Turkey’s cabinet convenes for the first time after a ceremony

ANKARA

Turkey’s cabinet of the new presidential executive system convened for the first time at the helm of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after a symbolic ceremony held at Turkey’s second parliamentary building.

The 16-seat cabinet held its first meeting under the executive presidency of Erdoğan on July 13 at the presidential complex in Ankara.

The ministers who are appointed to their posts with Erdoğan’s presidential authorities for the first time have attended a ceremony of the new term with newly elected Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawyers and party’s top officials at Turkey’s second parliamentary building.

Serving Turkey’s politics between 1924 and 1960 before the current parliamentary building was constructed, the place has a symbolic value in Turkish political history and now is a public museum.

“The first parliament was a beginning, this place is the continuation, now we are doing the continuation of continuation,” Erdoğan said addressing to AKP members from the lectern.

“We wanted to hold our meeting here as it was 98 years ago. To make a beginning in such a place reminds so many things in terms of our sacred values,” he said.

“I regard this ceremony in this old parliamentary building as a symbol of a historical continuum. In the past it was conveyed for freedom, now we are together in a determination to bring Turkey to its 2023 goals, making our economy the best 10 in the world,” he added.

“As it was 98 years ago, I do not acknowledge any other power than the power of the national will,” he added, hailing the founder of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Following the ceremony, the cabinet held its meeting at the presidential complex with an agenda of integration of the new presidential executive system.

According to the party sources, cabinet has made assessments on the road map for the following period, after the June 24 elections.

Erdoğan’s cabinet plans to prepare two 100-days and then a month long planning which will draw an outline for the future actions of the party for a year period.

As the new system abolished the prime minister’s office and its organization, and the ministries are re-build within the new state structure, the cabinet’s other priority will be to organize the ministry structures and its in-laws.