Breaking News... Secularism declaration on Erdoğan's agenda again: 'Should we ignore our founding values that make us who we are just because 3-5 old bigots are uncomfortable?'

The AKP's group meeting this week took place at the TBMM.

Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements regarding the agenda at the meeting.

The highlights of Erdoğan's speech are as follows:

My dear brothers, I advise those who show hostility toward the founding codes of our state and the nation's values of faith with the disgraceful declarations they published regarding the base and low-level debates that took place last week, to read our National Anthem again and again until they understand it.

It will be very helpful to understand what the true identity of the Turkish nation is, which will determined which will founded Turkey, and upon which principles this state was built. 'This is the desire of my soul, oh God. Let no stranger's hand touch the chest of my sanctuary. These calls to prayer, whose testimonies are the foundation of the religion, should sound eternal over my homeland.'

Yes, these are the essential values that led the national struggle to victory, laid the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, and shaped the Turkish nation. It is the call to prayer. It is the Quran. It is martyrdom. It is the flag. It is freedom, and it is the cause of 'Ila-i Kelimetullah' (exalting the word of God) that lives in every heart. Is the assessment made by the late Nurettin Topçu regarding the author of our National Anthem, 'Akif taught us that the Turk will not separate from Islam,' not just a declaration of the obvious? I ask you, is this not the truth embodied in Master Necip Fazıl's expression: 'Inside, a burning Muslim, outside, a shining Turk; the inside rules the outside, the outside is a slave to the inside'? Is it not clear what comes to mind today when Turkey is mentioned, when the Turkish nation is mentioned, from Asia to Africa, from the Caucasus to the Balkans?

For the love of God. Is it possible to close one's eyes to these unchanging facts, to turn one's back on these truths? Should we deny our origin, our lineage, our spiritual roots just because it doesn't suit someone? Never.

Should we ignore our founding values that make us who we are just because 3-5 old bigots, who are becoming extinct, are uncomfortable?

Ankara is here. We are by your side. Ankara is here. We are by your side. Should we reject our heroic ancestors who galloped across 3 continents and 7 climates with cries of 'Allah, Allah' just because some gentlemen don't want it? No one should take offense. We will not do this, we cannot do this. We will never turn our backs on our origins or our ancestors.

No matter what anyone says. No matter who publishes which declaration. We will hold tightly to the virtues that make us who we are. We will not allow any internal or external enemy, any power, to harm these virtues, to break our faith and will, or to hold this nation captive with fake and virtual fears. All 86 million of us will protect each other's rights and the rights of the Republic of Turkey at the cost of our lives.

As the President of Turkey, as the Chairman of the AK Party, and above all, as a child of this noble and honorable nation, I declare once again today that we will protect our National Anthem and our independence until our last breath, and that we will shield our chests if necessary to protect them.

On this occasion, I remember with mercy the great thinker, intellectual, and man of cause Mehmet Akif Ersoy, who gifted us such a rare treasure as the National Anthem, which is the title deed of our future as well as our independence. I remember the esteemed members of our parliament who accepted our National Anthem with mercy and gratitude. Again on this occasion, I pray for God's abundant mercy upon all our martyrs and veterans who have watered our heavenly homeland with their blessed blood for a thousand years, especially during our War of Independence.

My very dear fellow travelers and comrades, crises and conflicts have been incessant in our region for a long time. Unfortunately, a new one is added to the existing conflicts from our north to our south every day. The latest war started against our neighbor Iran with Israel's provocations has caused heavy destruction both in our geography and on the global economy. While there was a possibility and opportunity to solve the problems at the table, our region has been covered with the smell of blood and gunpowder again as a result of wrong calculations, wrong assessments, and of course, the provocations of a bloodthirsty network. On the first day the attack began, unfortunately, 175 female students were massacred in an elementary school.

The number of those who lost their lives in Iran has reached 2,000. Meanwhile, high-level Iranians, especially religious leader Ali Khamenei, were killed by assassination. Heavy damage was inflicted on the infrastructure of our neighbor Iran. The Iranian people, under economic embargo and harsh living conditions, are now struggling to survive with the bombardment that continues every day.

We see with sadness that a whole people, without distinguishing between women, children, the elderly, and civilians, are being made to pay heavy prices while they have no responsibility for the developments. We are witnessing that oil production facilities, water and energy infrastructure, and transportation infrastructure are being hit, and people are being punished. On the other hand, the attacks on Iran are also putting serious pressure on the global economy, especially with the rise in oil prices. Already, not only the countries directly involved in the war but the whole world is preparing to pay the bill for these conflicts.

"WE HAVE NOT LOST HOPE FOR THE SILENCING OF WEAPONS"

We all see already that if this meaningless, lawless, and illegal war continues, there will be more loss of life and property, and the global economic bill will be even higher. Look, I want to underline one point here: As Turkey, we are not a country that remains indifferent to the crises around it, or turns its back on its friends and brothers in times of crisis. We are not a country that acts with the mentality of 'let the snake that doesn't touch me live a thousand years.' On the contrary, we are a state, we are such a government that takes risks, takes responsibility, and puts its hand under the stone when necessary for the solution of crises. As a matter of fact, we have been striving for years to prevent the tension from turning into conflict and to ensure that the issue is resolved through negotiation. Since the day the conflicts started, we have established contacts with Iran, the United States, and the relevant regional countries.

