PM Yıldırım to be in charge of state, wealth funds after cabinet reshuffle

ANKARA

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Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım is set to assume roles in key public offices including the Saving Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) and the Turkish Wealth Fund, a post which was under the responsibility of Nurettin Canikli, who was appointed as the new defense minister after a cabinet reshuffle earlier this week.  

According to a Prime Ministry memorandum published in the Official Gazette on July 26, Yıldırım will hold key offices including the general secretariat of the National Security Council (MGK), the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), TMSF, the Turkish Wealth Fund and the general secretariat of the Promotion Fund. 

After the cabinet reshuffle, Canikli, previously a deputy prime minister, transferred his duties in the TMSF and the wealth fund to Yıldırım, and other duties related to the economy to Mehmet Şimşek, who will continue to serve as a deputy prime minister responsible for coordinating the economy and the banking sector.  


Distribution of roles determined

Former Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ, who was appointed as deputy prime minister in the reshuffle, has been appointed as the new government spokesperson.

Bozdağ will be in charge of the Religious Directorate, the state-run Anadolu Agency, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) as well as the Public Diplomacy Agency. He will also handle relations with the parliament and the Council of State.

Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Işık will be responsible for carrying advisory notes of the MGK to the cabinet for assessment, and coordinating the implementation of those advisory notes in the event of an approval by the cabinet. 

He will be responsible for the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), Protection of Private Information Institution, and Atatürk Culture, Language and History Supreme Institution. 

He will also serve roles to coordinate investments and reforms. 

Former Health Minister Recep Akdağ will deal with Cyprus-related issues of the government, improvement of investment and coordination of human rights issues and human rights institutions. He will lead the disaster management agency AFAD and the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey as deputy prime minister. 

Hakan Çavuşoğlu, who has been introduced to the government as a deputy premier, will be in charge of the Turkish communities living abroad, foundations and Turkey’s Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA). He will also be in charge of planning and coordinating works to mark the centennial of the foundation of the Turkish Republic in 2023. He will also assume roles in the General Directorate for Foundations and the Directorate General of Press and Information.