Mehmet Özhaseki, who resigned from the Ministry, has quit active politics.

Former Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Mehmet Özhaseki arrived in his hometown Kayseri after the end of his ministry. Özhaseki was welcomed by Governor Gökmen Çiçek, Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Memduh Büyükkılıç, party members, and citizens at Kayseri Airport.

"IT WAS A GREAT STRUGGLE FOR 21 YEARS"

Mehmet Özhaseki said, "Of course, we have come to the end of the road. Every task has a beginning. And it also has an end. Life is like that too. You come to life. Everything ends in the blink of an eye. Then you go to the presence of the Almighty. Our adventure started in 1994. Those were difficult days. Kayseri had many problems back then. We joined hands with many of our friends in those days. It was a great struggle for almost 21 years. Thank God, we served our city. Then, with the insistent invitation of our President, the adventure in Ankara began. The ministry period there was also difficult, there were 'Çukur' protests. After that, we continued our struggle as deputy chairman and during a period when there was an earthquake for more than a year."

"WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED GREAT PROJECTS"

Özhaseki, who said that his life in Kayseri was spent in service, said, "We have accomplished great projects. Everyone witnessed that. At the same time, we worked like crazy day and night. We never gave a chance to the bad ones. But we also continued our struggle by supporting what we believed was right. The point I especially want to mention is this; people come to a duty, they leave. But it is important to leave there with your head held high and at peace. It is important to go to the presence of the Almighty with dignity. I also had principles. I have not compromised on them so far. May the Almighty not make me compromise in the future either. We did not deviate from righteousness. We did not have a concern to protect anyone other than protecting the public's property and interests. Thank God, today we are ending our active political life."

"I ASK FOR FORGIVENESS FROM OUR PEOPLE"

Özhaseki, who stated that he will continue to live in his hometown Kayseri, said; "I ask for forgiveness from our people. Let all my rights be forgiven. When I look back, I am in the happiness of seeing a life full of service without doing any evil that hurts my conscience. I thank everyone for their presence here. We will be in Kayseri. This is our ancestral home. We have memories in every corner. Both from childhood and from the following service period. At the beginning of the week, on Monday, we will submit our petition regarding the foundation establishment. We are establishing our family foundation. We will continue to provide scholarships to students there. Especially to the orphaned and needy. We will do whatever we can for them to continue their education. I had come from foundation services. I am returning to foundation services again. Hopefully, we will complete our lives in this way."