Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) President Ekrem İmamoğluspoke at the opening ceremony of Ordu Street and its immediate surroundings, the foundation of which was laid on November 2, 2022. Emphasizing that Ordu Street will be a candidate to be the most beautiful street in Istanbul, İmamoğlu said, "We are about to step into the days when the lively, beautiful people of Istanbul and tens of millions of tourists from home and abroad will enjoy walking here." “Today, we are starting a new era,” said İmamoğlu, adding, “As an administration working to make Istanbul a fair city, we are also bringing justice to Ordu Street. Do you know how to ensure justice in a street arrangement? We did this by dividing the street equally among all means of transportation, taking into account the common interests of everyone who benefits from that street, and we carried out a very correct, beautiful and fair arrangement process on Ordu Street. "With the arrangements we made in Ordu Street and its immediate surroundings, we encouraged vehicles to travel slowly and provided a safe environment for pedestrians and bicycles," he said.
“THESE STREETS AND THESE SQUARES HAVE ONLY ONE OWNER; THAT IS THE NATION
Underlining that Ordu Street will have a structure similar to Istiklal Street with the arrangements they made, İmamoğlu said: I love competition in unity, beauty and truth. I wish; Our citizens and tradesmen should feel so strong about this new state of Ordu Street and embrace this process so strongly that soon, Ordu Street, as well as Istiklal Street, will be a candidate to become the heart of Istanbul, the center of Istanbul in every aspect - and we wholeheartedly believe that it will be. I believe - let's start setting an example. This place will turn into an extraordinarily beautiful spot. We did what was necessary. From now on, it will be with the contributions of our tradesmen here and our friends living here. We organize the streets and squares of Istanbul in the most accurate and beautiful way and deliver these beauties to you that are your right. There is only one owner of these streets and squares. And that's people. It does not belong to anyone, it belongs to the nation. "That's why we will set some rules here," he said.
“THE NATION HAS REALIZED THAT EVERY CORNER OF THIS CITY BELONGS TO THEM”
İmamoğlu said, “Do you know what our nation did in 2019?” and summarized:
“He saved this city from a management approach that saw Istanbul as its own property. And the nation realized that every point, every corner of this city belonged to them. You gave us this task and delivered it. We are delivering this city to 16 million Istanbulites. And we see ourselves as the guardians of this city. With the power we received from you, we ended the era of neglect, betrayal and waste in Istanbul. Another era has begun; We started the service period, the execution period and the investment period. In this way, we have done tremendous work that beautifies and facilitates the lives of all segments of society all over Istanbul. Now a handful of people want to return to those glorious old days. They want Istanbul's resources to flow to them, not to you, the people. They are also working on this. But you will not allow this.”
“DO YOU KNOW HOW RUNNERSHIP NEVER END?”
“Of course, in every election, a candidate emerges. It's true, they have a candidate. In 2019, Binali Bey was described as 'The candidate who knows municipality or Istanbul'. The current esteemed candidate actually has a slight disadvantage in every respect. Frankly, you may not know some topics, or you may be a novice. If you are willing to learn, no problem. You work and learn harder than anyone else. But do you know how inexperience never ends? If he is not inclined to learn. If you don't have the heart to learn or work, then your job is difficult. Now we need to explain some issues well. My fellow countrymen may know, but the name of this street in Fatih, the heart of Istanbul, is Ordu Street. From a little further on, it turns into Divanyolu Street. You continue immediately, to that historical area, the Minlon Stone, to Sultanahmet on the right, to the Hagia Sophia Mosque on the left, and then you meet Topkapı Palace. Behind us, two streets are being opened as a result of city planning as a result of some studies carried out in the 30s, 40s and 50s. You know; There is Vatan Street, which goes towards Bayrampaşa and then connects to the TEM highway. When you immediately turn left, there is Millet Street, which continues towards Topkapı. In fact, a trilogy was made here at that time. Homeland, Nation, Army; that is, our armed forces. So the name of this city is not the name of a city or a region. It is one of the streets named after the concepts of homeland, nation and army. Here's the thing: If you're just making things up, if you're not willing to learn, if you don't know, if you don't ask someone and try to understand; "I swear, your job is difficult."
