President Erdoğan: Only Turkey can save the European Union from the impasse it has entered

Key highlights from President Erdoğan's statements are as follows:

We are patiently continuing our struggle to build a great and powerful Turkey, day and night. We consulted with the President of Germany on many issues, such as the fight against terrorism, irregular migration, the visa problem of our citizens, and matters concerning the Turkish community in Germany. We were drawing attention to far-right movements, such as those that are anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic. Unfortunately, the validity of our concerns has been proven in many recent elections. One of the reasons for this is the failure of European centrist politics to correctly read the spirit of the times. Liberal democracy, which was the allure of the last century, has entered a serious crisis and bottleneck. Liberal democracy has now lost its former strength, reputation, and influence.

"WE ARE FOLLOWING DEVELOPMENTS CLOSELY"

Like life, politics does not accept a vacuum. This is exactly the situation in the West. Far-right demagogues are filling the void in recent elections in Europe. Western institutions and leaders who watched the massacre of more than 61 thousand civilians have failed the humanity test in Gaza. Far-right movements have become the defining factor of politics in Europe today. We attach great importance to the peace and well-being of our citizens who have been living in Europe for 4-5 generations. We are following developments closely to ensure that the reality of the far right does not pose a threat to European Turks and Muslims.

"ONLY TURKEY CAN SAVE THE EU"

We attach importance to the fact that our relations with the EU are regaining their former rhythm. Only Turkey can save the EU from the impasse it has entered in areas ranging from economy to defense, and from politics to international reputation; Turkey's full membership in the union can save it. The sooner the EU faces these realities, the better it will be for them. As always, we are of the opinion of advancing the membership process on the basis of mutual benefit and respect with a constructive understanding. The EU and the countries that guide the union need to stop insisting on being wrong.

"WE WILL CONTINUE TO EMBRACE THE WHOLE WORLD"

As Turkey, we will continue to embrace the whole world with a 360-degree perspective, fixing one leg of the compass in Ankara and the other in the rest of the world. Our visit covering Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan, which are the shining stars of their regions with a total population approaching 650 million, was extremely productive. We further strengthened our commercial, economic, cultural, defense, and human relations. It was impossible not to be moved after witnessing the favor and affection shown to us and our delegation, and the flood of love that spilled into the streets. We received a great welcome from the public. Tens of thousands of people greeted us with red flags in their hands.

SHARED INFORMATION ABOUT TOGG PRODUCTION

As a proud son of this country, I welcomed the compliments emphasizing Turkey's strengthening role in the Islamic world. One of the memorable aspects of our visit was our national electric car, TOGG, which we gifted to the leaders of all three countries. Beyond being a gift, TOGG has become a symbol of the new Turkey. Those who criticized every stage of TOGG, from its initial idea to its production, were uncomfortable with the TOGG vehicles gifted to the leaders.

"SEDAN MODEL WILL ALSO BE RELEASED TO THE MARKET"

Everyone who eats the bread, breathes the air, and drinks the water of this country should be proud of this visit. Nowhere in the world does the opposition feel dissatisfied with photos that create national pride. We have a destructive opposition that never seems to improve. What can we say, this is our test. More than 52 thousand TOGG vehicles are currently on the roads. Hopefully, the sedan model will also be released to the market in the summer months. Significant progress has been made in the work of the electric vehicle production facility and R&D center that the Chinese company will establish in Manisa with an investment of 1 billion dollars.

Considering that more than 17 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide in 2024, the importance of these investments will be seen more clearly. Another Chinese firm is currently doing the same in Samsun. They have completed their preparations, and we will see the foundation of this brand laid in Samsun in a very short time. We will continue to work to make Turkey a hub for high-tech investments.

"WE DISCUSSED THE 2030 INDUSTRY AND STRATEGY AT TODAY'S CABINET MEETING"

The Turkey Century Reform Program, which we announced yesterday, was prepared with great meticulousness. Our reform program will also provide a different horizon for our country in high-tech investments. We will move Turkey to the high league with the reform program we have built on 5 main pillars. We discussed the 2030 industry and strategy at today's cabinet meeting. We evaluated the budgets of 7 billion dollars that will be implemented in the fields of mobility, petrochemistry, defense, and solar energy.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

We completed our party's congress marathon, which began on October 12, yesterday. We carried out an exemplary congress process that brought prestige to Turkish democracy. Hopefully, from now on, we will place more emphasis on foreign admissions and international contacts. We hosted Mr. Zelensky in our country last week. Today, we received Mr. Lavrov. We find these visits important during a period when diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war are intensifying.

We have developed good relations with both countries without falling into the trap that the opposition wants to drag us into. In March 2022, we hosted direct negotiations between the two countries in Istanbul. We implemented the Black Sea Grain Initiative. We ensured that 33 thousand tons of grain reached world markets through the Turkish Straits. Thus, we prevented a global food crisis.

"UKRAINE MUST ALSO BE INVITED TO NEGOTIATIONS"

We welcome in principle the will of the American President, Mr. Trump, to end the war through negotiations. Here, the following fact should not be neglected; the path to a fair and lasting peace can be opened with an equation in which all relevant parties are represented. Except for the Istanbul process, Russia has been excluded from the tables established so far, and the desired result has not been achieved. Ukraine must also be invited to negotiations. I have expressed our fair stance on this issue to Mr. Zelensky, Mr. Macron, and Mr. Lavrov.

Our region has had enough of blood, tears, and conflict. We want this war, which has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and imposed heavy costs on both countries, to end now. As a state that has earned the trust of every country with its balanced attitude, we will do our best for a lasting and fair peace. We will not compromise on the issues of our Gazan brothers and sisters living in peace on their own lands, the security of Lebanon, and the territorial integrity of Syria, and we will stand by our brothers and sisters with all our means.

"WE ARE TAKING ALL NECESSARY MEASURES AGAINST OPPORTUNISTS"

We are in the excitement, hope, and happiness of approaching the month of Ramadan, the month of mercy, forgiveness, and abundance. Next Friday, we will observe the first tarawih prayer and have the first suhoor, starting the month of Ramadan. I congratulate our citizens on the month of Ramadan in advance. I wish a blessed Ramadan to our brothers and sisters abroad and in different corners of the world who have pinned their hopes on our country.

We are taking and will continue to take all necessary measures against those who seek opportunism before Ramadan. Our ministries are making intense efforts to ensure that the greedy do not cast a shadow over our nation's Ramadan joy. We all know very well that Ramadan opportunism is a serious moral and conscience problem rather than an economic issue.

"WE ARE NOT GIVING THEM ROOM TO BREATHE"

These opportunists, who have not learned from our ancient Ahi culture, are doing the greatest harm to our companies that earn money honestly. We will not give room to breathe to this opportunism, which raises prices on fire extinguishers when there is a fire, on iron and cement when there is an earthquake, on water when the weather is dry, and on vegetables and fruit when it snows for a day or two, with the support of our nation. Today, by virtue of its importance, free market does not mean disorder at all. We will continue to take the necessary legal and administrative steps with our ministries, the Capital Markets Board (SPK), the Competition Authority, and the Tax Inspection Board.

News Source: 12punto