23.07.2026 16:41
After resigning from CHP, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay, who first announced he would join Özgür Özel's new party and then changed his decision, visited Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum. During the meeting, Izmir's urban transformation processes and earthquake risk were discussed.
A striking visit came from İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay, who resigned from his party after Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was reinstated as the head of the CHP by a court decision.
Tugay, who initially announced he would take part in a new formation to be established by Özgür Özel but later clearly stated he would remain independent, met with Murat Kurum, the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, to discuss İzmir's local issues.
MINISTER KURUM: WE WILL CONTINUE OUR WORK IN COOPERATION Following the reception at the ministry, Minister Murat Kurum shared a post on his social media account, delivering a message of harmony with local governments. Regarding the details of the meeting, Kurum stated: "We welcomed İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mr. Cemil Tugay at our ministry. We evaluated İzmir's priority needs, ongoing projects, and requests regarding our city. We will continue our work in harmony and cooperation with our local governments."
KARABAĞLAR AND URBAN TRANSFORMATION ON THE AGENDA İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay, in his statement regarding the visit, noted that the focus of the meeting was urban transformation and the city's earthquake resilience. Referring to the special situation concerning 15 neighborhoods in the Karabağlar district and areas under the ministry's authority, Tugay expressed: "We met with our Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Mr. Murat Kurum. In our meeting, we discussed urban transformation, one of the most important agenda items for our İzmir. We evaluated the current situation regarding the transformation of earthquake-risk buildings and the urban transformation area concerning our 15 neighborhoods in Karabağlar, where planning authority lies with our ministry, as well as the support we expect from our ministry. I thank our Minister for his interest and constructive approach. We are working to solve İzmir's problems in the most rational ways. With this understanding, we will continue to seek dialogue and joint solutions with all relevant institutions for the future of our city."