness for me. Make death a means of salvation for me from all evil.’ His prayer is the clearest evidence of this. That’s why the spirit that establishes a human-oriented civilization and prioritizes human honor and dignity above all else has permeated the stone and soil of this country.”

Stating that their historical remains are the works of kind-spirited people who took care of the needs of not only humans but also all living things, from trees to wolves on the mountains, Erdoğan said, “Imagine that the number of foundations established in the Ottoman Empire has exceeded 26 thousand. These foundations have such a central place in life that all stages of a person’s life, from birth to death, are intertwined with foundations. A person is born in a foundation hospital, grows in a foundation cradle, drinks water from a foundation fountain, “The foundation goes to school, the foundation does business in the bazaar, the foundation worships in the mosque, and when one dies, he is buried in the foundation cemetery. We see that establishing a foundation creates an environment of peace where solidarity turns into a culture of life.” he said.

Erdoğan expressed the surprise of a Frenchman who came to Ottoman lands at the diversity of foundations: “In the Ottoman country, it is even possible to see Turks crazy enough to donate money to workers to water them every day to prevent the unproductive trees from drying out due to the heat.” Noting that he expressed his words, he said:

“You are those crazy Turks. Under the roof of TOGEM-DER, Şule Yüksel Şenler Foundation, African House, Zero Waste Foundation, you are pursuing things for which you do not expect anything in return other than God’s consent. You work day and night, looking for solutions to other people’s problems. You do good deeds that will have social benefits for generations. Opening a library, educating a child, rebuilding life in disaster areas, extending the hand of kindness beyond our borders, taking care of land, water and creatures. “All of these are saplings that will bear fruit of humanity even after we pass away from this world. Such a deep spirituality constitutes the mental infrastructure of our non-governmental organizations. In other words, our NGOs are not a volunteer-based third sector activity in the Western sense, but the modern projections of our civilization.”

“WE DO GOOD, THROW IT INTO THE SEA, AND NEVER LOOK BACK AGAIN”

Stating that the traditional understanding of cooperation has disappeared today, especially in Western societies, Erdoğan continued as follows:

“Young people participate in social responsibility projects to write on their resumes and to get ahead of their competitors in university or job applications. The bond established through these activities often weakens after personal benefit is achieved. In fact, this is literally the commercialization of kindness and cooperation, and just like Cemil Meriç says, ‘If a person who does good expects reward, he is a usurer.’ As he said, it turns into an embarrassing transaction. However, is this the case in our society? “We do good, throw it into the sea, and never look back.”

Erdoğan stated that the unstoppable rise of social media today has extremely weakened the spiritual reflexes of societies.

Emphasizing that people come to believe that they are taking action when they like a call for help, share it on their accounts, or change their profile pictures, Erdoğan stated that the images shared on social media neither feed a hungry stomach nor dress any wounds.

“THE MOST TRAGIC GENOCIDE THAT HAPPENED ON LIVE BROADCAST”

First Lady Erdoğan continued her words as follows:

“What has happened in Gaza in the last 2.5 years has shown us once again that the compassion of the Western world is ideological and discriminatory. If it were not so, the most tragic genocide in human history on live broadcast would not be watched as if we were watching a movie. More than 20 thousand children who died would not be ignored even if they were blonde and blue-eyed. Today, in heavy winter conditions, the earth would move for the children standing barefoot in flooded rag tents, shivering from the cold and dying of cold. Instead, despite all this oppression, the world remains silent. At this point, I think our NGO example should be highlighted more at the international level, because each of your works erases the rust from hearts.

Stating that they would like to see many more young people under the roof of NGOs, Erdoğan said, “I hope we will bring the practices of our tradition of compassion, which is our richest spiritual heritage, to the younger generations.” he said.

Erdoğan stated that Ramadan is almost over and in the holy days, ‘Isn’t there a hand reaching out to me?’ He noted that if they didn’t make anyone feel alone in the crowd and if they made them think that they had a door to knock on if they were in trouble, there was no greater gain than this.

Erdoğan thanked those who contributed to the program and congratulated the Ramadan Feast.

VISIT TO THE FOUNDATION ORHAN SET

First Lady Erdoğan visited the set of the TV series Establishment Orhan on the plateau, which is also open to visitors, and took a souvenir photo with the actors.

During the visit, Erdoğan took the director’s chair on the plateau and then listened to a short performance by artist Arslanbek Sultanbekov and also watched the equestrian dance show there.

During her trip, First Lady Erdoğan was accompanied by Mehmet Bozdağ, the producer of the Establishment Orhan series, and his wife Zeynep Peker Bozdağ.

The program ended with a family photo shoot.

