Turkish EU Minister Bağış tweets he is ‘at work’

ISTANBUL

A few hours before his tweet, Bağış gave a cryptic speech during his annual iftar dinner, stating this may be his last iftar as “the EU minister.” DHA Photo

Turkish European Union Minister Egemen Bağış tweeted that he was not leaving his post after speculation arose because of a statement at a ministry iftar on July 15 in which he said this could be his last fast-breaking dinner as “EU minister,” according to daily Hürriyet.

“While we were hosting our co-workers together with their wives, we have written off each other’s debts. They thought we were saying farewell. We are at work,” read Bağış’s tweet, which was posted early this morning.

A few hours before his tweet, Bağış gave a cryptic speech during his annual iftar dinner, stating this may be his last iftar as “the EU minister.”

“This perhaps is my last iftar with you as the EU minister,” Bağış had said at the dinner, adding that he would continue to work as part of the accession process no matter what his future title would be. Asked if his words signaled the end of his term, Bağış said, “You never know what tomorrow might bring.”

He has recently been linked with a run for the Istanbul mayor’s job in next year’s local election.

Bağış has been one of the most sensational names in the ruling party government, often making headlines with his remarks toward both national and international figures.