"The Main Objective Is to Hand Afrin Over to Its True Owners”

Speaking at the Bursa Provincial Congress of AK Party’s Women Branch, President Erdoğan said: “PKK, PYD, YPG were all supported and some of them were positioned in Afrin. From where? From the south of the 2 000 square km-wide area. We followed these, we waited, we endured and one night, we hit them all of a sudden. However, we have a lot of work and things to do.”

“IT IS THE TURKISH NATION THAT WAS SUBJECTED TO THE BIGGEST GENOCIDE OF THE LAST CENTURY”

Indicating that our ancestors who committed no crimes against humanity such as colonization only rendered the regions over which they ruled prosperous and ensured security and peace, President Erdoğan said: “Some accuse us of a so-called “genocide” but in fact, it is the Turkish nation that was subjected to the biggest genocide of the last century. The number of civilian casualties during our retreat from the Balkans exceeds 2 million and an approximate number of people were lost in the Caucasus,” and added: “The number of people we lost due to the massacres which resulted in the much disputed Armenian relocation is many times higher than the numbers considered as ‘genocide’. As we are a nation which trusts in Allah and buries its sorrow in its heart, as we do not make propaganda concerning this issue, we are left astonished in the face of the opposite claims.”

"WE WAITED, WE ENDURED AND ONE NIGHT, WE HIT THEM ALL OF A SUDDEN”

Underscoring that those who make claims have no courage to stand before us, President Erdoğan said: “What happened in Jarabulus, Al-Rai, al-Bab? We said ‘Look, do not make a mistake, do not attack and harass our borders, if you do so we shall not endure this for long.’ I said this to President Obama as well.” Recalling that they have stated “We might come over one night all of a sudden” for over a fortnight, President Erdoğan made the following remarks: “Unfortunately, some of our allied countries say ‘We did not provide weapons to the terrorist organization’ but we know, observe and display all the records of them providing weapons to the terrorist organization. Who do you think you deceive? All of these are well-known facts. Apart from 5 000 trailer trucks, there are 2 000 aircraft full of weapons and ammunition. The terrorist organization was supported through all these. PKK, PYD, YPG were all supported and some of them were positioned in Afrin. From where? From the south of the 2 000 square km-wide area. We followed these, we waited, we endured and one night, we hit them all of a sudden. However, we have a lot of work and things to do.”

President Erdoğan indicated that necessary steps were taken last night with the air operation which was followed by a still on-going ground operation. Drawing attention to the fact that the population of Afrin consists of 55% Arabs, 35% subsequently positioned Kurds and 6-7% Turkmens, President Erdoğan made the following remarks: “Now, the main objective is to hand Afrin over to its true owners. What is our goal? Do we have 3.5 million Syrian refugees living on our lands? Yes, we do. Our target is to repatriate these Syrian brothers and sisters as soon as possible. There are current steps taken in this direction. We do and will take all the necessary steps against the separatist terror organization with determination. It is not possible to compromise this. We will eliminate all elements of PKK, PYD and YPG from our country. Those who want to advance from Syria will pay a heavy price for it. Rest assured, they will have no courage left to stand before us after these operations. You must know this, you cannot cope with the Turkey and Turkish nation by solely ranting, raving and saying ‘We have the US behind us, they send us weapons.’”

"WE DO NOT HAVE THE LUXURY TO ISOLATE OURSELVES FROM THE INCIDENTS IN THE REGION”

Underscoring that nobody abandoned their ambitions over Turkey, President Erdoğan indicated that attacks targeting the territorial and national integrity go on incessantly. Drawing attention to the fact that it became impossible to disregard the outcry resonating throughout the region, President Erdoğan made the following remarks: “A cheap and nasty newspaper gave an impertinent headline today in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). I invite my brothers and sisters in TRNC to adopt a particular attitude here. It is argued that Turkish army engaged in a new invasion after Cyprus. What kind of impertinence is this? My brothers and sisters in TRNC should adopt a particular stance and give the necessary response to this in TRNC. Even if we look back on the last 25 years, we come face to face with the massacres taking place in Bosnia, Iraq, Palestine and now Syria. We do not know where and what kind of sorrows and oppression await us in the future. Therefore, we do not have the luxury to isolate ourselves from and remain outside the incidents taking place in our region.”

“ALL TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS ARE PAWNS IN A BIGGER GAME”

Underlining that those who ask “What is Turkey doing here?” are oblivious to the reality of this country and nation, President Erdoğan said: “Turkey has to be present there. Turkey has to nip the snake in the bud for the sake of national survival, Mr. Kemal. We shall be present everywhere deemed essential for us and for our brothers and sisters pinning their hope upon us.”

Noting that they are perfectly aware of the fact that terrorist organizations are more than what they seem to be and they appear on the field as pawns of different powers, President Erdoğan said: “FETO does not solely represent the charlatan in Pennsylvania and his army of slaves worshipping him despite all the facts. PKK does not solely represent the herd of murderers nesting in Qandil and Europe. DAESH does not solely represent a non-descript so-called Muslim group with the single purpose of shedding blood. DHKP-C does not solely represent a group playing terrorist by abusing people with certain origins.” President Erdoğan pointed out that in addition to all the bloodshed and oppression, all terrorist organizations are pawns in a bigger game.

“WE WILL CONTINUE TO PREVAIL IN THIS REGION FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS”

President Erdoğan emphasized that we will continue to prevail in this region for thousands of years to come and touched upon the important steps taken concerning the issue of Al-Quds within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation under Turkey’s term presidency. Recalling that only eight countries sided with the US, President Erdoğan said: “Thankfully, 128 countries came together. We will not stop here, we will continue to make efforts because Al-Quds is the first kiblah of Muslims. Christians also have temples there.” Indicating that Turkey’s stance aroused interest not only in the Islamic world but also in the Christian world, President Erdoğan explained that he personally contacted the Pope and they shall visit the Vatican city to pursue a second round of communication. Recalling that the Pope had previously paid a visit to Turkey, President Erdoğan stated that he will be making a return visit.

“TURKEY WILL BECOME ONE OF THE TOP 10 ECONOMIES OF THE WORLD”

Pointing out that in 2013 when Turkey initiated efforts to climb the ladder and become one of the developed countries, Gezi protests broke out, President Erdoğan emphasized that everything happened for a reason. Indicating that when Turkey launched preparations to establish peace in the region by taking initiative in Syria, a whole another climate was created through the serial coup attempts of FETO, trench attacks of PKK and bomb attacks of DAESH, President Erdoğan made the following remarks: “Whenever we made a new move in politics, diplomacy or economy, we were confronted with obstacles created with the support of terrorist organizations. Despite this, we did not give up on our goals, we continued to advance forward step by step. Did we lose time? We did. Our goal was to achieve a national income of 2 trillion dollars by 2023. We have only just achieved 1 trillion dollars. It may be late but it will happen sooner or later. Do not worry. Turkey will become one of the top 10 economies of the world. Moreover, we will eventually obtain results from our initiatives to resolve global injustices. Those who think they can stop or deter us through the methods used against other countries are bound to fail because we are Turkey.”