Erdoğan: 'There is a place for our Syrian brothers and sisters who wish to stay'

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, regarding the Syrians whose return to their country is being debated following the developments in Syria, said, "This nation is the Ansar (helpers), and they are the Muhajir (migrants). We will never expel the migrants from this country. We will always look after them." Stating, "And now what happened? We see with regret that they are returning to where they came from, with sacks and suitcases," Erdoğan added, "There is a place for our Syrian brothers and sisters who wish to stay here."

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended his party's 8th Ordinary Provincial Congress in Sakarya. Here are the highlights from Erdoğan's speech:

"Weren't these the ones who said, 'If we come to power, we will send all the migrants back to where they came from'? What were we saying? This nation is the Ansar, and they are the Muhajir. We will never expel the migrants from this country. We will always look after them. Thank God, did what we said happen? It did. And now what happened? We see with regret that they are returning to where they came from, with sacks and suitcases.

Some people are talking nonsense. What are they saying? 'What is Turkey doing in Syria?' We see those who do not know their own history and are devoid of our cultural and civilizational values enough to ask this. Some ask this question out of ignorance, others out of ideological fanaticism. Now, have you seen why we are in Syria? What happened now? Where is the one at the head of Syria? Critical developments are taking place right next to Turkey. They are not following what is happening. If World War III were to break out, the CHP wouldn't care. They don't lift their heads from internal party conflicts to read history. If the results of World War I had been different, the cities of Raqqa, Aleppo, Idlib, and Damascus would have been our cities, just like Antep and Urfa."

ATTACKED ÖZGÜR ÖZEL

The internal conflicts that began in Syria in 2011 moved the climate of brotherhood to another dimension. While fulfilling the requirements of our law of brotherhood, we had to withstand many pressures, accusations, provocations, and incitements from both inside and outside. We never took a step back. We did this not by complaining, but with the consciousness of being Ansar to the Muhajir. In the end, who was proven right? Thank God, we were proven right. As the 61-year-old Baath regime collapsed, Assad had to pack his bags and flee overnight. Our guests who have homes, businesses, and relatives in Syria have also slowly started their journey back. Hopefully, we will do what is necessary to clear the other parts of Syria from terrorist organizations. There is a place for our brothers and sisters who wish to stay here.

The best answer to those who look at the revolution in Syria with a skewed perspective and glorify the Assad era is the underground prisons in Damascus. How did Assad persecute these people? Those who weighed 60-70 kilograms when entering those prisons dropped to 30 kilograms when they left. The answer to why the Syrians in our country could not return to their homeland for years is also those prisons. The CHP Chairman gave credence to the amnesty declaration that even Assad himself did not believe in, and advertised it. He was going to go there, he was going to visit Assad... Mr. Özgür, what happened, you should have carried out that visit."

News Source: 12punto