“HE PROVIDED US WITH A LOT OF CRAFTY IN A LITTLE TIME”
“Dear Istanbulites; When we say novice candidate, a different concept is understood, as if Ekrem İmamoğlu as if he were underestimating the candidate or his opponent. There is no such thing. I'm just stating that you're a newbie. Of course, while expressing that he is a novice, I would also like to underline something important to the people of Istanbul. You know, he showed a lot of incompetence. This gave us a lot of inexperience in a very short time. But of course, there is a more important issue here. Does your candidate have anything to do with Istanbul? We need to look at this once. Does he have any feelings about Istanbul or not? This needs to be examined. Does he know the neighbourhoods, streets, avenues, topography and districts of Istanbul? This needs to be looked at. Do you have information about Istanbul? Is there any witness to Istanbul? Has he ever lived? Look, these are all important. Where did he live his life until now? Where did he spend it? Where is Büyükçekmece? Where is Küçükçekmece? Or which district, on which side, we need to look at these. A candidate's relationship with Istanbul and his experiences are important. Istanbul is the apple of the world's eye. Istanbul is the most beautiful city in the world. Therefore, it is important to look at this: Does it have anything to do with Istanbul? Does he have a connection or affection to Istanbul? “A person who has knowledge or interest in this city?”
“AK PARTY, MHP; SO, I WANT TO ASK MY CITIZENS WHO VOTED FOR THE PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE..."
“Here I am, especially from the AK Party and MHP; So, I want to ask my citizens who voted for the People's Alliance. Yes, of course, candidates of a party or an alliance emerge. Behind him is the leader of that party. Ok.maybe. But Mr. Erdogan is behind such a candidate. It is true. But those who voted for the People's Alliance should think like this. As a subject, when he becomes a candidate for Mayor of Istanbul, will they vote for this candidate or not? First, let's take a look at this, with the performance it has demonstrated so far and the statements it has made. I think this is important. Look, I think that even people who are members of the AK Party and voted for the People's Alliance have weakened their tendency to vote after what they did. I think they won't vote. They are also from Istanbul. Our citizens need to consider whether the President should put forward this candidate and present it to Istanbul.”
“HE WANTS THIS: 'MY WILL WILL PASS, BROTHER. "WHATEVER I SAY WILL HAPPEN"
“Because do you know why he is doing all this, Mr. President? He wants this: 'My will will pass, brother. 'Whatever I say will happen.' What do we say? 'Whatever 16 million say will happen, brother.' This is the gist of the matter. It's that simple. Look; Do you know why I told you about this issue? This is a serious matter. He does not want the will of the people. They do not want the mayor elected by the people to have a will, to protect Istanbul, to watch over Istanbul, and to be the voice and breath of Istanbulites. Point. That's why he wants a candidate who will sign what he says. He wants a candidate who will accept everything he says. He acts with the understanding of 'If I put my jacket on, I win'. That's why this election is not just a mayoral election. This election is also a choice to protect the will of the nation. Don't forget this. This election is not just the election of the Istanbul guard. This election is also the choice of the guardian of the will of Istanbulites. Don't forget this too.”
“YOU SILENCED THEIR VOICE AND BREATH, THEY CANNOT GET CHANNEL ISTANBUL IN THEIR MOUTH”
“We have always said this: You will trust the people of this city. You will look at what the people of this city say. Look how strong you are, I want to remind you. The people of Istanbul are so strong that; Do the people of Istanbul want Canal Istanbul? No. And most of them don't want to. Look, you took their breath away. They can't even get the canal into their mouth. They can't even mention the channel name; is it true? You remember that the esteemed candidate, who could not even mention the name Canal Istanbul, told the nation 'we will do it' until yesterday, as if giving such instructions, right? There are images. Not another year. Now, 'What is not on Istanbul's agenda is not on my agenda. "Why do you keep asking me this question?" he scolds the journalist. But do you know how far? As I just explained; until someone gives him instructions. The day he received the instruction, he talked about Canal Istanbul from morning to evening. This will be over bro. I do not and cannot even make my children at home dictate anything. I can't help it, brother. I say it everywhere: This country needs generations with free ideas, free conscience, and free wisdom. It's that clear. We represent it as surrender.”
