Statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry regarding Belgrad Forest

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has announced that the Bentler, Neşetsuyu, and Kömürcü Bendi nature parks, along with the Bahçeköy and Kurtkemeri entrance gates within Belgrad Forest, will be operated by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP) starting today.

In the statement issued by the Ministry, it was recalled that the operation of the Bentler, Neşetsuyu, and Kömürcübent nature parks, as well as the Bahçeköy and Kurtkemeri entrance gates located within the Belgrad Forest area under the responsibility of the DKMP, was granted to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) on June 14, 2013.

Pointing out that the operating period expired on October 13, 2023, the statement included the following: "In response to our administration's request for evacuation, the lawsuit filed by the İBB was concluded in our favor on December 12, 2024. The request for the İBB to evacuate the relevant areas and hand over the operation to us was communicated to the Sarıyer District Governorship via our administration's letter dated December 16, 2024, and the District Governorship granted the İBB until December 23, 2024, to carry out the evacuation procedures in a letter dated December 19, 2024. Therefore, the claims in some news reports stating that 'it was notified to the İBB one hour before the end of the working day on December 20, 2024' do not reflect the truth."

The statement also provided information regarding the operation of the nature parks and entrance gates in the region, noting the following:

"The Bentler, Neşetsuyu, and Kömürcü Bendi nature parks, as well as the Bahçeköy and Kurtkemeri entrance gates within Belgrad Forest, will be operated by the DKMP starting today. All preparations for the necessary cleaning and security services have been completed. This situation has no connection to the process of declaring Belgrad Forest a national park. Visitor access to Belgrad Forest remains open, and reports claiming that visitor entry is being blocked do not reflect the truth."