Melih Gökçek thanks Mansur Yavaş for METU road

Former Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Melih Gökçek thanked Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş in a video he posted on his social media account after the road construction project passing through the METU campus was brought back to the agenda.

Gökçek stated that the 8.5-kilometer road, which he said he initiated approximately 9 years ago, will connect the Eskişehir Road to the İncek Boulevard and Mogan Lake line. Arguing that it is the only alternative to the Konya Road in the north-south direction, Gökçek assessed that "this road is essential."

Interpreting Yavaş's continuation of the work as a validation of his own project, Gökçek said, "Mansur Yavaş finally thought it over and said, 'My friend Melih did the right thing.' I will continue this." Gökçek added, "For the first time, you are doing something right, Mansur. I thank you. It never crossed my mind to thank you, but I am thanking you."

Gökçek also criticized Mustafa Tuna, who served as the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor after his own term, with harsh words. Claiming that Tuna had abandoned the road project, Gökçek linked this decision to protests and stated, "There was a mayor who didn't understand anything. Mustafa Tuna. He abandoned the road himself."

The road construction on the METU route had been at the center of environmental and urban planning debates in past years. In the video, Gökçek targeted the groups that objected to the project and argued that the road is necessary for Ankara's traffic.