President Erdoğan announces Eid al-Adha holiday: It will be nine days

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements following the Cabinet Meeting.

Here are the highlights from Erdoğan's statements:

I convey my best wishes to our citizens in various provinces, especially Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, and Adıyaman, who were affected by the storm that occurred yesterday. Our Ministries of Agriculture and Interior are carrying out their work meticulously. At a time when the world and our region are being tossed about in a vortex of conflicts, political and economic turmoil, and social tensions, Turkey is moving towards its goals with firm steps. While every crisis in our region proves the distance Turkey has covered in the last 23 years, it further reinforces our country's position as an island of stability.

"WE ARE ABLE TO KEEP IT AT THE LOWEST LEVEL"

Turkey is drawing attention and making a name for itself as the strongest and most stable country in its region. Today, there is a Turkey that can stand on its own two feet in every field, and even beyond that, supports its friends and brothers in their most difficult times. We are in a period where we are reaping the fruits of the strategies we have patiently implemented for 23 years. We are able to keep the destructive effects of the war, which makes the whole world, especially Europe, think deeply, at the lowest level.

Despite the war in our region, our exports performed strongly in April. It reached 25.4 billion dollars with an annual increase of 22.3 percent. Our exports for the January-April period reached 88 billion 630 million dollars. We broke the record in our republican history by reaching 275.8 billion dollars for the first time. Our exports to 166 countries and regions increased. Our exports rose in all 26 sectors. While the automotive sector maintained its leadership in the sector rankings with 3.9 billion dollars, chemical substances were second, electrical-electronics were third, and ready-to-wear clothing was fourth.

"WE WILL REACH HIGHER FIGURES"

We achieved a significant success by recording a 28 percent increase in this field in the first 4 months of the year. 1018 of our companies achieved the success of selling products abroad for the first time. These export figures are commendable at a time when protectionist tendencies in trade are strengthening, demand is shrinking, and geopolitical risks are escalating. Turkey's potential is far above this. Hopefully, by opening up to new markets and encouraging exports, we will reach higher figures.

We closed the year 2025 with 64 million visitors and 65.2 billion dollars in tourism revenue. Our tourism revenues increased by 4.2 percent compared to the first quarter of the year, reaching 9 billion 896 million dollars. The average nightly expenditure per foreign visitor rose to 119 dollars.

"WE WILL HOST HIGH-LEVEL GUESTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD IN OUR COUNTRY"

This year, we will host summits and events that will increase Turkey's international visibility. The 2026 UEFA Europa League Final will be played in Istanbul on Wednesday, May 20. The NATO summit will be held in Ankara on July 7-8. The 31st UN Climate Change Conference will be held in Antalya in November. The 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States will be organized in Turkey. We will host high-level guests from all over the world in our country.

We see that the statistics are promising not only in exports and tourism but also on the employment side. The unemployment rate decreased by 0.3 points compared to the previous month, falling to 8.1 percent. Our number of employed people increased by 22 thousand in the same period to 32 million 425 thousand, and the employment rate improved by 0.3 points to 48.5 percent. Our labor force reached 35 million 298 thousand people in March. Thus, our unemployment rate has maintained its single-digit course for the 35th month. We are also carefully following the rise in the idle labor force rate. Despite this positive picture in exports, employment, and tourism, unfortunately, inflation is one of the areas where we feel the effects of the war the most.

"WE ARE DETERMINED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FIRM STEPS ON THE PATH WE KNOW IS RIGHT"

Today, April inflation was announced as 4.18 percent. Fuel prices are creating heavy pressure on us, just as they are in the world. There is not the slightest decline in our will. We are determined to move forward with firm steps on the path we know is right, without listening to the prophets of doom.

Recently, we have been witnessing destructive debates about Turkey's position in Europe, again triggered by European actors. I find it useful to remind you of some basic facts regarding our country's EU journey. Turkey made its partnership application to the EU, then known as the European Economic Community, on July 31, 1959.

In 1963, the Ankara Agreement, which forms the legal basis for relations between Turkey and the EU, was signed. The partnership agreement covered 3 separate phases, prepared as a continuation of each other: the preparatory, transitional, and final periods. With the entry into force of the Ankara Agreement in 1964, the preparatory period began. On November 13, 1970, we signed the Additional Protocol and took the first step into the transition period. In the following process, disputes stemming from our Cyprus cause caused our path to be blocked in our EU journey.

EID AL-ADHA HOLIDAY IS 9 DAYS

Making a statement after the Cabinet meeting, President Erdoğan said, "This year, we will observe Eid al-Adha from May 27 to 30. By including 1.5 days before the holiday in the administrative leave scope, we are granting a 9-day holiday."

This year, Eid al-Adha will begin on Wednesday, May 27, and end on Saturday, May 30. The eve of the holiday is Tuesday, May 26.