14.05.2026 10:01
Allegations have surfaced that Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mehmet Sekmen spent 12.5 million TL on souvenirs. Responding to these claims during a program he attended, Sekmen stated that these gift expenses occurred over three years, saying, "We gave these gifts to the people of Erzurum."
Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mehmet Sekmen made a statement regarding allegations that the municipality spent 12.5 million TL on souvenir items. Speaking at a program he attended, Sekmen stated that the expenditures covered a three-year period and said the gifts were distributed to promote Erzurum.
“WE ARE PROMOTING ERZURUM’S LOCAL PRODUCTS”
Commenting on the souvenir expenditures, Sekmen expressed that locally produced items were purchased and given as gifts to visitors and citizens coming to the city. Sekmen said, “We bought locally produced items and gave them as gifts to the people coming. How else will we promote Erzurum? What are Erzurum’s local products, what are the local handicrafts? We bought these and gave them as gifts.”
“WE GAVE MOST OF THE GIFTS TO THE PEOPLE OF ERZURUM”
In his statement, Sekmen said that most of the gifts were distributed to the people of Erzurum, emphasizing that the expenditure occurred over a three-year period. “We gave the majority of these gifts to the people of Erzurum. They spend 80 million in one day; we spend this in three years,” he said.
CONTROVERSY CONTINUES
While the allegations regarding Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality’s souvenir expenditures have sparked public debate, Mayor Sekmen’s statements have also become a topic of discussion.