Bahçeli's advisor Çiçek makes agenda-setting comment on Mansur Yavaş: 'Don't be surprised if he joins the AK Party'

The meeting between Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş and President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has brought about debates on the political agenda. In his statement following the meeting, Yavaş emphasized that the sole agenda of the appointment was Ankara.

Yavaş stated that he met Erdoğan at the airport upon his return from Ahlat and personally conveyed his request for a meeting, noting that the meeting addressed Ankara's pending investments, metro projects, credit and approval processes, the planned exhibition center, and other issues facing the city.

Reacting to political meanings being attributed to the meeting, Yavaş said, "If I need to meet with the President to solve a problem in Ankara, pave the way for an investment, and fulfill the promises we made to the people of Ankara, I would meet with him today, and I would meet with him tomorrow."

Yavaş also stated that he would not adopt an attitude that would hurt those who trust him, adding that both Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and CHP Chairman Özgür Özel were informed prior to the meeting. In his own assessment, Özel stated that the visit was made for the interests of Ankara, saying, "I would have no doubts about Mr. Mansur."

Pointing to political tension, Yavaş recalled the developments in Üsküdar and Tekirdağ. Defending that the balance policy he follows in Ankara has yielded results, Yavaş stated, "I believe the path I am following is correct, and I am maintaining my current position."

A STRIKING ARTICLE FROM ÇİÇEK

Following Yavaş's statements, the issue was also brought to the agenda in the Türkgün newspaper, which is close to the MHP. Yıldıray Çiçek, the newspaper's chief columnist and press advisor to MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, penned an article titled "Nothing Mansur Yavaş does would surprise us!"

In his article, Çiçek wrote, "If Mansur Yavaş joins the AK Party in the future, those who have pinned great hopes on him should not be shocked." Recalling that Yavaş had previously said he would "not hesitate to do what is necessary" if his attitude caused discomfort at party headquarters, Çiçek argued that "no one should speak prematurely" regarding the steps Yavaş might take from now on.

Yavaş, in his statements, maintained that it was natural for him to establish contact with the central government to solve Ankara's problems, and he opposed interpreting the meeting as a political bargain or a change in position.