Farewell to İZKİTAP with Soykan and Ağırel
Hosted by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the 5th İzmir Book Fair – İZKİTAP closed with a talk titled “Where is Türkiye Heading?” by journalists Timur Soykan and Murat Ağırel. Despite the rainy weather, the people of İzmir showed great interest in the event, which was also attended by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay. In their talk, Soykan and Ağırel discussed a wide range of issues, from Türkiye’s current political landscape to the judicial processes faced by journalists.

Organized at Kültürpark by İZFAŞ and TACT Fuarcılık under the auspices of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the 5th İzmir Book Fair (İZKİTAP) concluded with a magnificent program. Over ten days, the fair brought together hundreds of prominent figures of Turkish literature with tens of thousands of residents of İzmir. On the closing day, veteran journalists Timur Soykan and Murat Ağırel met with their readers in a panel titled “Where is Türkiye Heading?” The event, organized by Kırmızı Kedi Publishing at the Kültürpark Open-Air Stage, was attended by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, İZFAŞ General Manager Tuğçe Cumalıoğlu, representatives of NGOs, and a large audience from İzmir.

Soykan: This nation has a tradition
Starting his speech by thanking the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality for bringing them together with the enlightened people of İzmir, journalist Timur Soykan summarized Türkiye’s current political situation. Soykan said: “This nation has a tradition. We are the children of a country founded through an anti-imperialist struggle. Our ancestors are Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms. They fought against imperialism and made these lands our homeland. Not one of them ever said, ‘We are offended, we give up, we are defeated.’”

Ağırel: We are journalists who feel Atatürk’s reforms in every vein
Following Soykan, Murat Ağırel took the floor, saying: “We are journalists who believe in the independence of this country, who made a promise to that blue-eyed giant, and who have felt Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s reforms down to the tiniest veins. They filed dozens of lawsuits against my books, but they didn’t win a single one. Independence is not compromised only when a nation loses its borders’ legitimacy; when you lose justice, you feel the same pain. And when the youth lose their hope and their dreams, you are also compelled to feel that same pain.”

Despite the rain, the audience stayed
During Murat Ağırel’s speech, heavy rain began at the Kültürpark Open-Air Stage. Despite the downpour, the audience wanted Soykan and Ağırel to remain on stage, upon which the two journalists invited everyone onto the stage so they would not be affected by the rain. Ağırel then continued his speech standing on a chair, in close contact with the audience.

After the talk, Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay congratulated Murat Ağırel and Timur Soykan and presented them with flowers. Afterwards, Ağırel and Soykan signed books for their readers.