Erdoğan breaks silence on trustees! 'Those who abuse their office will pay the price'

AKP President Erdoğan answered journalists' questions on the plane upon his return from visits to Kyrgyzstan and Hungary, as he always does.

Erdoğan's statements are as follows:

ERDOĞAN WAS ASKED ABOUT THE TRUSTEE APPOINTMENTS TO MUNICIPALITIES:

Whether there is pressure from Qandil or not is not important. We said something during the election campaign. We said; ‘definitely, the one who deserves it sits in the office, but those who do not deserve it, who abuse their office, will definitely pay the price.' The judiciary, the chief public prosecutors, and the prosecutors are showing great determination in this regard. I congratulate the judiciary for this determination. I believe that with the steps they have taken and the progress they have made during this process, they are also gaining the trust of my people. Because if the judiciary stands firm, the trust of my people in the judiciary will continue to increase. We have always said, and we continue to say, that terrorism and democracy, terrorism and civil politics cannot be carried in the same seat. Being elected does not give anyone the right to walk hand-in-hand, side-by-side with terrorism. A politician's duty is to serve their people, their city, their district; it is not to act as a servant to separatist ringleaders.

We will not turn a blind eye to the nation's resources being handed over to terror barons in Qandil and Europe or to the urban structures of the separatist organization. We are all following the investigations carried out with judicial decisions, evidence, allegations, information, and documents regarding the individuals mentioned. We cannot expect the judiciary to ignore these grave allegations and crimes that have now become public knowledge. The opposition should not attempt to pressure the judiciary for doing its job. Furthermore, threatening prosecutors, targeting legal professionals, and insulting them is pure banditry. We will not bow to these pressures or these insults. We will maintain our political courtesy to the end, but we will not accept a politics of threats.

'NOTHING WILL CHANGE IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM'

Erdoğan was also asked about the latest developments regarding the fight against terrorism.

President Erdoğan announced that Turkey would not compromise on its stance regarding the fight against terrorism:

Nothing will change in our fight against terrorism. We will continue our determination in the same way. This 30-40 kilometer depth issue will continue exactly as it is. As of now, our struggle to enter the depths of Syria and Iraq, to follow the terrorists there, and to eradicate terrorism at its source continues without compromise. Just as we have expressed in words that we will not allow a 'terroristan' to be established beyond our borders, we are also demonstrating this in practice. There is absolutely no question of taking a step back from this struggle or relaxing it; this will not happen. We are aware that the smallest gap that could be left to terrorist elements is a major threat to our national security, and we are continuing our fight against terrorism without leaving any gaps. Turkey will never hesitate to take the necessary measures to protect itself. Every step we take regarding our border security aims to close the transit routes of terrorists, and we are increasing our border security with advanced technology and personnel deployments. We are in a continuous fight against terrorism, and this will only end when the last terrorist is neutralized and this threat to our country is eliminated.

News Source: 12punto