Erdoğan's request to the people of Rize: This is the ancestral home, so a much different voice must come from here

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in his hometown of Rize following the AKP's Ordinary Provincial Congresses in Samsun and Ordu. After landing at Rize-Artvin Airport, Erdoğan traveled by helicopter to his ancestral home in the Güneysu district, where he was greeted with great interest by his fellow citizens. 

Meeting with his fellow citizens in the district center, AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan said in his speech, "Ladies and gentlemen. First of all, we held our congresses in Samsun and then Ordu today as part of a series of congresses. Tomorrow, God willing, we will hold the Rize and then the Trabzon congress before returning to Istanbul. Of course, this is our ancestral home, and as always, I would like to express my deepest gratitude on behalf of myself and my delegation for the favor and interest you have shown. 

May the Lord make our unity and solidarity permanent. Of course, on this occasion, my neighbor Mehmet brother has passed away. I am going to pay a condolence visit to him now, and there is a funeral ceremony here tomorrow as you know. I will attend that and then move on to our Rize congress. May he rest in peace. May the Lord be our helper, God willing. I believe that you, my dear brothers and sisters, will always maintain this unity and solidarity, and by going from house to house and door to door, you will carry the power of the AK Party to much different places here. 

I am not saying this just for the sake of talking. This is the ancestral home, so a much different voice must come from here. I believe in you on this matter. I trust you. That is why we will be one, we will be alive, we will be brothers, and together, God willing, we will be Güneysu, we will be Rize, and we will be Turkey. With your permission, I would like to stop by the house of condolences. Without keeping you waiting any longer, I hope we will be together at the mosque for the funeral ceremony tomorrow. I entrust you to God. I wish you a good evening. May the Lord be your helper," he said.

Following his speech here, President Erdoğan went to his residence in the Merkez neighborhood to rest, and after the AK Party Rize Ordinary Provincial Congress tomorrow, he will move on to Trabzon to attend his party's provincial congress there as well.