Turkish Cabinet convenes to assess year in office
A view of the Cabinet meeting, Ankara, Türkiye, May 6, 2024. (AA Photo)


Ministers and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will mark the first year in office after last year’s general elections as they convene on Tuesday.

The Cabinet, consisting of old stalwarts and those appointed after the elections in which Erdoğan secured another four-year term, will look back to the past year and discuss plans for the future.

The main agenda of the Cabinet meeting includes the economy, the issue of stray dogs and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Turkish media outlets reported Monday.

Erdoğan will host the meeting at the Presidential Complex that follows another meeting of "assessment" he attended over the weekend by his party in the aftermath of the March 31 municipal elections.

For millions, the meeting also determines the span of the upcoming Qurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha) holiday. A four-day official holiday for the Muslim festival may be raised to nine days, something holidaymakers and tourism businesses eagerly anticipated as the summer kicked off across the country with rising temperatures.

On the economic side, Erdoğan and the ministers will discuss the current state of the economy and austerity measures in the public sector the government recently introduced. The road map for improving the economy, the fight against inflation and overpricing are among the meeting agenda items. Media outlets reported that additional economic measures in light of the latest inflation figures will also be discussed at the meeting, as well as repercussions of austerity measures and future savings packages.

The Cabinet will also discuss a draft bill on tackling the stray dog issue, which will be discussed at Parliament.

Erdoğan’s visits to Madrid and Rome this month are also on the agenda of the meeting.

On foreign policy, the Cabinet will discuss Israel’s massacres in Gaza and Türkiye’s efforts against them, including ongoing international cases to thwart the massacre and a three-stage cease-fire plan.

The Cabinet also prioritizes counterterrorism and the ministers will talk about cross-border operations in Iraq and Syria’s north against the PKK terrorist group.