Cemil Tugay greets AKP figure at the door

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay greeted AKP Secretary General and İzmir Deputy Eyyüp Kadir İnan at the entrance of the opening program for the Folkart Nâzım Hikmet Exhibition.

The meeting between Tugay and İnan at the exhibition entrance drew attention as it coincided with a period when claims regarding Tugay potentially switching to the AKP are being debated in the public eye.

Speaking at the opening, Eyyüp Kadir İnan made assessments regarding Nâzım Hikmet's literary legacy and political identity. İnan argued that Nâzım Hikmet should not be confined to the boundaries of a specific political circle.

In his speech, İnan also touched upon Nâzım Hikmet being stripped of his Turkish citizenship in 1951, reminding the audience that his citizenship was restored in 2009 with the signature of then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

AKP Secretary General İnan also made a reference to the children who lost their lives in Gaza and suggested that if Nâzım Hikmet were alive today, he would say, "Free Gaza, Free Palestine!"