Turkish Medical Association moves this weekend's congress to another venue due to COVID-19 rules

Duvar English

The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) will hold their 72nd Great Congress at a venue that is different than originally planned.

The TTB was planning to hold their congress at CerModern art center in the capital this weekend. However, the venue turned down the TTB's demand on the grounds that it could not meet the safety guidelines designated by the Ankara Governor's Office due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After this, the TTB officials started to look for a new venue and came to an agreement to hold their congress at Bilkent Hotel. The TTB notified its delegates of the new venue's address and told them that the congress will be held on Sept. 26-27.

Meanwhile, some media outlets claimed on Sept. 22 that the TTB had signed a venue contract with CerModern, whose ownership belongs to the Culture Ministry, but this contract was unilaterally terminated by CerModern following Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli's call for the closure of the TTB.

CerModern denied these allegations saying that no such contract exists and that all organizations it planned to host have been cancelled until the beginning of October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There is no contract signed between the Turkish Medical Association and CerModern and also a unilateral termination [of the contract] is out of the question," CerModern said in a written statement shared on its Twitter account.

Bahçeli, known for his bellicose rhetoric, lashed out at the TTB in a stream of tweets on Sept. 16, calling for its closure, accusing it of betrayal, and claiming it was as dangerous as the coronavirus itself.

In the face of Bahçeli's call, several renowned people across Turkey, including members of the TTB, have slammed the MHP leader, throwing their support behind the organization.