Vice President Yılmaz makes 'Minimum Wage' statement ahead of negotiations

Deliberations on the 2025 Central Government Budget Law Proposal and the 2023 Central Government Final Account Law Proposal, which were accepted by the TBMM Planning and Budget Committee, have begun in the TBMM General Assembly. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz spoke about the budget and developments in the world and the region. At the beginning of his speech, Yılmaz addressed criticisms regarding the Presidential government system, stating, "I would like to express once again that this is a very valuable process in this sense."

Various evaluations have been made regarding the Presidential government system. First of all, I would like to state this. I would like to underline this. There are different management models in democracies. There is not just one management model. There are countries with presidential systems. There are countries with semi-presidential systems. There are democracies governed by parliamentary systems. Each has its own sub-versions.

All of them are democratic management models. You compare them with each other. Different parties may have different views. We certainly respect this as well. However, I would like to underline this. In today's geopolitics, under global and regional conditions, our country's need for stability is at a higher level than ever before.

The Presidential government system performs a very important duty as a model that guarantees political stability. First of all, the foundation of economic stability is political stability. When you compare the last twenty years with the previous twenty years, the progress made is also evident in figures. One of the most fundamental reasons for this is that political stability has been achieved. Therefore, political stability is very important for the economy," he said.

"OUR COUNTRY IS NOT AN ORDINARY COUNTRY"

Expressing that the Republic is everyone's republic, Yılmaz said, "I also want to express this from my own personal life. We can define the republic in many different ways. I want to define the republic a bit as equality of opportunity. One of the most fundamental features of the Republic is that it is open to everyone. It provides equality of opportunity. Whether you are born in the east, west, north, or south, no matter where you are born, no matter what your identity is, it opens certain channels for you and includes you in the political structure. Of course, along with democratic processes. If I, as a brother of yours who was born in Bingöl, then finished high school in Bingöl, studied at university in Ankara, and worked in the bureaucracy for eighteen years, could become Vice President today, this is the success of this republic. That is how I see it. The Republic is the republic of us all. We will protect the Republic to the end. Our country is not an ordinary country, it is not an ordinary state. It is a country and a state with a very deep-rooted history," he said.

"WE MUST STRENGTHEN OUR ECONOMY"

Continuing his speech, Yılmaz recalled a sentence spoken by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk at the İzmir Economic Congress, saying, "Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk makes a very important observation at the İzmir Economic Congress. He says; 'No matter how great military victories may be, they are doomed to remain incomplete unless they are crowned with economic victories.' Therefore, while we are developing the political values of our republic, its participation, and its democratic structure with ever-increasing standards, we must also strengthen the welfare of our people and our economy. In today's world, one of the most important requirements of being an independent country is to have a strong economic structure. Unless you achieve this with your technology, education system, entrepreneurship, and innovation, you cannot become an effective power. We are shaping our policies with the awareness of this. And we are not doing these policies randomly," he said.

Stating that Turkey has managed to move from the high human development group to the very high human development group in 22 years, Yılmaz said, "Humanity is at the center of all our policies. There is a concept called human development. The United Nations also measures this. There is an index called the Human Development Index. Here, too, they divide countries into four groups. Those with low human development, those with medium human development, those with high human development, and those with very high human development. Again, in 22 years, the Republic of Turkey has managed to move from the high human development group to the very high human development group. This is also an important achievement. Our task now is to move our country to higher rankings. We will achieve this too. We will achieve this by growing, by ensuring sustainable development while protecting the environment, and by increasing the strength of our democracy and our institutions. Our vision is clear," he assessed.

"OUR MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE IS INFLATION"

Underlining that the nation's biggest problem is inflation, Yılmaz said, "Today, our most important issue is inflation. Why is it inflation? Because it is the world's problem as well. Because inflation is also our nation's priority. The honorable chairman mentioned the concept of the nation a moment ago. He compared the concept of state and nation. I was truly glad that he thought this way. The tradition we come from is a tradition that advocates for the state and the nation to look in the same direction. It is not a tradition that pits the state and the nation against each other, or brings them face to face. It is a tradition that requires the state and the nation to be positioned in line with the same goals. Therefore, the nation's perspective is essential. The nation's priorities and problems are essential. If our nation's fundamental problem today is inflation, then our most fundamental issue and our most fundamental priority is to reduce inflation and ensure price stability. However, I would also like to remind the honorable chairman of this. When you go back to the past, there was a mentality of 'for the nation, despite the nation.' I think we have all moved away from this mentality now. I see that. It cannot be 'for the nation, despite the nation.' It is 'for the nation, together with the nation.' The transition period, the disinflation period, and the stability period. We are implementing this step by step. We are continuing our fight against inflation with holistic policies," he said.

"MUNICIPALITIES HAVE PRIMARY DUTIES"

Speaking about municipalities, Yılmaz said, "In this 20-year period, we have achieved significant transformations in municipal laws. And we have introduced certain criteria. At the point we have reached today, the share of the budget we transfer to municipalities within our total budget has reached 9.1 percent. In 2002, this share was around four percent. We now have a budget structure that transfers more resources to municipalities than before. There is only one thing we expect from municipalities here. Municipalities have primary duties. We call these the local common services of the municipalities. To use the term in the municipal law; solving and reducing traffic problems, providing clean water, providing clean air, creating social facilities, and creating green spaces. Municipalities really have very important duties. We have no extra expectations from the municipalities," he expressed.

"I BELIEVE AN APPROACH THAT WILL MEET THE DEMANDS WILL BE OBSERVED"

Speaking about the minimum wage, Yılmaz said, "The minimum wage has increased from 114 dollars in 2002 to 524 dollars today. There is a negotiation process right now, a balance will be found here. I believe that an approach that will also meet the demands of our employees will be observed," he assessed.

"SYRIANS WILL RETURN TO THEIR HOMELANDS"

Stating that they do not want to see war in the region, Yılmaz said, "Look at European countries, they conduct the most trade among themselves. We want to see this in our region as well. We do not want to see war. We do not want to see conflict. We want to see peace, tranquility, and prosperity. And as Turkey, we will continue to lead this. In this framework, I believe that we will continue on our path in unity and solidarity as the people of this geography and civilization, without falling into the trap of those who have imperialist ambitions over this region. Turkey will continue to stand by the Syrian people and our Syrian brothers as it has until today. They have experienced very difficult days. Now, with the development of the security, political, institutional, and economic environment there, I believe that they will return to their countries and homelands within a certain process. And then, these brothers of ours who have left will play a much more positive role in terms of ties with Turkey, both in terms of cultural, social, and political ties, as well as economic relations. I believe in this too," he said.

Stating that the relevant institutions are taking measures against terrorism and migration threats, Yılmaz said, "On the other hand, of course, we are taking all kinds of precautions against risks. Our relevant institutions are taking and are continuing to take all kinds of measures against the threats of terrorism and migration that may be directed at our country from Syria. We are also following every development closely. Whether through diplomatic channels or work in the region, we are closely monitoring this process and will continue to do so. I sincerely believe that Syria will come to a very different position for the growth and development of our region, rather than being an element of conflict and instability in the coming period. As a person who has been to Syria many times in the past, as a person who has seen and known the civilization and the past values there very well, I say this. Hopefully, Syria will reach a very different point in the future," he assessed.

News Source: İHA