Turkish PM Yıldırım pays farewell visits to top state officials

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıdırım on July 3 paid farewell visits as premier to Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman and Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar.

With Turkey formally shifting into a presidential system of government following the June 24 elections, Yıldırım became the last prime minister of the Republic of Turkey.

His premiership is due to conclude when a new government is formed next week.

Yıldırım also met Supreme Court head İsmail Rüştü Cirit and Council of State head Zerrin Güngör.

His meeting with Güngör lasted about one hour and was closed to press.

Later on July 3, Yıdırım was also set to visit the heads of the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), the Constitutional Court, and state radio and TV broadcaster TRT.

Before becoming prime minister in 2016, Yıldırım served as transport minister almost continuously from 2002 to 2013 and again between 2015 and 2016. Between 2014 and 2015 he served as senior advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“I have the serenity of completing a task that I believe in. I feel at peace for having done a good job for the homeland,” Yıldırım told reporters when previously asked about his feelings about being Turkey’s last prime minister.