Former CHP Deputy Chairman Yılmaz Ateş made very special statements. Stating that Deniz Baykal received threats, Ateş said, “Because FETO had such an influence on Turkey… I was worried that our planes would be sabotaged, just like Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu.”

Yılmaz Ateş, the closest colleague of former CHP Chairman Deniz Baykal, made very important observations about the current situation of the CHP. “The beginning of the corruption in the CHP is the FETO conspiracy in 2010,” said Ateş, adding, “With Baykal, the nationalist, national and local cadres were eliminated to a great extent, and the remaining ones were neutralized. Those among us who applauded and benefited from this coup that day have no right to complain about today.” Ateş said that those who were appointed with the 2010 operation destroyed the values ​​of the CHP and caused great damage.
Emphasizing that CHP Chairman Deniz Baykal received threats at that time, Ateş said, “I was aware that the danger was coming. Because the FETO terrorist organization had so much influence on Turkey… For example, I was worried that our planes would be sabotaged, just like Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, who was assassinated.”

İMAMOĞLU’S CANDIDACY WAS A MISTAKE
When Ekrem İmamoğlu announced his candidacy for the presidency, you evaluated it as ‘a project that would lead CHP to collapse’. Considering what happened, do you think you were right?
I wish I were proven wrong. It was a big mistake to declare Mr. İmamoğlu as the Presidential candidate while the elections were three years away. It was a trap. Even if İmamoğlu, who succumbed to his ambitions, had set this trap for himself, the party management should not have allowed it and should not have been dragged after him. The party could not say stop. The 2024 local elections were actually a big advance given by the public to the Republican People’s Party. This advance was misused.

The IMM indictment also includes names from the CHP senior management. If such a thing had happened during the Baykal period, would these names still continue their duties in the party as they do now?
CHP is a very well-established party. CHP has an identity. People in the party can make mistakes, those in the administration are here today, gone tomorrow. When these allegations first emerged, I was the first to make a statement that CHP should address them and purify them by applying its own internal law. A month after we took office again on October 1, 2000, under Mr. Baykal’s Chairmanship, we, as MYK, made a decision; We stated that those involved in irregularities and corruption should leave of their own volition, otherwise we will do what is necessary. And we did what was necessary. During my term as SHP Ankara Provincial Chairman, I dismissed a district chairman who did not record the donation he received from a businessman in the party’s official records. It would be correct to first address these allegations through internal party law.

Recently, many important names have been expelled from CHP. You are one of these names. How do you rate it?
I do not find this right, new names may come to the party, but the important thing is to keep the people who have worked for the party for years. Many of our valuable friends, like me, who made great efforts for this party, were also expelled during the Kılıçdaroğlu period. Today’s administration is making the same mistake. It was wrong yesterday, and it is wrong today, to place the shipboys who spent their lives fighting against the values ​​of the CHP and the Republic, who sank their ship, in the CHP’s wheelhouse, while the party workers are being thrown out. During the new administration, Mr. Özgür called me personally and said, “I will propose your return at the first party council meeting.” However, Özel’s request to invite me to the party was rejected in the party council. In other words, it is a very sad situation for a chairman to call and invite himself and then be rejected. My concern and fear is this; If those who organized the cassette tape conspiracy against the Republican People’s Party in 2010 and those who helped it are still influential over the authorized organs of the CHP, this is a great danger for the Republican People’s Party as well.

Many of the names mentioned in the IMM indictment are those who joined the party later. Do you think that the party structure has deteriorated recently?
CHP is an important value not only of Türkiye, but also of the democratic world, with its 103-year history, leading the establishment of modern Türkiye, and its uncompromising defense of the democratic, secular Republic, its unitary structure, and Ataturk’s revolutions. Because of these features, CHP has been subjected to major attacks.

How?
They invited those we expelled from the party for corruption as ‘heroes’ and appointed them to very important positions. Some of the people whom CHP, the founding party of democratic, secular Türkiye, recruited to the Party Assembly, consulted, and made MPs turned out to be FETO affiliates who vowed to destroy the democratic, secular Republic. This is unacceptable. I’m so sorry. Since these allegations have gone to official authorities, they must have also come to CHP officials.

THIS INTELLECTUAL TEAM IS STILL CRITICISING US
You have a statement that says, ‘Deniz Baykal is held responsible in the first degree, and I am held responsible in the second degree, because we lifted Mr. Erdoğan’s ban on the party.’ At that time, Baykal and you were subjected to a lot of criticism in the party, weren’t you? This group of intellectuals is still criticizing us. At that time, the Justice and Development Party received 363 of the 550-member parliament. He is the leader of a party that the people vote for, but he cannot become a member of parliament. Now this situation is unacceptable in democracies. This would be Türkiye’s shame. It would be a shame for democracy. That’s why we did not make any concessions to these criticisms that day. I’m not giving it today either. In other words, a person cannot be deprived of the right to be elected throughout his life just because that poem was read. That poem, in a sense, was written during our National War of Independence, and belongs to a period when we were struggling against the imperialist powers with all of Türkiye’s faith, national feeling, and religious feeling. It would be a great shame for democracy not to lift the political ban. We would do the same thing today.

