Fatih Altaylı reacts to İmamoğlu's Rome trip: 'Wouldn't people ask what the difference is!'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu traveled to Rome for the signing ceremony of the 2027 European Olympic Games, which will be held in Istanbul.

A total of 73 people accompanied İmamoğlu on his Rome trip, 36 of whom were journalists.

The trip in question sparked public backlash. One of the reactions to İmamoğlu came from journalist Fatih Altaylı.

Altaylı stated that he was not invited to İmamoğlu's Rome visit for the 2027 European Olympic Games signing ceremony, and that he would not have attended even if he had been invited. Altaylı used the following expressions regarding the controversial trip:

"Let me start with a correction. Ertuğrul Özkök, the guest of honor for all of İmamoğlu's trips, said in his article about the trip that 'Fatih Altaylı was also invited but could not come because he has a travel ban abroad.' I was surprised. Because last week at Ayten Gökçer's funeral, he had asked me 'Are you coming to Rome?' and I had replied 'What's in Rome?' When he said 'It's İmamoğlu's trip,' I had clearly stated that I was not invited and that I would not attend even if I were."

Stating that "Journalists do go on such invitations," Altaylı added, "However, on one condition. They pay for their hotel expenses out of their own pockets. In fact, if the plane is a chartered one, they should also contribute to the airfare. They should. After all, you are not going to witness the most important event in the world. You are going on a semi-touristic Rome trip. You might say, 'But AKP municipalities and ministries do it too.' Yes, what they do is true, but what is being done is not right. If you continue to repeat the mistakes of the AKP, wouldn't people ask what the difference is between the opposition and the AKP!"

News Source: 12punto