Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, who was appointed as the Minister of Family and Social Services, took over the duty from Derya Yanık

Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, stated in her speech at the ceremony held at the Ministry that she had worked with Minister Derya Yanık until very recently and that it was an honor to take over the flag from her.

Expressing her gratitude to the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for giving her the honor of serving the nation established with the vision of the Century of Türkiye, Göktaş stated that everyone witnessed that the employees of the Ministry worked day and night to heal the wounds of February 6 earthquakes and that they would continue to work with the same effort and devotion from then on.

Göktaş stated that as the Ministry of Family and Social Services, they were moving forward with a new power for a prosperous Türkiye and the Century of Türkiye, and continued as follows:

"Türkiye is now a country that reaches out to its citizens one by one with an active social service approach and is shown as an exemplary country all over the world. Encompassing social policies that emphasize the person and the family have played a major role in the success. We will focus on family-related activities in this direction from now on. We are aware of the importance of family in shaping societies and transferring value judgments from generation to generation. We would like to emphasize our belief in a strong society, a strong person, a strong family, and a strong Türkiye. We will carry out the work on women, children, and older persons, persons with disabilities, martyrs, and veterans in the vision of Century of Türkiye, just as we do in family and community services. In addition, we will continue to work in harmony with all the stakeholders to share social welfare equitably. We consider it very important that rights-based social assistance is sustainable with a transparent approach. The Ministry of Family and Social Services is ready for the Century of Türkiye with its structure that embraces all segments of society and with the strength it draws from its own values and civilization."

"I am very happy to be handing over this flag to a very dear friend"

Derya Yanık said that there was always an exchange of flags in the AK Parti, and that everyone, at whatever point they were serving, handed over the duty to the next.

Reminding that she took over the duty on April 21, 2021, Yanık continued: "I am really happy to be handing over this flag again to a very valuable minister, a very dear friend. I have no doubt that the Minister's past work, energy, and youth will definitely improve, transform, and advance the point she is at now with her energy."

Pointing out that the Ministry of Family and Social Services was fulfilling its obligation to be the guardian of the orphans and that it was actually building the future, Yanık added:

"While we are building the Century of Türkiye, we are also talking about a place that will build the future of Türkiye. Women's work is one of the most important activities of the Ministry. Therefore, it is not possible for us to ignore or neglect it. We have to develop many issues such as women's access to employment, their rights to health, and education, fighting violence, and their participation in political and social life in the coming period, hopefully in a manner befitting the Century of Türkiye and befitting the path of the world. Of course, family is very important. One of the most important activities of the Ministry is the construction of a strong family, that is, a family capable of solving its problems, under the umbrella of family and community services. We have done and will continue to do what needs to be done to maintain the family structure that supports, protects, and cares for each other, which we carry from the cultural codes, beliefs, and values, and to repair the problems, if any."

Yanık thanked her colleagues with whom she worked so far and expressed, "I wish Ms. Minister an ease of mind. Godspeed. It is extremely difficult, but it takes a very high spiritual satisfaction. I have not the slightest doubt that she will fulfill it. I wish her success and I want to express that my prayers will always be with her."

Minister Göktaş's mother Güler Özdemir and father Hasan Özdemir also attended the ceremony.

Following the speeches, Göktaş and Yanık presented flowers to each other.