WHAT IS YOUR SUGGESTION TO CHP?
It should solve its internal problems as soon as possible and focus on Türkiye’s agenda and the problems of the people. It should make it visible to defend the values ​​that have kept the CHP alive for 103 years and made the CHP the CHP. It is about fighting all kinds of corruption and theft, regardless of party, and continuing to defend the democratic, secular Republic and the unitary structure of Türkiye without compromise. If he gives confidence to the public on this issue, he will come to power in the first election.

16-year-old TT, who came to the fore with the allegation that he was harassed by CHP’s former Görele Mayor Hasbi Dede, was seriously injured in a traffic accident that occurred on the Black Sea Coastal Road.

The accident occurred at around 23.30 the previous night, on the Black Sea coastal road in Giresun’s Görele district. 16-year-old TT, who was trying to cross the road, was hit by a car driven by AH (23), who was traveling from Giresun to Trabzon.

TT, who was seriously injured due to the impact, was taken to Giresun Training and Research Hospital after first aid. It was stated that the young girl, who was treated in the intensive care unit, had a fracture in her neck and was in life-threatening condition. Driver AH, who fled the scene after the accident, and the person next to him were detained. It was learned that the driver was drunk.

‘YOU WILL BE ACCOUNTABLE’

It was revealed that before the accident, threatening posts were made against the young girl and her family on social media. The family was targeted in posts made through fake accounts. The posts included the following statement: “You and your partners will pay for what you did to the President.” It was noteworthy that the accident occurred after threats.

‘LET’S GET OUT OF HERE MOM’

Mother Nuray T., who was waiting in tears in front of the hospital, said, “My daughter had not gone to school for 3 days. She read the threatening messages published with our photos on social media. She said to me, ‘Let’s get away from here, mom.’ I said, ‘They say my daughter got scared and ran away.’ I was on duty at the Görele Municipality guest house. My daughter called me. She said, ‘Mom, I’m bored, should I come to you?’ I told her, ‘Come, I’m waiting.’ Then I was told there was an accident. When I set out, I found my daughter covered in blood. “I saw it, my God, forgive me my hennaed lamb,” he said.

The theme of the 30th March International Zero Waste Day, which will be celebrated for the fourth time this year, has been determined as ‘food waste’. In this context, the United Nations Habitat Program (UN-Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) call on governments, businesses and individuals, as well as non-governmental organizations, academia, local communities, women and youth, to participate in zero waste initiatives at national, regional and local levels. While billions of people struggle with hunger, one third of the food produced in the world is wasted. According to the global ‘Food Crises Report’, more than 295 million people in 53 countries and regions faced various levels of acute hunger in 2024. This number increased by 13.7 million compared to 2023. An average of 1.4 million people worldwide are struggling with ‘famine’, the most severe level of acute food insecurity. In addition, more than 30 million people around the world are struggling with a level 4 acute food crisis. Children are among the most vulnerable groups of this crisis. According to WFP data, more than 3 million children die every year due to hunger-related reasons. 43 million children worldwide struggle with extreme hunger, and approximately 45 percent of deaths in children under 5 are caused by hunger and malnutrition.

The Zero Waste Movement, which started on September 27, 2017 under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s wife Emine Erdoğan, quickly turned into the world’s largest environmental movement. In the voting held at the UN General Assembly on December 14, 2022, where Türkiye was the main presenter and 105 countries were the co-presenters, March 30 was declared as ‘International Zero Waste Day’. In the period from the beginning of the project to the end of 2025; A total of 90 million tons of waste turned into raw materials instead of being garbage. The recovery rate, which was 13 percent in 2017, was increased to 37.53 percent in 2025. 365 billion liras were contributed to the country’s economy. Türkiye aims to increase the recovery rate to 60 percent in 2035 and 70 percent in 2053. Thanks to the collected waste, 270 billion kilowatt-hours of energy were saved, equivalent to the 1-year electricity needs of 54 million households. 60 billion liters of oil were saved, covering more than the 1-year fuel consumption of all vehicles in Türkiye.