“WE WILL BURY THAT UNDERSTANDING TO HISTORY”
“Therefore, together we will put an end to the understanding that political careers are based on deception and deception. We will bury that understanding in history. They don't respect the work they do. They do not respect citizens. We have been acting with the motto of respect for people and care for the city since the first day. We never lie or deceive citizens. Nobody can deceive us. We do every job we do, with the smallest details, after a particularly respectful process. Because this nation does not like those who cheat and does not like those who are deceived, brother. He doesn't like either of them. We do our work under the guidance of common sense and science. For this reason, we may have some delays. But we are not after eye-catching temporary solutions, but real and permanent solutions. This brother of yours has never made any concessions on this, and he never will. You can see this in all the details on Ordu Street.”
TO THE AK PARTY ELECTION VEHICLE PASSING THE PROHIBITED ROAD: "MY PEOPLE DO NOT DO EVIL WITH INSTRUCTIONS"
At this point of İmamoğlu's speech, an AK Party election vehicle was seen passing through Ordu Street, where vehicle entry is prohibited, playing loud music. Noticing the vehicle, İmamoğlu said, “He is passing here, but he needs to be fined. It's forbidden there. This is how they see breaking the rules as a gift for themselves. What can i say? Let it be. He is also poor, they said, 'You go away from here and turn on the music without being noticed.' It means that the driver inside him also has a high emotion, are you aware? He turned off the sound. He couldn't stand it. My person, beautiful person. My person is a beautiful person. "My brother does not do evil with instructions," he said. Asking for forgiveness from the tradesmen and citizens who suffered from the work of organizing Ordu Street and its surroundings, and expressing his gratitude to the people, institutions and organizations that contributed to the project, İmamoğlu said, "We are all full speed ahead on the path of justice and brotherhood, on the path of Service."
Inviting CHP Fatih Mayor candidate Mahir Polat to the platform where he spoke, İmamoğlu completed his speech with the following words:
“THE FEELINGS BETWEEN MAHİR POLAT AND US; RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER'S KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM"
“I have known Mahir Bey for about 10 years. I had received his consultancy before when I was the district mayor. Then, as our manager, we became companions. Do you know how our companionship is? Our feeling towards each other with Mr. Mahir is this: Respect for each other's knowledge, respect for each other's mind. Faith in him as he exercises his powers within the limits of his authority. But do you know what is at the core of our belief? He also respects the knowledge of his colleagues. He also trusts their collective wisdom. Do you know what our indispensable rule is? We work with managers who respect the observations of the engineers working here, the experiences of the laborers, and their determination to work, and who believe in them, trust them, listen to their minds, and listen to them. And because we do, good things happen. With this confidence, I trust Mahir Polat. But do you know how they entrust the process in many areas? They send him on his way, saying, 'You will do whatever I say, huh?' Do you know what we say, my dear President Mahir? If you are chosen with God's permission; You will do whatever the laws, rules and the nation say, brother. It's that simple. This is our journey. For him, this is a valuable journey. That's why our biggest prayer is this: Give us this authority, and with God's permission, we will not be ashamed of you, brother. Our prayer to the Creator; 'Oh God, do not embarrass me to the children, babies, children, women, men and youth of this city.' I pray for Mahir Bey with the same feelings and entrust them to you. I entrust you to the Creator. "May Ordu Street be blessed and auspicious."
Following İmamoğlu's speech, Ordu Street was opened to the use of Istanbulites in its renewed form after the ribbon was cut and prayers were said.
In project scope; Bergama granite stone coating was applied to an area of 40 thousand square meters, basalt porphyry claret red stone coating was applied to 1.800 square meters, and 2 thousand 850 square meters of green space was created. Ordu Street gained a brand new look with bicycle parking areas, new urban furniture, street, bush and artifact lighting.