By Ali Kemal Akan, Yesim Sert Karaaslan and Merve Yildizalp
ANKARA (AA) – Ceremonies to handover ministries were held in Ankara on Thursday, following a reshuffle of the Turkish Cabinet.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus handed over his position to the new Deputy Prime Minister Fikri İsik, in one such ceremony.
Speaking to reporters, Kurtulmus said that the U.S. should return Fetullah Gulen, mastermind of the defeated coup last year, to Turkey.
Fetullah Terrorist Organization, led by U.S.-based Gulen, orchestrated the defeated coup that left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured on July 15, 2016 in Turkey.
Later during the day, Kurtulmus attended a handover ceremony at the Culture Ministry and took over ministerial duty from the former minister, Nabi Avci.
Other ceremonies took place across Ankara on Wednesday and Thursday, where duties were handed over to the newly appointed members.
Five new ministers joined the Turkish Cabinet on Wednesday in a reshuffle of the government posts.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced the changes following an unscheduled meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
Three ministers were promoted to deputy prime minister positions — Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, Defense Minister Fikri Isik and Health Minister Recep Akdag.
Hakan Cavusoglu, a lawmaker from the northwestern province of Bursa, was also appointed as a deputy prime minister without having previously held a Cabinet post while Mehmet Simsek retained his position as one of five deputies to Yildirim.
The five ministerial newcomers included Julide Sarieroglu, who became the labor and social security minister and the second female Cabinet member.
Also appointed were Abdulhamit Gul, who was assigned the Justice Ministry portfolio; Osman Askin Bak, who became the youth and sports minister; new Health Minister Ahmet Demircan; and Ahmet Esref Fakibaba, appointed to the Food, Agriculture and Livestock Ministry.
Six existing ministers were reappointed, meaning a total of 11 changes in the 27-member Cabinet.
The reshuffle followed April’s constitutional referendum that allowed Erdogan to resume his official ties to the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.
