Istanbul mayor undergoes nose surgery

BOLU - Hurriyet

Hurriyet photo

Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş has just returned to work following surgery on his nose, daily Hürriyet reported today.

Topbaş underwent an endoscopic sinus operation a day after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's second surgery on Feb. 10 and just appeared in front of cameras for the first time with his slightly altered face.

The surgery aimed to fix a septum deviation, a common physical disorder of the nose.

Topbaş appeared at a Justice and Development (AKP) party meeting in the northwestern province of Bolu’s Abant area to discuss earthquake precautions.

Praising the AKP's local governance, the mayor assured Istanbul residents that they were "conducting successful and coordinated work" on the matter.

Earthquake preparations are not significant only to Istanbul, but to the whole country, Topbaş said.

Topbaş further commented on the canal project for Turkey, signaling the end date of the project may even be before 2023.

"Canal Istanbul, [a radically revamped] Haydarpaşa and the project for Istanbul are projects that are drawing international attention to Istanbul," he said.