Turkish President and Justice and Development (AK) Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at a meeting of the party’s provincial heads at AK Party Headquarters in Ankara.

Addressing AK Party’s provincial heads Erdoğan said: “As Türkiye we by no means approve of the Aegean and the Mediterranean being soiled with human blood, tears or hostilities. We wholeheartedly want peace and tranquility. We want stability and security in our region as well as in our homeland. We want to settle our disputes through dialogue on the basis of international law and in accordance with justice.”

Drawing attention to the ongoing conflicts and turmoils in the Mediterranean, Erdoğan said: “We are deeply saddened that the Mediterranean, which has throughout history been a cradle of civilizations, is today known for tensions, energy competition and most recently for the death of refugees. Thousands of oppressed people, most of whom are women and children, have given their last breath in the raging water of the Mediterranean while fleeing the war and massacres in Syria. Instead of preventing these deaths, Western countries have chosen to play ostrich for the past 11 years. None of the steps, which would avert regional crises, end conflicts and eliminate the reasons that have forced people to migrate, has been taken. What is more, the doors, which are closed to refugees, are wide open to FETO-member villains and PKK terrorists that have massacred our people. The murderers, who have shed the blood of our citizens, are protected in almost every country in Europe, at Lavrion Camp in Greece in particular. They roam freely there. Members of terrorist organizations, whose terrorist hotbeds in Syria and Northern Iraq are crushed, are blatantly building new camps for themselves in some countries. Those who lecture us on neighborhood should not turn a blind eye to this in the first place.”

“We wholeheartedly want peace and tranquility”

Underscoring that Türkiye expected all the countries, especially its neighbors, to take necessary measures against terrorist organizations without any distinction, Erdoğan said: “As Türkiye we by no means approve of the Aegean and the Mediterranean being soiled with human blood, tears or hostilities. We wholeheartedly want peace and tranquility. We want stability and security in our region as well as in our homeland. We want to settle our disputes through dialogue on the basis of international law and in accordance with justice. We have always argued that we neither violate anyone’s rights, nor let anyone violate our own. We by no means hesitate to defend till the end our nation’s and our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters’ interests in the Blue Homeland.”

“The whole world is grappling with very serious crises”

Stating that the region that encompassed Türkiye as well were going through troubled times, Erdoğan went on to say: “Not only our region, but the whole world is grappling with very serious crises, from terror, conflicts, food and drought to increasing animosity towards Islam and foreigners and to the climate change. Wherever we look at, wherever we turn our face to, we come across with a ring of fire. While the health dimension of the pandemic has been left behind, its destruction in the global economy is coming to light each passing day. Although the economic balance sheet of the pandemic has yet to be seen, everything has become intertwined with the Russia-Ukraine war. In fact, many countries, from America to Europe, are fighting against the highest inflation rates of the last 4-5 decades. All living in those countries know well the huge difference between the announced figures and the real inflation rates.”

Further stressing that the repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine war had started to be felt in various areas, from food to energy, Erdoğan noted: “Türkiye is the only country that sincerely works and endeavors to bring an end to the war and that makes every effort to that end. Both bringing the warring countries together around the negotiation table and the opening of the grain corridor and the diplomatic success we have achieved in the exchange of prisoners of war are the most concrete examples of these efforts.” (ILKHA)