THE SEA BREATHED

Another prominent achievement was saving landfill space, which is equivalent to the size of approximately 55 thousand football fields. Thanks to the project, 613 million trees, which correspond to 7 percent of the forests in Türkiye, were prevented from being cut down. For the cleaning works within the scope of the project, waste collection services are provided in a total of 348 coastal facilities through 64 licensed waste reception vessels and 183 waste reception facilities. By 2026, more than 325 thousand tons of marine garbage has been collected and disposed of. The seas were saved from 23 thousand truckloads of garbage. The Deposit Management System, one of the most critical stages of the Zero Waste Movement, has been put into use in 53 provinces as of today, following the pilot application implemented in Sakarya in January 2025. The number of users registered in the system increased to 117 thousand. While the number of packages returned to date has exceeded 12.5 million, a raw material income of approximately 3 million lira was obtained.

FIRST SIGNATURE FROM ERDOĞAN

Within the scope of the project, there were also ‘firsts’ that went down in history. First Lady Erdoğan made a speech at the special session on ‘Zero Waste’ held on the margins of the 77th UN General Assembly, becoming the first Turkish spouse to address the assembly. On 12 April 2023, the ‘UN Advisory Board of High-Level Personalities on Zero Waste’ was officially established. The advisory board, chaired by First Lady Erdoğan, included members from 13 countries, as well as UN Deputy Secretary-General Guy Bernard Ryder. Within the scope of the 78th UN General Assembly, the “Towards a Global Zero Waste Movement” event was held at the Türkevi in ​​New York under the leadership of First Lady Erdoğan. At the event, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed the ‘Global Zero Waste Goodwill Declaration’. Zero Waste Project; It was awarded a total of seven international awards by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2018, the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) in 2021, the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly and the World Bank in 2022, the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly for the second time in 2024, and the Green Organization in 2026.

LET’S ALL TOGETHER SAY ‘STOP’ TO THIS DEVELOPMENT

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s wife, Emine Erdoğan, said, “Every year, 2.3 billion tons of food, equivalent to 5.8 trillion plates of food, are lost without being consumed in the world.” In her post on her NSosyal account on the occasion of March 30 International Zero Waste Day, First Lady Erdoğan noted the following: “March 30 International Zero Waste Day, which we celebrate for the 4th year this year with the theme of ‘Food Waste’, reveals an invisible loss. Every year, 2.3 billion tons of food, equivalent to 5.8 trillion plates of food, are lost without being consumed in the world. Every morsel that is wasted is not only a blessing, but also the fertility of the soil and water.” It is a decrease in the value and reward of labor. We all say ‘stop!’ to this situation. Let’s say.”

Türkiye is preparing to host another critical summit on the international diplomacy scene. The address of the 2026 NATO Leaders Summit will be Ankara this year. Preparations are continuing at full speed in the capital for the giant organization to be held on July 7-8.

ETİMESGUT AIRPORT IS BEING RENEWED: One of the most important topics of the summit preparations is logistics studies. In this context, the military airport in Etimesgut is being brought up to standards where large-bodied aircraft can take off and land. On the other hand, hotel reservations throughout Ankara have been completed for the delegations that will attend the summit. The capital will turn into the center of diplomatic traffic in July.

THE CENTER OF THE SUMMIT WILL BE BEŞTEPE: The Presidential Complex and ATO Congresium will host the summit. A comprehensive press center will be established in the Exhibition Palace within the complex. Press conferences of the leaders will be held in Beştepe.

THE PROGRAM HAS BECOME CLEAR: The summit calendar has also taken shape. Within the scope of the program, which will start with the arrival of the leaders in Ankara on July 7, President Erdoğan will host a dinner in honor of the guest leaders on the same evening. The final declaration will be announced after the summit meeting to be held on July 8. The leaders will leave Ankara in the evening of the same day.

Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, celebrated the 4th anniversary of ‘March 30 International Zero Waste Day’ with his post on his social media account. Pointing out that this year’s International Zero Waste Day will raise awareness with the theme of ‘food waste’, Minister Kurum said in his message: “Reduce, share, transform. Food waste consumes not only today but also tomorrow. Every food that goes to waste steals from a child’s table; every drop of water wasted dries a lake. Turkey is determined to break this cycle with the Zero Waste Movement, which spreads to 7 continents under the leadership of First Lady Emine Erdoğan. Because it is a more just world.” “It is possible with Zero Waste,” he said.

‘International Zero Waste Day’ was accepted by the UN

The Zero Waste Movement started on September 27, 2017, under the auspices of Emine Erdoğan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The project, carried out under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, has turned into a global environmental movement accepted by the United Nations (UN). In the voting held at the UN General Assembly on December 14, 2022, with Türkiye as the main presenter and 105 countries as co-hosts, March 30 was accepted as “International Zero Waste Day”.

One of the most important agendas for the COP31 Presidency this year is zero waste.

One of the main topics at the “International Zero Waste Day” events at the UN this year was Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency and hosting process. COP31 President and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum attended the programs organized in New York under the umbrella of the UN on the occasion of “March 30 International Zero Waste Day” and talked about Türkiye’s COP31 vision and Zero Waste success. First Lady Erdoğan’s video message was also published in the program.