Burcu Köksal is officially in the AKP: Here are Köksal's first words

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements at his party's Extended Provincial Heads Meeting at the Congress Center. Highlights from President Erdoğan's speech are as follows:

"We intend to evaluate the 25th anniversary of our founding in a way that befits its importance, meaning, and exceptional position in our history. While remembering our 25 years spent with a policy of service and works, we will, on the other hand, present the vision for the second quarter-century in which we will achieve even greater successes. We will accomplish this together with you. We will identify our shortcomings and mistakes and perform our self-criticism courageously without falling into any complexes.

"WE WILL FOCUS ON OUR WORK"

We will not give those who have no business with service, plans, projects, horizons, or vision the opportunity to occupy us with their own shallow agendas. We will focus on our work. We will look ahead, and guided by the accumulation of 25 years, we will focus on determining the roadmap for what kind of Turkey we want to see in the next 25 years. I expect each of you to approach our 25th-anniversary events, which we will celebrate with great pride, with this understanding. As the AK Party, we are a political movement whose sole goal, purpose, and objective is to serve the nation and the country, and to produce service. When we founded our party 25 years ago, we emphasized that we would put an end to the politics of tension, bring a new breath to politics, and change the bed of the river in which politics flows, and we declared that we would bring together all the colors of our nation within our party.

"WE WILL SOON PIN THE NEW BADGES OF OUR FRIENDS WHO HAVE NEWLY JOINED THE AK PARTY FAMILY"

Whatever their lifestyle, origin, disposition, or sect, we have opened our doors wide to everyone who thinks Turkey-centered and adopts this in terms of our principles. Today, we continue to practice politics on the same line. If we embrace all 7 geographical regions of Anatolia and Thrace, and all 81 of our provinces without discrimination, we invite those who sincerely want to serve their country, nation, and city to the ranks of our party with the same sincere feelings. We will soon pin the new badges of our friends who have newly joined the AK Party family.

BURCU KÖKSAL JOINS THE AK PARTY

I say welcome to our Afyonkarahisar and Dinar Mayors and our municipal council members. The dirty politics of the CHP administration, which has completely lost its balance, cannot keep us from our path. No one should take offense, but a person's political style is their mirror. Those who commit character assassination are the very people who are bankrupt in character. I apologize for the language, but the capacity gap in politics cannot be closed by attacking this person or that with tavern jargon and insults.

"THE CHP ADMINISTRATION IS TRYING TO COMPENSATE FOR A MISTAKE WITH A BIGGER MISTAKE"

The CHP administration should stop mocking the intelligence of the citizens and should abandon the cunning of blaming others as soon as possible. Making mistakes is, of course, human, but insisting on mistakes is not the trait of a wise person. The CHP administration is trying to compensate for a mistake with a bigger mistake. This is an extremely stale strategy. It is a cheap policy and its shelf life has long since expired. The CHP administration should devote the energy it spends on producing excuses, slander, and discord to facing its own mistakes, and if they have the courage, if they have the heart, they should make an effort to correct them.

"WE WILL WORK TOGETHER FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFYONKARAHISAR"

I call on everyone once again to observe the level, courtesy, and sportsmanship in politics. Whatever they do, we will join hands with our new friends and work together in full solidarity for the development of Afyonkarahisar. We are a cadre that does not find honor in positions, titles, or seats; on the contrary, we see honor in serving the nation.

In our style of politics, there is no distinction between old and new. In our understanding, there is no arrogance. There is no boasting, looking down on the nation, or disrespect towards the nation. There is a race of service and works. There is a competition to win the hearts of the nation. We are all soldiers of the cause of serving the nation. We will run without stopping or resting until we build the Century of Turkey.

Our citizens living abroad are also getting their share of the opposition's problematic approach, which falls apart wherever you hold it. Opposition actors, including their chairmen, unfortunately continue to exclude our more than 7 million brothers and sisters who have turned the diaspora into a homeland, and treat them as second-class citizens. They did everything they could to our patriotic brothers and sisters whose hearts burn with longing for their homeland, just because they praised Turkey. One foul-mouthed person even went so far as to use the term 'zırzop' (fool). They did not show the virtue of apologizing. They talked about political ethics as if nothing had happened. They are trying to turn every opportunity they get into a lynching campaign against our brothers and sisters living in Europe.

"THERE WAS NO DISCOURTESY THEY DID NOT COMMIT"

There was no discourtesy they did not commit just because our Minister of Family and Social Services visited our tradesmen living there during her visit to Belgium. Why was she visiting our tradesmen abroad? Why don't we visit tradesmen in Turkey but do so in Europe? A person should have a conscience and a sense of justice. They should have enough political intelligence to follow their rivals. Let's say they don't have these; at the very least, a person should have national consciousness. Where should we fix this? First of all, as the AK Party and the People's Alliance, we are the cadre with the strongest connections to business circles, from merchants to industrialists, who meet with tradesmen most frequently.

Our mayors, provincial and district heads knock on the doors of tradesmen at every opportunity and ask how they are doing. Our Cabinet and economic management meet and consult with various segments of society, especially the business world. What is the difference between our more than 7 million brothers and sisters living abroad and the 86 million living in our country? For God's sake, what is the difference between our tradesmen in our 81 provinces and our people who earn their living honestly in different parts of the world?

How can we see these brothers and sisters, who have worked in very difficult conditions, have been humiliated at times, and have finally made the 'bitter homeland' a second home with their labor, sweat, and strength, and who have become symbols of good morals and honesty abroad, as separate from us? Let everyone know and accept this: just as our brothers and sisters on Çıkrıkçılar Hill in Ankara are our people, our citizens in Berlin and Brussels are also pieces of our soul."

BURCU KÖKSAL SPOKE

Speaking after the badge-pinning ceremony, Köksal said:

'Under the leadership of our President, I will serve my hometown in the ranks of the Justice and Development Party to realize many projects we promised our fellow citizens, especially urban transformation, and to rebuild our Afyonkarahisar.

I will walk the same path with those who believe in the sanctity of the family and those who respect the values of society. May it be auspicious for our Afyonkarahisar, our country, our nation, and all our fellow citizens.'

News Source: 12punto