İmamoğlu pays a support visit to DEM Party's Ahmet Türk: 'We are affecting the country's children and youth'

İmamoğlu was accompanied on his Mardin visit by CHP Deputy Chairmen Gökçe Gökçen and Gül Çiftçi, as well as Adana Metropolitan Mayor Zeydan Karalar, Mersin Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Mayor Ayşe Serra Bucak, Doğan Hatun, and Adıyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere, who serve on the TBB council. İmamoğlu and Türk appeared before the cameras after a meeting that lasted approximately 3 hours.

Speaking first as the host, Ahmet Türk said, “We are all watching the developments in Turkey carefully. With the policy of appointing trustees, there is no possibility, no way for this country to achieve democracy. One would wish for a peaceful, inclusive process to develop. A process where injustice and inequality are eliminated. All of us who believe in democracy are striving for this. I believe that in a very short time, democracy will come to this country, our peoples will embrace each other, policies of marginalization will be abandoned; a system where justice and equality exist will be established. I want to host everyone who has peace in their heart and who embraces brotherhood in this country.”

Stating that Turkey should aim to be a country with very strong local democracy and significant development from the local level, İmamoğlu said, "The sole address for development at the local level is, frankly, local governments. When you do not empower local governments—whether it is a town, a district, a province, or a metropolitan city—you cannot truly achieve development there.

In this sense, strengthening them in terms of budget, increasing their powers, and the enrichment that will spread to the entire country through the existence of that strong structure at the local level—from people receiving better education to nurseries and social assistance—means reaching the highest level of local services, which is how it is in examples around the world; this is possible in this way. While we talk about strengthening at the local level and having more powers locally in our country, unfortunately, we have been experiencing the exact opposite process for many years.

Powers at the local level have been restricted. In fact, today in Turkey, there is such incompetence that the budgets of local governments are being reduced to the level of only paying salaries. Now, instead of calculating how to solve these problems or taking steps toward recovery, unfortunately, on the 101st anniversary of our Republic—that is, while we were saying let us take a strong step into its second century—we are talking about trustees in its very first days.

In other words, we are talking about the usurpation of the right to vote and be elected. We are talking about the disregard for the right to vote and be elected. When our people's powers are taken away, their faith in this country truly diminishes, and most of all, we are affecting the children and youth of this country. They have trouble looking to the future with hope,” he said.

"TURKEY IS A REGION TAKEN AS AN EXAMPLE BY ITS NEAR GEOGRAPHY"

Stating that Turkey is a region taken as an example by its near geography, İmamoğlu said, "Turkey is a region that its near geography takes as an example with what it has done and what it will do. We bear the responsibility that the strong, healing, and unifying steps we take here will be good for our near geography and the whole world. With whom? With our 86 million citizens. With whom? With Turks, Kurds, Laz, Circassians, Alevis, Sunnis, and people of every faith. With the belief that a unity to which Syriacs, Armenians, and every citizen living in this country will contribute will truly bring goodness to this geography and the whole world, we were at the home of our Mayor Ahmet Türk today. Thank you very much,” he said.