The Grand National Assembly of Turkey convenes

Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Celal Adan gave the floor to three deputies for off-agenda speeches before moving on to the agenda in the General Assembly.

DEM Party Mardin Deputy Kamuran Tanhan spoke on "restrictive practices in cities," AKP Ankara Deputy Zehranur Aydemir on "Youth Week," and AKP Kastamonu Deputy Fatma Serap Ekmekci on "the honoring of İnebolu with the Medal of Independence by the TBMM" as off-agenda topics.

DEM Party's Tanhan stated that administrations in some provinces do not permit press statements on the grounds of public interest, and that the right to "assembly and demonstration marches," which is guaranteed by the Constitution, is being violated.

AKP's Aydemir, on the other hand, said that in the 1980s and 1990s, young people were viewed as a problem and their paths were blocked.

Aydemir stated, "It was not desired for young people to deal with major issues. Today, the distorted understanding of the 1980s and 1990s toward youth has been turned in the exact opposite direction with the AKP governments. During the 22-year AKP rule, space has been opened for young people in fields from science to art, from sports to politics; this understanding has become a government policy."

Expressing that the field of the defense industry constitutes a very important example of how Turkey's destiny changes when the path for young people is opened, Aydemir noted that the staff of defense industry firms consists of young people.

AKP Kastamonu Deputy Ekmekci also stated that June 9 is the day of honor and heroism for İnebolu, and announced that they would crown this day with the traditional Independence Road march to be organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.