Interior Minister Yerlikaya's message to human smugglers: 'Get smart'

Minister Yerlikaya, speaking at the "Turkey's Peace is Gaziantep's Peace" program held at the Şehitkamil Culture and Congress Center, said that they have been following many developments in Gaziantep, where he served for 4 years.

Explaining that they define the Ministry of Interior, which carries a great responsibility, and its duties with the word "peace," Yerlikaya said, "We set out saying 'Turkey's peace.' I have 600 thousand colleagues in the Ministry of Interior. We are a heroic family of 600 thousand. As the Ministry of Interior family, the rule of law and human rights are our reference points. The duty we perform is the peace of Turkey."

Yerlikaya stated that Turkey is determined to root out terrorism and similar structures, and that they will not stop until the last terrorist is neutralized.

Drawing attention to the important work and operations they are conducting regarding organized crime groups, Yerlikaya noted the following:

"What we call organized crime groups, which our President defines as 'urban bandits,' worship only one thing: money, no matter where it comes from. To those who eye the earnings of my noble nation, disturb its comfort, and cause anxiety, we in the security community say, 'No one can dictate terms to our citizens.' Who are you, and where do you think you get this power from?

There is no will stronger than the state and the nation in civilized societies, nor can there be, nor should there be. We are a state of law; if there is power, it is the supremacy of the law. We work with this stance. I say this: If there is a local, regional, or national crime group in Gaziantep that the citizens know about and that makes them feel uncomfortable or anxious, I tell my Governor, 'You have 4 months to cut off their breath and deliver them to justice.'"

Explaining that they are working intensively on irregular migrants, Yerlikaya recalled a painful incident that took place in Çanakkale some time ago and continued as follows:

"46 foreigners set sail from Eceabat, Çanakkale, with the dream of crossing to a nearby Greek island in a boat. So far, 22 bodies have been recovered, 4 were rescued, and 20 are still missing; we are searching. Now, my first instruction to our Governor İlhami is this: Find me the person who organized putting them on that boat.

They are a nuisance to us. If we cut off the breath of migrant organizers, the migration coming towards us regarding Turkey being a transit country will go to other routes. We are challenging them; our working style is this, it is open and clear. If you are going to engage in human smuggling, know that we will definitely take you to join your arrested friends in 2-3 months. Get smart."