Murat Kurum had said 'He has more important matters than İzmir': Response came from Cemil Tugay

Minister Kurum, who toured the gulf on a TÜBİTAK ship, reacted to İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay for not attending the meetings held.

"IT SEEMS HE HAS MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS THAN İZMİR"

Evaluating Tugay's absence from the meetings, Minister Kurum stated, "We are holding a meeting of vital importance with İzmir's NGOs, scientists, our deputies, and our governor. We would have liked the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor to attend this meeting, which is of vital importance for the city, and to share his ideas and suggestions. He should have shared his own suggestions regarding what needs to be done here with our friends on the scientific committee. We invited him. However, he preferred to be abroad. It seems he has more important matters than İzmir. We will not watch İzmir being brought to this state. We will remind them of the duties that need to be performed and we will follow the process moment by moment to ensure these duties are carried out."

RESPONSE CAME FROM CEMİL TUGAY

Responding to the words of Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum about him via his social media account, Cemil Tugay made the following statement regarding Minister Kurum's reactions:

The pollution in the Gulf of İzmir is everyone's problem. It can be corrected through collective work. However, the Minister of Environment and Urbanization, representing a government that has concentrated all power and authority in itself for 22 years, is holding a press conference on the shores of the Gulf of İzmir like an opposition party provincial head and targeting our local administrations.

Our Minister of Environment and Urbanization, who is responsible for execution and represents the government that denies a single penny of credit from state banks to Republican People's Party municipalities struggling to solve the vital problems of their cities and does not approve the loans we receive from international financial institutions, is unfortunately misinforming our citizens with the press conference he held.

Our Minister, who turns everything into material for politics and polarization, knows very well why I was not in İzmir on the day he held a press conference on the coast of the Gulf of İzmir. It has been known for months that our trip abroad was to represent Turkey at the Healthy Cities Association meeting, by the decision of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Council. If he is unaware of this, he should question the accuracy of those who inform him. If he knows and is scheduling this meeting on a day when I am abroad representing İzmir, that is also significant.  

I sincerely believe that our Minister cares about the global corporate reputation of Turkey and our municipalities. All our fellow citizens know very well how much we care about İzmir and Turkey. On the other hand, we are already participating in the meeting with our deputy mayor and we are personally involved in every issue related to İzmir. 

Let everyone be sure that we are ready to cooperate with all relevant institutions and organizations, including our Minister, and anyone who says 'I am a stakeholder in this business,' to solve all the major problems of our city, especially the Gulf issue. We know very well what to do and how to do it; our roadmap and plans are ready. As long as our Minister and relevant institutions, including our President, truly give us heartfelt support,  as long as they see this issue not only as one of İzmir's urgent issues but also as one of Turkey's. Let us stop blaming each other and stop practicing the politics of polarization through grievances. 

This country expects service from us, this country expects wisdom from us, this country expects results from us. Let's do it.

The pollution in the Gulf of İzmir is everyone's problem. It can be corrected through collective work. However, the Minister of Environment and Urbanization, representing a government that has concentrated all power and authority in itself for 22 years, is holding a press conference on the shores of the Gulf of İzmir like an opposition party provincial head...

— Dr. Cemil Tugay (@drcemiltugay) September 5, 2024

News Source: 12punto