Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy met with members of the organization in Kocaeli, the AK Party's traditional "Türkiye Century Meetings" program. Many topics were on the agenda of the meeting, from the progress Turkey has made in different fields in the last 24 years to the cultural and tourism investments made in Kocaeli, from the city's new tourism plan to the Terror-Free Türkiye process.
Minister Ersoy gave important messages in the program by sharing the cultural and tourism investments made in Kocaeli in the last 24 years. In the program, Ersoy was accompanied by AK Party Kocaeli MPs Sadettin Hülagü, Radiye Sezer Katırcıoğlu, Veysal Tipioğlu, Cemil Yaman and Sami Çakır; Giresun Deputy Ali Temür, Erzurum Deputy Abdurrahim Fırat, Diyarbakır Deputy Mehmet Sait Yaz, Bursa Deputy Osman Mesten, Refik Özen, Mustafa Yavuz, Emel Gözükara Durmaz, Muhammet Müfit Aydın, Ahmet Kılıç and Ayhan Salman, Düzce Deputy Ercan Öztürk, Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality He was accompanied by Chairman Tahir Büyükakın and AK Party Kocaeli Provincial Chairman Şahin Talus.
ERSOY EXPLAINED TURKEY'S TRANSFORMATION IN THE LAST 24 YEARS
In his speech here, Minister Ersoy stated that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we set out 25 years ago with the ideal of "fully independent, strong and leading Turkey" and that the nation has stood behind this will for 24 years since 2002.
Stating that the AK Party government has made Turkey a voice in the global order, a path-setter, and the address of peace, negotiations, stability and trust, Ersoy said; He noted that Turkey is the 16th largest economy in the world, has developed original and pioneering technologies in the defense industry, and made significant investments in transportation and communication infrastructure.
Ersoy also touched upon the strength of the health infrastructure in the Covid-19 epidemic and the reconstruction efforts carried out after the February 6 earthquakes, and said that Turkey responded to the needs of its nation with a strong capacity despite severe challenges.
TURKEY AIMS FOR THE TOP IN THE SUPER LEAGUE OF TOURISM
Touching on the developments in the field of culture and tourism, Ersoy said that the vision of expanding tourism to 12 months and 81 provinces has been implemented; He stated that product and market diversity has been increased and pioneering practices in the fields of facilities, transportation, comfort and sustainability have been put into effect.
Stating that Turkey closed the year 2025 with a record tourism income of 65.2 billion dollars and obtained 25.7 billion dollars of tourism income in the first six months of 2026, Ersoy described Turkey as "a unique potential that aspires to the top in the super league of tourism."
Noting that the world's most intense and comprehensive archeology studies have been carried out and the most intense restoration, construction and revival works in the history of the Republic have been carried out, Ersoy said that thousands of cultural assets have been returned to Turkey thanks to international cooperation in the fight against cultural asset smuggling.
Ersoy also stated that art institutions raise the bar of success every year on national and international stages, that the Turkey Culture Road Festival brings together millions of people with culture and art, and that Turkey has become one of the three largest countries in the world in TV series exports.
ACCOMMODATION CAPACITY IN KOCAELİ INCREASED NEARLY 17 TIMES
Sharing the figures for Kocaeli, Minister Ersoy said, "I would like to express with pleasure that we have invested 491 million lira in culture and tourism in our city in the last 24 years." he said.
Stating that the support given to public cultural investments and tourism infrastructure projects of local governments during this period exceeded 321 million lira, Ersoy stated that the number of accommodation facilities with operating licenses, which was 33 in 2002, increased to 281 as of September 2026, and the bed capacity from 966 to 16 thousand 40.
Ersoy stated that there was an approximately 9-fold increase in the number of facilities and an approximately 17-fold increase in bed capacity; He said that compared to the January-June 2025 period, the number of local and foreign guests visiting Kocaeli this year increased by approximately 2.3 percent and reached 485 thousand people.
NEW WORKS CONTINUE ON KOCAELI'S CULTURAL HERITAGE
Stating that they evaluated the historical and cultural heritage of Kocaeli, one of Turkey's important industrial and commercial cities, in a way that will provide the highest benefit, Ersoy stated that the Kerpe Bay Underwater Rescue Excavation, for which 2026 funding was provided, continues.
Stating that 17 different projects and applications have been completed in the last 8 years within the scope of restoration, museum and archaeological site works, Ersoy stated that the work on the Kocaeli Osman Hamdi Bey House continues and that 4 different projects are included in the scope of the 2026 Investment Program.
APPROVAL TO THE COASTAL BAND PLAN OF APPROXIMATELY 20 THOUSAND HECTARS
Giving good news for Kocaeli, Minister Ersoy announced that the "Kocaeli Sakarya Coastal Band Culture and Conservation Development Zone Kocaeli Section 1/25,000 scale Environmental Plan Amendment", with a surface area of approximately 20 thousand hectares, prepared by the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, was approved by the Ministry.
Ersoy stated that the plan aims to protect the natural and cultural values of the region by considering the balance of conservation and use, as well as to realize qualified and low-intensity tourism facilities; He said that in addition to coastal tourism, it is aimed to diversify alternative tourism types such as diving, health and cultural tourism, farm, agro and eco tourism, camping-caravan tourism, bicycle and nature tourism.
Ersoy stated that the 1/5000 and 1/1000 scale zoning plan studies, in line with the upper-scale plan decisions, will be carried out under the coordination of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and the Ministry, and thanked the Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tahir Büyükakın and those who contributed.
TERRORISM-FREE Türkiye AND THE MESSAGE OF THE Türkiye CENTURY
Stating that Turkey has made significant progress from the defense industry to health, from transportation to environment and urbanism, from culture and tourism to other areas, Ersoy said that it was not easy to reach this point. He stated that Turkey has faced many internal and external obstacles in the past, but despite this, the country's chronic problems have been addressed by taking political risks.
Stating that the "last corner" of the process has been turned with the will of President Erdoğan and the determined stance of MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, Ersoy said that the door to a Terror-Free Türkiye and the Turkish Century has been wide open.
Arguing that the circles opposing the process are conducting perception studies on national and spiritual values and social and religious identity through various surveys and research, Ersoy stated that they will answer the questions on the nation's mind and that the process is progressing transparently.
Ersoy made the following statements regarding the law: "This law is neither a bargain nor a concession nor an amnesty. Terror-Free Turkey and Terror-Free Zone is a project of the Turkish state. It is a step of unity and solidarity that will not allow anyone to throw even a spark on us in our geography that is drowning in fire."
Stating that the process aims to completely eliminate the half-century-old threat to the national existence, the survival of the country and the nation, Ersoy said that this is the will of a state that comes to life from the ideal of "One Nation, One Flag, One Homeland, One State".
At the end of his speech, Minister Ersoy thanked all members of the AK Party organization, MPs and ministers who fought under the leadership of President Erdoğan, commemorated the members of the organization who lost their lives and expressed his gratitude to the nation.
