Hand-over in health, education ministries

ANKARA

Turkey’s outgoing health and education ministers handed over their positions yesterday to their successors, Mehmet Müezzinoğlu and Nabi Avcı, respectively, following a Cabinet reshuffle the previous day.

“I want to thank our prime minister for his leadership and for allowing me to complete an overall health reform during my 10 years of ministry,” Recep Akdağ, the outgoing health minister, said during a handover ceremony. Akdağ had been in all Cabinets since late 2002 when the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power.

Müezzinoğlu thanked Akdağ and his staff for their success in their jobs and said he would do his best to maintain the same level of performance. Müezzinoğlu represents the Thracian province of Edirne in Parliament.

At the Education Ministry, Avcı thanked his predecessor, Ömer Dinçer, for leaving him a well-established and successful ministry, saying he hoped to leave his post to his successor as successfully as Dinçer did. 

“I will ask for your support whenever I will find myself in trouble,” said Avcı, who was the head of the Education Commission in Parliament.

Dinçer said he wanted to thank all his staff, as well as teachers, for serving Turkey in every corner of the country. 

“My friends exerted an extraordinary effort to implement the 4+4+4 system,” he said, referring to the controversial education reform that has been a hallmark of his ministry. 

In the meantime, new Culture Minister Ömer Çelik left his position as the head of the AKP’s foreign relations department to Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.