President Erdoğan's message for a terror-free Turkey: The expected result will be achieved rapidly

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements at an Iftar Program with Members of Parliament.

Key highlights from President Erdoğan's statements are as follows:

"I also remember with mercy the deputies who served here and represented the nation with dignity, but have since passed away. I congratulate you on the month of Ramadan, which we are almost halfway through. I pray to Almighty God that the month of Ramadan, whose beginning is mercy, middle is forgiveness, and end is salvation from the torment of hell, will bring goodness to our nation, all Muslims, and all of humanity.

Right at the beginning of my words, I would like to express that I have always felt honored and happy to be in our Grand National Assembly of Turkey, where I served as a deputy for 11.5 years between March 2003 and August 2014. I would also like to thank our Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for being the reason for this beautiful iftar program where we have brought our hearts together.

WE ARE THE SERVANTS OF OUR NOBLE NATION

I believe that our iftar is also one of the symbols of the unity, togetherness, brotherhood, and shared destiny of our 85 million people. As we always say, politics is, in its essence, a race to serve the country and the nation. The path of service to the nation is a long and arduous one. Regardless of whether we are in government or opposition, we are all servants of our noble nation, whose trust we carry and whose will we represent. The better we can do this, the more we will be worthy of our nation's prayers.

IF WE MAKE A MISTAKE, WE CANNOT ACCOUNT FOR IT

But if we have any shortcomings, mistakes, or negligence here, we cannot account for them either in this world or in the eternal realm. Therefore, it is of great importance that each of us acts with the awareness of our responsibilities to the nation and carries the authority we have received from our nation in the best possible way without casting a shadow over it. My dear friends, look, I would also like to express this point here. In democracies, just as the government and the ruling party are of vital importance, the position of the opposition is equally indispensable.

WE MET IT WITH DETERMINED STEPS

The opposition is, in a sense, a complementary element of the executive with its constructive criticisms, sometimes harsh but constructive warnings, and actionable solution proposals. We have acted with such an understanding in every period of our political life. We have never turned a deaf ear to the positive contributions of the deputies sitting on the opposition benches. We have evaluated the criticisms as long as there was a share of justification. In legislative activities, we have strived to do what is better, more beautiful, and most beneficial for our country and our nation. We have met the expectations of our nation from the political institution with a multi-dimensional perspective and with determined and courageous steps towards every problem area.

WE WANT TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY

We maintain the same attitude today. We show sensitivity to meeting on a common ground without getting too caught up in political debates that usually run high in our country. We want to come together more, reach a consensus, and serve our country hand in hand, especially on issues regarding foreign policy, security, the economy, and the expansion of the democratic space of politics.

OUR GOAL HAS BEEN EXTREMELY CLEAR SINCE THE FIRST DAY

We have made significant progress in a short time in our efforts towards the goal of a terror-free Turkey, with the contributions of our political parties in Parliament. As of February 27, a critical threshold in the terror-free Turkey initiative has been overcome smoothly. I believe that without dragging this out too long, without giving way to discord, tension, or any provocation, and without resorting to tricks like making things difficult, the expected result will be achieved rapidly, God willing. Our goal has been extremely clear since the first day. We aim to get rid of, permanently and definitively, a scourge that has been a shackle on Turkey's feet for 40 years and has led to the loss of lives of tens of thousands of our people, including soldiers, police, gendarmes, public officials, and civilians. We say let terrorism end, let the pain cease, let our brotherhood strengthen, and let no more blood and tears flow in this country. We want to leave our children a country and a region where there is no terrorism.

LET US ONCE AGAIN FRUSTRATE THE ENEMIES OF TURKEY

However, we also know very well that there are those who are worried about such a possibility becoming stronger every day, and those who do not want the 40-year-old terror scourge to be rooted out or for civil politics to gain ground. We are also in an intense struggle with these dirty hands and the dirty circles that profit from terrorism. God willing, we believe that this time we will reach our intended destination without any accidents or trouble. I wholeheartedly believe that all our deputies serving under the roof of Parliament will show the same sensitivity. From here, I would like to make this call to all political parties and deputies with sincerity: Let us join hands. Let us all together remove the dagger plunged into the thousand-year-old brotherhood of our nation. Let us once again frustrate the enemies of Turkey. Let us once again leave imperialist ambitions unfulfilled. Let us send those who pursue cadastral engineering together with their dirty plans to the dustbin of history."