Reminding that last year was declared the "Year of the Family" and mentioning that they did not want to fit the family issue into one year, Göktaş said: "Family is our yesterday, today and tomorrow. We are a nation that always sticks together with our families in the most difficult times. We always received support from our families in the War of Independence and the War of Independence. Likewise, we hugged each other and stuck together during earthquakes. We experienced the pain of a child, we hugged each other stronger. May God not let anyone experience the pain of a child. But "Our family is truly our strongest shelter. Of course, we also have the state. The state is a mother."
"WE ARE IN SUCH A PERIOD WHERE THE FAMILY IS UNfortunately UNDER A VERY SERIOUS ATTACK"
Minister Göktaş stated that the family institution is facing various problems today and said, "We are in such a period that unfortunately the family is under very serious attack. We are in a world where the internet and digitalization have entered every aspect of our lives. We live in the same house, but we look at different screens from each other. We are in a period where we do not chat with each other from time to time even though we are in the same house. On the other hand, our population is aging and our birth rates are decreasing. We want to establish a family-friendly Turkey. We have placed the family at the center of our social policies. Because if the family is strong, the society will be strong, if the society is strong, Türkiye "We are stronger together, we are more resilient, we are building the Great Türkiye with strong families." he said. Providing information about the support provided for families and young people, Göktaş said: "First of all, our brothers in Gaziantep also benefited from the Family and Youth Fund Project that we launched in 2024. We postponed the loan payments of our couples who have children for 12 months. We provide support to our couples who have children, with a two-year grace period and two years interest-free.
With this zero-interest support, we support our young people during their marriage process. We increased the support we provide to young people who will get married to 150 thousand liras. We also provided 12-month non-refundable support to couples who have children. They also participate in a pre-marriage education program. In the future, we will continue to support our youth and families, including social housing. On the other hand, we updated our birth benefits. We provided birth assistance to 667 mothers in Gaziantep. In just 1.5 years, we started making regular payments for the second and subsequent children. For the second child, we provide assistance until the child turns 5. We deposit the payments to the mothers' accounts. "We will continue to take care of our families today and tomorrow, just like yesterday."
Göktaş stated that within the scope of the 10 Years of Family and Population, studies will be continued with an understanding that centers on the family. Stating that the "Terror-free Türkiye" process is being accelerated, Göktaş said that Gaziantep is one of the important cities that has stood by his state since the War of Independence. Emphasizing that a terrorism-free Türkiye means a stronger Turkey, Göktaş said, "It means a Türkiye with a strong future, where our children grow up in safety with its strong economy, and where our families live in peace." he said. Göktaş explained that new works that support families and make children smile have been implemented in Gaziantep with the cooperation of institutions and local governments, and thanked all institutions, especially the Governorship and Metropolitan Municipality, for their contributions. In the program, Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber and Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin also made greeting speeches.
