President Erdoğan announces 'increase in credit limits for tradespeople': 'We are including vehicles aged 0-5'

Erdoğan made statements at the Turkey Tradespeople and Artisans Iftar program.

Here are the highlights from President Erdoğan's statements:

I send my greetings and love to all of our more than 2,250,000 tradespeople and artisans across the four corners of our country. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the organization of this beautiful program, especially our Ministry of Trade, where we unite our hearts. Being a tradesperson and artisan requires, above all, labor and abundance.

BEING A TRADESPERSON AND ARTISAN MEANS PRIORITIZING SOLIDARITY

Being a tradesperson and artisan means observing the rights of others while pouring sweat, and preserving order and tradition. It means prioritizing solidarity, respect, and altruism. Our ancestors, who made these lands, where we have existed for a thousand years, flourish with their sweat and labor, and who made Anatolia a homeland for us, laid the strongest foundations of our civilization with the Ahi organization. They made tradespeople and artisans starting their profession take the Ahi oath, which should still serve as a guide for our business people today.

WE ARE PROUD OF ALL OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS

With this oath, our tradespeople and artisans would pledge upon their honor, dignity, and of course, sacred values, that they would work with an understanding that considers work as worship, that they would serve the public while observing the pleasure of God, that they would remain committed to the principles of generosity, truthfulness, honesty, tolerance, trust, love, patience, friendship, sacrifice, justice, contentment, and the law of neighborliness, that they would control their hands, waists, tongues, and eyes, that they would not deviate from accuracy in measurement and weighing, that they would not treat anyone unfairly by observing the rights of others, and that they would earn their living lawfully and not consume forbidden food. Yes, we are also proud of all our tradespeople brothers and sisters who trade with these moral values, which describe the essence of the Ahi tradition, and who see earning their living lawfully as the greatest legacy they will leave to their children.

We are increasing the treasury-subsidized credit limit for tradespeople and artisans by 50 percent, from 750 thousand liras to 1 million liras. We are raising the credit limit for tradespeople for acquiring workplaces and commercial vehicles from 1.5 million liras to 2.5 million liras. In the commercial vehicle acquisition loan, in addition to new vehicles, we are also including vehicles aged 0-5 for the loan.