President Erdoğan announces figure for teacher appointments: 25 thousand new teachers

Here are the highlights from President Erdoğan's statements:

We have just concluded the 38th meeting of the second term of our Cabinet. We comprehensively evaluated the issues on our agenda across a very wide spectrum, from the economy to agriculture, and from foreign policy to security-related matters. First and foremost, I hope that the decisions we have taken and the consultations we have held will be auspicious for our country, our nation, and all of humanity. As a Cabinet, we continue our struggle to serve our country with determination, with an intense agenda both at home and abroad. We defend the rights and laws of our nation in the strongest possible way, without bowing down, without bending, and without ever taking a step back in the face of bullying.

ANTALYA DIPLOMACY FORUM

The 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, held between April 11-13, provided a new opportunity for us to see the power of Turkish foreign policy. A total of over 6,000 participants from 155 countries, including 21 heads of state and government, attended the forum, which was organized under the theme of "Elevating Diplomacy in a Fragmented World." In the 50 sessions held during the forum, many topics were addressed by competent figures, from the transformative power of education to the climate crisis, and from the rising wave of protectionism to multipolarity. The sessions on Gaza and Syria are extremely important in terms of demonstrating our country's conscientious stance against oppression.

WE HELD 15 BILATERAL MEETINGS

In our opening address, we also set forth Turkey's clear stance on regional issues, especially Syria and Gaza. We underlined once again that humanity is greater than five. We declared to the whole world that we stand with the Palestinian people. We reaffirmed that we will not hesitate to protect our interests in Syria. We expressed that we are ready to improve our relations with the European Union. We emphasized that we will continue to do our best to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible. In addition, we held 15 bilateral meetings within the scope of the Forum, and thus, thank God, we successfully executed another international event attended by over 6,000 participants from 155 countries of the world. I once again heartily congratulate our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all the institutions that supported the Forum for giving us this pride as a result of months of meticulous preparation and effort.

THE OPPOSITION IS BEGGING THE WEST

Using the advantages provided by the Presidential Government System, we are now making intense efforts to ensure that the change in the region proceeds in a positive direction with the same goal. We are struggling to turn our foreign policy goals into reality with patience, composure, and strategic intelligence. While the opposition begs the West and Western media outlets to cover up corruption investigations, we are trying to increase Turkey's reputation on a global scale.

THEY ARE INCAPABLE OF EVEN SEEING WHAT IS RIGHT UNDER THEIR NOSES

It is impossible for the main opposition, which cannot save itself from the disease of mandate-seeking, to understand our horizon, our vision, our upright stance without being arrogant, and where we have brought Turkey in 23 years. Let alone reading the world, they are incapable of even seeing what is right under their noses. They do not possess the equipment, knowledge, or understanding to grasp what a great change has taken place in our country in the last 23 years.

TURKEY WILL DEFINITELY TAKE ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE THIS TIME

They are mentally captivated, as if with a character that is embarrassed and defeated in the face of the West. Even if the opposition does not see it, everyone sees and accepts this fact. Turkey is making its weight felt more as a pole leader in a multipolar world. In the reshaped global system, Turkey will hopefully take its rightful place this time.

NO ONE SHOULD MAKE A MISTAKE IN THEIR CALCULATIONS

Turkey is on the side of tranquility in any case. Turkey is a country, a state, where every neighbor, every friend, and every brother feels secure. But at the same time, Turkey is not a country whose borders can be pushed or whose friendship or hostility can be tested. We would give our heads if necessary for the sake of our independence and future, but we never bow our heads to the oppressor. No one should make a mistake in their calculations, and they should never perceive our calm stance in the face of provocations as a weakness.

THEY WILL FIND US ALONGSIDE THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT

Especially regarding Syria, some actors should know the value of Turkey's friendship instead of testing the endurance of its patience, adjust their rhetoric and policies accordingly, and act like a state, not an organization. I say it clearly: whoever prevents Syria from achieving lasting peace and stability will find us alongside the Syrian government against them.

THE POSSIBILITY OF A RETURN HAS BEEN ELIMINATED

Just as we did not allow the fragmentation of Syria through a terror corridor, we will not allow the division of this country through other corridors either. I repeat, the possibility of a return to the state before December 8 in Syria has been eliminated. With the revolution of December 8, a new era has begun in this country. As Syria recovers and achieves stability and peace, the winner of this will be our entire region and all the peoples in the region. Turkey will do its best for this new process to succeed.

THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY HAS CLOSELY FOLLOWED THE PROCESS SINCE THE FIRST DAY

We are increasingly exposed to the negative effects of climate change. As humanity, we are in a period where we are facing the bill for recklessly using nature, air, water, and soil, which we inherited from those before us and which are entrusted to us by our children. Climate change manifests itself through meteorological events, sometimes drought and sometimes hail and agricultural frost. Agricultural production, which depends on weather conditions, is also among the areas most affected by climate change. Due to sudden drops in air temperatures, we encountered frost, snowfall, and hail events in certain regions of our country. I wish all our producers and farmers a speedy recovery. Our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has closely followed the process since the first day. They made a lot of noise about everything from our food supply security being in danger to us becoming dependent on foreign countries. Our Ministry of Agriculture revealed the first picture we are facing with the statement it made yesterday. There is no risk that will negatively affect the domestic food supply for strategically important agricultural products, especially cereals, legumes, and seeds. There is a problem with some fruit varieties in certain regions. Our initial findings indicate that damage has occurred to varying degrees in fruit groups such as apricots, apples, peaches, and nectarines.

NECESSARY STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN FOR THE CONTINUITY OF PRODUCTION

Our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is taking the necessary steps to ensure the continuity of production and supply security. This event has reminded us once again of the importance of TARSİM. It is of great importance to take out agricultural insurance, for which 70% of the premium is paid by our state, and to be registered in the Farmer Registration System to avoid being affected by situations such as floods and droughts. In today's cabinet meeting, we evaluated in detail what we can do to compensate for the losses of our producers. Our Ministry of Agriculture has started its work to cover the expenses incurred by our farmers who are registered in the Farmer Registration System and do not have agricultural frost insurance for the production of their damaged crops, according to the damage rate. We have given the necessary instructions for our Minister of Agriculture to carry out the matter in close consultation with our farmers. We, personally, will also follow these efforts with great sensitivity.

A TOTAL OF 25 MILLION 715 THOUSAND VEHICLES PASSED THROUGH HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES

We have left another holiday behind. We kept our traffic safety at the highest level between March 28 and April 6 so that we would not lose even a single life in a traffic accident. I thank each of these brothers and sisters of mine who spent their holidays on duty to prevent traffic accidents and loss of life. We increased the number of our inspections by 30 percent compared to last year. Thanks to the measures, there was a 4.6% decrease in fatal and injury traffic accidents this year, but unfortunately, we could not prevent 74 of our citizens from losing their lives. I have to state this grave fact clearly: the biggest cause of these accidents that plunge us all into grief is excessive speed. A total of 25 million 715 thousand vehicles passed through our highways and bridges during the holiday. We are now talking about vehicle numbers expressed in millions and passenger figures approaching 100 millions on the roads. This traffic mobility on our roads and these increases in passenger numbers are undoubtedly directly related to our equipping our country from end to end with a high-standard road network, regardless of east, west, north, or south.

I would like to share the good news of the 25 thousand appointments.