Türkiye's first female treasury director passes away

ISTANBUL

Aysel Öymen, Türkiye’s first female director general of the Treasury and wife of journalist and former Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman Altan Öymen, has passed away at the age of 96.

Öymen graduated from Ankara University's Faculty of Political Sciences, held various diplomatic posts abroad and became Türkiye's first female director general of the Treasury in 1978.

She met Altan Öymen in Ankara during their university years at Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences. The couple got married in 1956 and had two children.

"Altan is a successful journalist. But Aysel is a successful public servant. Let me give credit to Aysel, whom I knew before. The fact that Altan has a wife like Aysel has a big, big share in his success," Milliyet columnist Güngör Uras, who passed away in 2018, wrote in one of his articles.

Öymen will be buried in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery after the funeral held at Teşvikiye Mosque on Jan. 25 at noon.

The Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) shared a message of condolence. "We are saddened by the loss of Aysel Öymen, who served the journalism profession successfully for many years, the wife of Altan Öymen, the esteemed honorary chairman of the Journalists' Association of Türkiye, and the mother of our member Aslı Öymen. We share the pain of the Öymen Family and wish them our condolences and patience."

"I wish God's mercy on Aysel Öymen, the esteemed wife of our chairman Altan Öymen, the first female Treasury general manager, and my condolences to the Öymen family and their loved ones," CHP Chairman Özgür Özel shared on social media.

Former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also published a condolence message for Aysel Öymen.