In this context, I have held over 20 phone calls. Our other friends have been in constant contact with their counterparts in the same way. Of course, we have not yet lost our hope for the silencing of weapons. This war must be stopped before it grows and sets the region completely on fire. If diplomacy is given a chance, it is quite possible to achieve this. We are patiently continuing our initiatives to return to the table and negotiation, and to put diplomacy back into play. Due to the sensitivity of the process we are in, we are speaking very carefully and choosing our words with care. We are acting extremely cautiously to keep Turkey on its course and protect it from the fire surrounding it. Likewise, we are taking the necessary measures against the bloody scenarios that are wanted to be staged in our region, especially the sectarian conflict. Yesterday, our Ministers of National Defense and Foreign Affairs informed our Gazi Parliament in a closed session. Now, if you wish, let's talk about what kind of foreign policy vision we have in regional crises...

"WE DO NOT HAVE A RELIGION LIKE SUNNISM OR SHIISM, WE HAVE ONLY ONE RELIGION AND THAT IS ISLAM"

My dear nation, our very valuable deputies, I want to express this here as well, due to its importance. We have never looked at the entire region, just as we have not looked at the brotherly Iranian people, as 'this is Shia, this is Sunni, this is Turk, this is Kurd,' and we do not look at them that way. As a nation, for us, there is no Turk, Kurd, Arab, Shia, or Sunni, there is only a human being. Whether they are right next to us or on the other side of the world, we are on the side of whoever is wronged, victimized, or suffering. We did this before in our neighbor Iraq. We did this in Somalia, which was struggling with famine 15 years ago.

We did this in our neighbor Syria for 13 and a half years. We are doing this in the war between Russia and Ukraine, which is entering its 5th year. We did this in Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, Libya, and many other places, and we continue to do so. We reject discrimination based on race, sect, religion, language, or origin. I have said it before. Today, I repeat it by emphasizing it.

We do not have a religion like Sunnism or Shiism. We have only one religion. And that is Islam!

Our common denominator that integrates us is again Islam! Before our sects and our origins, we are all human and Muslim. Hazrat Ali is ours, Hazrat Omar is also ours. Hazrat Osman is ours, Hazrat Hasan and Hussein are also ours! Our mother Hazrat Aisha is ours, our mother Hazrat Zeynep is also ours!

Especially in this period, we need to hold more tightly to the meaning represented by the concept of 'Ummah,' which also means the children of a mother. I say this for this reason, my dear brothers. In recent days, we are witnessing that sectarianism is being fueled on social media and that centuries-old debates are wanted to be reheated. I call on both our nation and all our brothers in the region to be careful against these dangerous debates, which we see as a front of the war.

It is never a coincidence that problematic issues whose origins date back 13-14 centuries are brought to the agenda again today. Whether religious, political, or historical, we should stay away from debates that do not benefit us today, but on the contrary, harm our brotherhood law because they fuel hatred and increase discord. Please let us not forget: As Shias, Sunnis, Arabs, Turks, Kurds, and Persians, we have been living together for hundreds of years despite all our differences. Hopefully, after these conflicts and wars end, we will continue to live together in peace, sharing the same geography and the same destiny.

As the peoples of the region, we must not allow a conflict of which we are already victims to open greater wounds. We must definitely not fall for the game of the Zionist massacre network of 'hitting someone else's bird with someone else's stone'! Our valuable deputies, while the attacks on Iran continue, certain circles, including some former Israeli officials and hired pens who act as hitmen for a fee, have made various claims about our country. I want to say this clearly to these simpletons who make lists in their minds: We know very well the purpose and target of these delusions, which are served to the international media simultaneously as if a button was pressed.

We are also very aware of the real intention behind the campaigns systematically carried out by anti-Turkey lobbies. With God's permission, we will definitely not fall for this land and this game. We will not lose our common sense and composure. Turkey is not just one of the countries. This nation is not an ordinary nation. Those who want to know the character of Turkey and the Turkish nation should look at Cyprus, look at our War of Independence, look at our Çanakkale victory!

"WE DEFEND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY"

Most recently, on July 15, we disgraced and defeated not only the traitors within us but also those who held their leashes, with the power of the nation and the determination of the nation. This nation has the power, determination, strength, and might to break the hand that will reach for its sanctuary today and tomorrow, just as it did in the past. Moreover, today's Turkey is very different from yesterday's. Turkey has strengthened its internal front. Turkey has added strength to its power with the 'Terror-Free Turkey' project. The deterrence of our army has increased even more with the breakthroughs in our defense industry. Turkey has moved out of a passive position and assumed a role as a game-maker and equation-setter in its region. The hand that reaches out to Turkey gets burned! The tongue that speaks against Turkey gets burned! I say it again: We are not looking for adventure. We are never looking for tension. We are in favor of peace and tranquility prevailing in every corner and part of our region. We are in favor of the Middle East, which is exhausted, tired, and weary of wars, attaining the lasting peace and stability it has longed for as soon as possible. Just as we defended the territorial integrity of Iraq in the past and Syria, today we defend the territorial integrity of Iran, Lebanon, and all countries in the region.

RETIREMENT PENSION AND BONUS ANNOUNCEMENT

President Erdoğan announced that retirement pensions and retirement holiday bonuses have been brought forward.

Speaking at the AKP Group Meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, 'Our retirees' holiday bonuses will be deposited into their accounts before the holiday.'

Erdoğan said, 'In addition, we are bringing forward our retirees' pension payments for this month and will pay them starting from March 14,' he said.