In the Budget Commission, Numan Kurtulmuş left the room: This is a very serious insult.

31.10.2025 17:15

The Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, left the room after saying, "I consider this a very serious insult," in response to the remarks of the İYİ Party Group Spokesperson Erhan Usta, who said, "I don't understand where your love for the PKK comes from," during a meeting of the TBMM Planning and Budget Commission.

The TBMM Planning and Budget Commission convened under the chairmanship of AK Party Samsun Deputy Mehmet Muş to discuss the budget proposals for 2026 from the TBMM Presidency, the Public Ombudsman Institution (KDK), and the Court of Accounts. Tensions arose in the hall after İYİ Party Group Spokesperson Erhan Usta said to TBMM President Numan Kurtulmuş, "I do not understand where your love for the PKK as the TBMM President comes from."

KURTULMUŞ LEFT THE HALL

Speaking, Kurtulmuş said, "I consider this statement to be a very serious insult; this friend should state that he has withdrawn his words in this hall. This is, at best, an impertinence," and left the hall.

PROTEST FROM CHP DEPUTIES

On the other hand, CHP deputies attended the commission meeting with placards regarding CHP member Can Atalay, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison related to the Gezi events, and CHP deputies affected by tear gas during incidents at the CHP Istanbul Provincial Headquarters.

CHP Malatya Deputy Veli Ağbaba, showing the placards, said, "Today, the will of the Parliament is imprisoned. It is not only Can Atalay who is imprisoned; the will of the nation is imprisoned. Unfortunately, the Speaker of the Parliament is not taking steps in this regard. In fact, our President is Numan Kurtulmuş; however, a member of the parliament is still imprisoned. Despite the Constitutional Court's (AYM) decision, he is imprisoned, and his imprisonment is a coup against the constitutional regime. Another issue is the treatment of the deputies; look, tear gas was fired at deputies from half a meter away. During the period when the Istanbul Provincial building was occupied by the police, unjust practices were carried out against our deputies. This gas was not only fired at Ali Gökçek and Deniz Yavuzyılmaz; it was fired directly at the Parliament, right in Numan Kurtulmuş's face," he said.

"OUR COMMISSION IS CARRYING OUT AN IMPORTANT WORK"

Some deputies requested that the meeting be broadcast on TBMM TV and reacted to the removal of the visual media from the meeting. Commission Chairman Muş did not open a procedural discussion and handed the floor to TBMM President Numan Kurtulmuş. Kurtulmuş made a presentation to the commission members regarding the 2025 budgets of the Parliament and its affiliated institutions. Emphasizing the importance of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission established within the scope of the 'Terror-Free Turkey' goal, Kurtulmuş stated, "The regional and global conditions we are in necessitate that Turkey completely leaves the issue of terrorism behind and takes steps to solve the terrorism issue to achieve lasting peace and brotherhood. In this context, our commission has carried out an important work and continues to do so. The establishment of the commission is a significant step in terms of demonstrating the power of national will and democratic maturity. At a time when the process we initiated with the slogan 'Terror-Free Turkey' is beginning to mature, our commission will continue to make every effort and work to raise the standards of peace, tranquility, security, and democracy in this country," he said.

"WE MUST BE A COUNTRY THAT DETERMINES DIRECTION"

Kurtulmuş stated that the role of parliamentary diplomacy is increasing in the world and that the TBMM is effectively carrying out this role. Kurtulmuş said, "It seems that the tense situation in the world will continue in the next 10 years. Therefore, it is essential for Turkey to pursue a strong foreign policy during such a period and especially in the geography we are in, and to present a meaningful politics instead of rhetoric in diplomacy. We must be a country that determines direction, not one that follows maneuvers, and we must produce principles, not reactions. In this context, we continue to implement our foreign policy together with all our institutions. I can clearly state that the TBMM is present at all international platforms at the presidential level with both friendship groups and its presence in international assemblies, and it is voicing Turkey's voice. Our foreign policy, conducted under the leadership of our President, is strengthened and creates a holistic perspective with the active support of our Parliament in parliamentary diplomacy," he said.

"TURKEY WILL HOST PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY"

Evaluating Turkey's foreign policy, Kurtulmuş mentioned the policies regarding Russia-Ukraine, Ethiopia-Somalia, Afghanistan-Pakistan, Palestine, and Syria. Kurtulmuş said, "In a period when dialogue channels in the world are narrowing, it is essential for parliaments to connect with each other. With this understanding, we will host the 50th anniversary meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on November 17. The theme of the meeting is the revitalization of multilateralism through dialogue and cooperation. Additionally, we will hold the 152nd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the largest parliamentary union in the world, in Istanbul from April 15-19, 2026. This General Assembly, which will be attended by 183 member parliaments, is a clear indication of Turkey's contribution to parliamentary diplomacy. To be able to host this meeting, which we last hosted 30 years ago in 1996, with over 1400 parliamentarians and nearly 100 Speakers of Parliament, is a great source of pride for the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The goal is to hold the NATO Parliamentary Speakers Summit in our country in June 2026. This summit will undoubtedly strengthen Turkey's understanding of alliance based on the balance of security and freedom in the parliamentary arena," he evaluated.

"OUR 2026 BUDGET IS 27.2 BILLION LIRA"

Kurtulmuş reminded that the TBMM's 2023 budget, along with the transfers made during the year, is 10 billion 946 million, and the 2024 budget is 17 billion 817 million, of which 71% has been spent so far, stating, "The budget proposal for 2026 is 27 billion 235 million 264 thousand Turkish lira."Elbette, mevcut HTML yapısını bozmadan metni İngilizce'ye çevirebilirim. İşte çeviri:



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It has been presented to our commission in this way. 82.3% of these expenses consist of current expenditures, while 17.7% consist of investment expenditures. As can be seen, 66.3% of the 2026 budget mainly consists of personnel, social security (SGK) expenses, and treatment costs. Additionally, as required by law, the Treasury assistance to the Public Ombudsman Institution has been set at 469 million 737 thousand Turkish liras, which constitutes 1.7% of our total budget. Furthermore, again as required by law, there is a share of 1 billion 583 million 976 thousand liras provided by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) to the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) as treasury assistance. This also constitutes 5.8% of our total budget. Our budget proposal for the year 2026 has increased by 52.9% to 27 billion 235 million 264 thousand Turkish liras compared to the initial allocation of 17 billion 817 million Turkish liras for the year 2025," he said.

After the presentation made by the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, the commission meeting continues with the evaluations made by the members of parliament on the budget.