Ömer Çelik speaks after cabinet meeting: Claims of a rift in the People's Alliance

The AKP Central Executive Board (MYK), chaired by President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has concluded. Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik spoke after the meeting.

Here are the highlights from Ömer Çelik's speech:

Our Head of Financial Affairs gave a presentation today. We listened to the presentation regarding how the budget for our activities will be handled.

There is a beautiful handover process taking place in a spirit of brotherhood. We are pleased with the dynamism of our district congresses and the emphasis placed by our colleagues who are taking over and those who are handing over their duties that this is a relay race. Our organizations are the apple of our eye.

With the President's calls for an internal front, the goal is to convey this message starting from the districts.

'CLAIMS OF A RIFT ARE NOT TRUE'

The opposition has been making intense statements about a rift within the People's Alliance. These statements have no place on our agenda. We are closely observing and following the conflicts among groups within the opposition. We are carrying out the Century of Turkey efforts by resolutely walking with the principles that form the People's Alliance. We are an alliance that does not just operate at a general level, but one that brings citizens together in districts, towns, and villages.

It is the 41st anniversary of the founding of the TRNC. Let us say 'mashallah' 41 times. Through these struggles, the TRNC is a sovereign state and the apple of our nation's eye. It continues on its path after overcoming many hardships. Despite all these traps, the TRNC continues its existence in the region. We have always stood by it and will continue to do so.

OUR FIRST AGENDA WAS GAZA

Our first agenda item in all our meetings is Gaza. Our sensitivity regarding the West Bank is high. Their talk of annexation is a declaration that they want to commit even greater genocides. Attacks on Lebanon continue. Threats against Syria and Iran continue. We are facing a network that attacks all of international law; we are facing a crazed, bloodthirsty massacre network. We are facing a network that threatens all religions and all people. Gaza is all of humanity. It is impossible to defend all of these without defending Gaza. Concrete steps must be taken. Fulfilling our call to stop the supply of weapons will prevent these massacres.

BRICS MEETING

There were speculations from the opposition following the BRICS meeting. The opposition has an approach that 'Turkey is changing direction.' They are acting with a cut-and-paste method. They had said that Turkey is experiencing an axis shift. Whenever you do not comply with the policies directed at the countries around us, there has been an externally focused campaign claiming that Turkey's axis is shifting.

When the Arab Spring was in question, when Turkey said, 'A wave called the Arab Spring is coming, one must see the historical depth. It needs to be managed with soft transitions,' they had said that an axis shift was occurring. Whenever we implemented these independent policies, they would put the 'axis shift' argument in front of Turkey. It was one of their fabricated concepts. Turkey is pursuing a policy that desires to be present on all global platforms by looking at its own history. Our President is showing that Turkey has things to say on the main pillars of the global system.