Secessionists of Şanlıurfa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 26 July 2018)


Longing for the other side of the Euphrates...

A proposal for Birecik and Halfeti districts of Şanlıurfa province
to be tied to Gaziantep province instead, has created a controversy. 
Sadettin Bilgin, the head of the Birecik Chamber of Trade and
Industry sent an official letter to the Office of President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan, saying "Birecik and Halfeti districts are 85
kilometers from Şanlıurfa but only 55 kilometers away from
Gaziantep.  People get whatever they need from Gaziantep."

Bilgin's proposal drew reactions from parliamentarians from both
Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep. Former AKP Minister Eşref Fakıbaba
declared that "I'm from Urfa and I take pride in the fact that my
district is Birecik and my province is Şanlıurfa!"  In response to
such reactions, Bilgin issued a statement in which he apologized to
his fellow Şanlıurfa'ites, explaining that "the secretary made a mistake
and didn't state the matter correctly." (!)

However, Bilgin changed his tune when talking to Sözcü, saying
that "Eşref Fakıbaba got upset.  These parliamentarians don't do
anything, they just lift their fingers up and down.  They got jobs
for their relatives. They built a hospital at the top of a mountain
with no road.  Fakıbaba has neither a store nor a house here."


Sadettin Bilgin, rebel with a cause.

Bilgin added that "I'm 73-years-old and I've been the head of the
Chamber of Trade and Industry for 28 years.  Biricik has a
population of over 100,000 and 80% of them want to be tied to
Gaziantep.  Up to now in my life, I've gone to Urfa only a few
times. I made a proposal and the parliamentarians and Minister
Fakıbaba got all upset. Shameful! These parliamentarians don't
do anything except raise their fingers up and down. They get
jobs for their relatives.  There's no one who represents us.  There
was the Birecik Dam that they re-named for Necmettin Cevheri
(a famous old Urfa politician). Now they've changed the name
again to Birecik-Nizip Dam.  Where was Fakıbaba when this
happened?!  They built a hospital on top of a mountain but we
don't have a road for it. I've had schools built here. I have my
home and my store here.  Fakıbaba has neither. Pistachio nuts
are being grown in Birecik and sold as 'Antep Pistachio Nuts'!"

 
Birecik, on the main road from Şanlıurfa to Gaziantep
is much closer to the latter, as is Halfeti (circled).