Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş took office as Türkiye’s new Minister of Family and Social Services. Appointed on Saturday, Göktaş was handed over the post by her predecessor Derya Yanık at a ceremony on Monday in the capital Ankara.

The minister highlighted that Türkiye was exemplary for reaching out to its citizens in social services and said she would seek to further improve them.

The Belgian-born former ambassador said she was honored to take over from Yanık, with whom she worked closely in the past, and thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for her appointment. Göktaş said the ministry was particularly effective in the aftermath of the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye’s southeast that claimed thousands of lives and staff worked night and day to heal the wounds of the disaster’s victims. She pledged to continue the same self-sacrificing efforts.

"Türkiye is now an exemplary country in the world for its efficient social services reaching out to each citizen. The role of all-embracing social policies prioritizing the individual and the family is key here. We will continue our efforts to that extent. The family is important in shaping society and conveying values from one generation to another. We have firm faith in a strong individual, strong family, strong society and strong Türkiye," she said.

Göktaş said that their work for the improvement of the state of women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, veterans and families of victims of terror attacks will be shaped by the Century of Türkiye vision, an ambitious plan unveiled by President Erdoğan last year for a series of reforms planned to be implemented in the coming years. "We will work in harmony with all relevant parties for a just distribution of social welfare. We view a transparent approach for right-based social aid distribution with sustainability being important," she added.