(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) AnAnkaradeputy from Turkey";s main opposition party has questioned whether the president and the government were aiming to erase traces of the republic era in the capital city via a conscious policy.
In a parliamentary motion presented to Parliament Speaker smail Kahraman";s office on July 10, Republican People";s Party (CHP)Ankaradeputy Necati Ylmaz recalled recently delivered remarks by PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoanconcerning the architecture of Ankara.
Erdoan";s remarks, which were delivered at the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakf University";s graduation ceremony for the 2015-2016 academic year in June, have appeared in the press, Ylmaz said in his motion.
'Despite having been declared as the capital city of our republic,Ankarais a city which has not been equipped with works that would contribute to our culture and our history - except the parliament and a limited number of buildings. To overcome this we decided to equip the city with works which would integrate the Seljuk and Ottoman architecture with contemporary needs. I believe that we accomplished this by adding the Betepe Külliyesi [presidential palace complex] to many of our other firsts in the history of our republic,” Erdoan said at the ceremony on June 22, to which Ylmaz referred in his motion.
Ylmaz then listed a series of questions to be answered by Prime Minister Binali Yldrm.
'Has there been any decision taken by the government to equip Ankara, as Erdoan mentioned, with modern works of Seljuk and Ottoman architecture integrated with contemporary needs? If so, when was this [decision] taken [and] by which institution or institutions? Which areas are included to equip the capital with Seljuk and Ottoman architecture? In this context, what will be done? Is equippingAnkarawith a structure similar to the Betepe Külliyesi… on the agenda? If so, what are the details?” he asked.
Erdoan moved into the huge and controversial new presidential palace in 2014.
The cost of the palace, which amounted to at least 1.37 billion Turkish Liras ($615 million), as well as the legality of building it inside the supposedly officially protectedAtatürkForest Farm, were both criticized by the opposition.
Erdoan refers to the complex, where he has hosted several cabinet meetings, as the 'Presidential Külliye,” in reference to the Ottoman tradition of having a mosque surrounded by various public facilities.