Minister Goktas returned to the cash register at the family shop in Brussels after 24 years

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş was welcomed by the intense interest of the citizens in the Turkish neighborhood she visited in Brussels, where she worked at a family market during her high school and university years, she returned to the cash register after 24 years.

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, who came to the capital Brussels to participate in events organized within the framework of the ’60th Anniversary of Turkish Migration to Belgium’, visited the neighborhood in Schaerbeek district where the Turkish population resides intensively. Göktaş, who visited Turkish-owned businesses, was met with the intense interest of the citizens. Minister Göktaş also visited her family’s market and got back to the cash register there. Speaking to journalists at the cash register, Göktaş stated that her family took over this market when she was in high school, saying, ‘It was in 1998, my mother was pregnant with my sibling. On weekends, I used to work here to support my family.’ She expressed that returning to the cash register after 24 years touched her emotionally and took her back to the past, stating, ‘By chatting with the citizens, meeting them, and listening to them, I somehow learned politics here. I continued to work here on Saturdays and Sundays until I graduated from university. This place is very valuable for me, coming here was an important step for me.’

‘As your daughter, sister, my heart will always be with you’
Meeting with the citizens in the local of the Fatih Mosque in the neighborhood, Göktaş expressed her satisfaction of being in the city where she was born and raised. Emphasizing that the emotional bond with the Turkish community in Brussels always continues, Göktaş said, ‘I want to thank you for the support you have given us so far. As your daughter, sister, my heart will always be with you.’ Recalling the strong support given to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from Belgium in the Presidential elections on May 28, Göktaş mentioned that President Erdoğan also sent his regards. Brussels Ambassador Bekir Uysal and Consul General Umut Deniz accompanied Minister Göktaş.