President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signaled further changes in his Cabinet after several ministers already left after a critical vote in March. As he spoke to journalists in remarks published on Saturday, Erdoğan said there could be changes in the Cabinet as well as among deputy heads of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
The Cabinet, composed of mostly new names assigned following Erdoğan’s victory in the 2023 presidential elections in May, saw the departure of ministers of health and environment, urban planning and climate change in recent months. Similarly, chairs of the AK Party’s several provincial branches stepped down following the March 31 municipal elections.
In almost every statement about the future of the AK Party, Erdoğan underlined the word “change” and pledged to forge the party’s path to the future with new names if existing cadres fail or “cannot catch up with our pace.”
Israel’s aggression
Erdoğan also spoke about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and said that Israel’s aggression cannot be overlooked. He emphasized that Türkiye’s intelligence agency is closely monitoring potential actions Israel may take against the country.
“At the moment, we are monitoring every step Israel has taken or may take toward Türkiye through our intelligence agency, from A to Z,” Erdoğan told journalists on board the presidential plane returning from Serbia and Albania.
“Israel is not only targeting the stability of Palestine and Lebanon but is also working to spread the fire to the surrounding area. We cannot ignore this. We are fully aware of all these issues. We are not sitting idle,” he said.
Emphasizing the importance of maintaining a strong internal front, Erdoğan said, “It is extremely important for us to defend our unity against those attacking our internal front and capable of wearing any mask. As long as our nation stands firm against these threats, we will fight against them.”
