Ömer Eşki Hung Arafat’s Keffiyeh on the Podium:
“We Stand with the People of Palestine”

At the opening of the Bornova Municipality’s October Ordinary Council Meeting, Mayor Ömer Eşki hung Yasser Arafat’s keffiyeh on the podium as a message of solidarity with the Palestinian people. During the meeting, it was also decided to name a park in Ergene Neighborhood after Air Force Pilot Lieutenant Mustafa Bilgen, who was martyred in 1981. The 2026 budget discussions will take place on October 14.

The 1st session of Bornova Municipality’s October Ordinary Council Meeting was held at the Nevzat Kavalar Cultural Center Council Hall. At the opening, Mayor Ömer Eşki placed on the podium the keffiyeh of Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the first President of the Palestinian National Authority, as a symbol of support for Palestine.

“A genocide in Gaza that humanity cannot endure”

In his opening remarks, Mayor Eşki called on the world for peace and solidarity:
“For far too long, Gaza has been suffering a genocide of such magnitude that humanity cannot endure, and its intensity continues to grow. The late Yasser Arafat was a great leader. Today, in memory of both those massacred in Palestine and Arafat’s struggle, I am beginning this council session by placing his keffiyeh on the podium. We hope that enlightened people everywhere will come together against oppression.”

A park named after a martyred pilot

One of the important decisions made at the council was to name the existing park at the intersection of 534th and 549th Streets in Ergene Neighborhood after Air Force Pilot Lieutenant Mustafa Bilgen, who was martyred during a training flight in 1981. His name will now live on in Bornova through this unanimous decision.

Budget discussions on October 14

At the second session of the council, Bornova Municipality’s 2026 Performance Program and the 2026–2028 Fiscal Year Income and Expenditure Budget Draft will be discussed. The session will be held on October 14.