“I THANK THE BOZDAĞ FILM PLATOLARI FAMILY FOR HOSTING US IN AN ATMOSPHERE THAT BRINGS THE SPIRIT OF HISTORY ALIVE”

First Lady Erdoğan included the following statements in her post on her NSosyal account after the program:

“We came together with our valuable companions, with whom we worked together in the civil society journey, at the iftar program at Bozdağ Film Plateaus. On the occasion of this meaningful meeting, I was pleased to visit the set of the Establishment Orhan series and meet the valuable actors and crew. I would like to thank the Bozdağ Film Plateaus family for hosting us sincerely in such a special atmosphere that keeps the spirit of history alive.”

The post also included a video of the moments when First Lady Erdoğan visited the plateau, the shows performed, and the meeting with the representatives of the association and foundation.

We came together with our valuable companions, with whom we worked together in the civil society journey, at the iftar program at Bozdağ Film Plateaus. On the occasion of this meaningful meeting, we were pleased to visit the set of the TV series Establishment Orhan and meet the valuable actors and crew… pic.twitter.com/iQhGKHrh1x

— Emine Erdoğan (@EmineErdogan) March 17, 2026

“IT IS OUR NATIONAL PRIDE TO SERVE OUR NATION”

Pointing out that this process is carried out in a completely digital environment, evidence-based and transparent with the KDM-ERP Certification Module developed within the scope of the Public Transformation Model, Uraloğlu continued as follows:

“Thus, Turkey has become one of the very limited number of countries in the world that can manage aircraft certification end-to-end through a digital and national platform. With this certificate, Turkey has joined the elite countries that can design, produce and certify civilian rotary wing aircraft with its own national authority, without any foreign dependency. We are now proudly planting our own flag next to well-established aviation ecosystems such as the USA, EU, Canada and Brazil. This is not just a technical achievement, but a true manifestation of technological sovereignty, national will and independence. It has been subject to foreign approvals for years.” “For a condemned country to have its own helicopter accepted by the world with its own standards, this is the name of another great victory. GÖKBEY is not just a helicopter, it is our national pride that will serve our nation in health, fire fighting and general purpose missions of our independence in civil aviation. This work is the common success of all of us and the best gift to the cherished memories of our martyrs.”

“THE TECHNOLOGIES YOU DEVELOPED ARE ROLE MODELS”

Uraloğlu, President of the Presidency of Defense Industries Prof. Dr. Addressing Haluk Görgün, he said:

“Do not think that we are developing technology only for a helicopter or an airplane. The technologies you have developed are actually the role models of the entire industry and all means of transportation, they are the technologies used there. That is why we are already in close cooperation with you in our national trains, smart transportation systems and all kinds of projects. Likewise, we are in close cooperation with our Ministry of Industry and Technology. That is why you have not only made the helicopter today and we have certified it, but you have produced technology and we are using it in every field of our country. God willing.” May God bless you and your entire team. May God grant us all the ability to announce better projects and more beautiful projects to the public.”

Addressing the members of the organization in the program, Çiftçi said that the month of Ramadan strengthens the spirit of unity, solidarity and solidarity. Emphasizing that they are working determinedly for the peace and security of Türkiye, Çiftçi said, “We are working day and night to make our streets a place of peace and our neighborhoods a place of trust.” Çiftçi said that they are working in line with a new security vision with the understanding of “There is no development if there is no peace, there is no stability if there is no security”. Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi attended the Traditional Organization Iftar program organized by the Samsun Provincial Directorate of the Justice and Development Party.

“SAMSUN IS ONE OF THE SYMBOL CITIES OF THE NATIONAL STRUGGLE”

Referring to Samsun’s place in Türkiye’s history in his speech, Minister Çiftçi said that the city has a special position in the national struggle. Stating that Samsun left deep traces in the memory of the Turkish nation, Çiftçi said, “This city, where the torch of our struggle for independence was lit, is not an ordinary city. The determined stance that lifted Anatolia up came from Samsun. This nation does not accept captivity, does not kneel and does not turn its back on its history.”

“WE ARE PROGRESSING WITH THE TARGET OF Türkiye’S CENTURY”

Emphasizing that Türkiye is a strong state, Çiftçi stated that the country is moving towards new goals under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “We are moving determinedly towards a great and powerful Türkiye with the vision of the Türkiye Century, which was initiated by saying that enough words and decisions belong to the nation,” said Çiftçi, and thanked the AK Party organizations for their work.

“A SECURITY CONCEPT THAT PREVENTS CRIME FROM OCCURING”

Stating that their biggest responsibility as the Ministry of Internal Affairs is to ensure the peace and security of Türkiye, Çiftçi said that they are working in line with a new security vision with the understanding of “there is no development if there is no peace, there is no stability if there is no security”. “We are now implementing an approach that not only fights crime, but also prevents crime before it occurs,” said Çiftçi, adding that they continue to fight against structures that drag young people into crime. Emphasizing that the police, gendarmerie and coast guard personnel served devotedly, Çiftçi thanked the security forces.

“Türkiye’S GREATEST POWER IS ITS NATION”

Stating that Türkiye’s greatest power is the nation, Çiftçi said that Türkiye is the hope of the oppressed all over the world. Stating that prayers are being made for Türkiye in a wide geography from Arakan to Bosnia, from Gaza to Kosovo, Çiftçi said, “This nation is the last bastion of justice, conscience and mercy.”

“WE WILL WORK NON-STOP FOR A STRONG Türkiye”

At the end of his speech, Çiftçi thanked the members of the organization and congratulated the upcoming Ramadan Feast. “We will work non-stop for safer cities, more peaceful neighborhoods and a stronger Türkiye,” said Çiftçi, and concluded his words with the emphasis on unity and solidarity.

Breaking news… Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek said, “The statements made by Özgür Özel against me today are a clear perception operation that is not based on any evidence and aims to mislead the public.” he said.

Minister Gürlek made the following statements:

I have been serving my state at various levels for more than 20 years. My wife, who is a judge, and I regularly submit our asset declarations to the competent authorities within the framework of the relevant legislation.

These imaginary claims, which are included in the papers given to Özgür Özel, but do not actually have a counterpart in the land registry records, are entirely aimed at misleading the public.

“IT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO BE A LIE MANY TIMES”

Unfortunately, his approach is not new. It has been repeatedly revealed that the claims he had previously presented to the public in high pitch were lies.

“SYSTEMATIC DEFAMATION CAMPAIGN”

This irresponsible targeting of me because of my fight against terrorism and organized crime structures during my judicial duty is part of a systematic smear campaign.

“I AM STARTING LEGAL PROCESSES”

The address of those who claim to have real information and documents is not the political platforms, but the relevant judicial authorities. In the face of these slanders, I immediately initiate the necessary legal processes, especially moral compensation.

The statements made by Özgür Özel against me today are a clear perception operation that is not based on any evidence and aims to mislead the public. I have been serving my state at various levels for more than 20 years. Together with my wife, who is a judge, we made our asset declarations regarding the relevant…

— Akın Gürlek (@abakingurlek) March 17, 2026

BREAKING NEWS… AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik makes statements after the Central Executive Board Meeting…

The highlights of Ömer Çelik’s statements are as follows:

“İLBER ORTAYLI WAS A GREAT VALUE”

Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı was a great value. We lost a great scientist. While I was burying İlber Ortaylı yesterday, the soil from Crimea was added to his grave. May God have mercy on him and grant him a place in heaven.

Another of our condolences: a colleague of yours passed away. I offer my condolences to SABAH Newspaper reporter Murat Keklikçi.

“THE BEST ANSWER AGAINST THREATS IS THE INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM”

The best answer to threats is the National Anthem. The world is going through a great war environment. In all this, it is very important that our President handed over the peace award given in memory of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to UN Secretary General Guterres. The world must take a clear stance against Israel. Just like in Gaza, it is attacking Lebanon and targeting residential areas. It has been a huge humanitarian disaster so far.

“THE ATTACKS ON IRAN ARE UNLAWFUL”

In terms of international law, Iran is facing a completely unlawful and illegitimate attack. The war must stop as soon as possible. Israel continues its occupation in the West Bank.

Historian and academician Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı died due to multiple organ failure in the hospital where he was treated on March 13. A memorial ceremony was held for Ortaylı, who passed away at the age of 78, first at Galatasaray University, and then a funeral ceremony was held at Fatih Mosque.

At the commemoration ceremony held at Galatasaray University, along with his family, students, academics and loved ones, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş and

Galatasaray President Dursun Özbek also attended. Ortaylı’s daughter, Tuna Ortaylı, said in her statement at the ceremony, “Knowing that you are loved so much and being able to see such a nice reaction makes us very happy and relieves our pain. Thank you very much for coming.”

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE PRAYED

Ortaylı’s body was brought to Fatih Mosque around 15:00. Police teams took intense security measures in the area where thousands of people gathered. Following the afternoon prayer, the funeral prayer was performed. His family and loved ones bid farewell to Ortaylı with tears.

The body was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery. In addition to thousands of fans of Ortaylı, AK Party Deputy Chairman Binali Yıldırım, AK Party Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, former TRNC President Ersin Tatar, Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Celal Adan, Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos and Future Party Chairman Ahmet Davutoğlu also attended the funeral.