Erdoğan criticizes CHP municipalities over SGK debts: 'How many quarter-gold coins worth of debt do they have?'

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is making statements at the 8th Ordinary Provincial Congress of the AK Party in Trabzon. Here are the highlights from President Erdoğan's speech:

"I send my love and deepest affection to all my fellow citizens whose hearts beat with ours right now. Praise be to the Almighty who has brought us together again in Trabzon, a city where one lifetime is not enough to love it, where the essence is one, the word is one, and the heart is one.

I say praise be to the Almighty who has brought our hearts together in this beautiful atmosphere, and I thank each and every one of you for your love and devotion. I pray that our AK Party Trabzon Provincial Congress brings goodness to Trabzon, our country, and our democracy. I congratulate all my brothers and sisters who have given their hearts to the AK Party in Trabzon, and I say may God be pleased with them all.

I thank my friends who are handing over their duties at our congress for their efforts, and I wish success to my brothers and sisters who are taking over the flag. I desire to pay our debt of gratitude to Trabzon. We came to our city on February 17 and held our rally at the city square park. I had asked for support for the People's Alliance candidates from Trabzon. Trabzon kept its word once again. As long as God grants us life, we will serve Trabzon until our last breath and work with all our might.

'WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE TRABZON ONE OF THE STARS OF THE CENTURY OF TURKEY'

We have always spoken through our actions. We have always said this: We do not come to the positions we hold to be masters of the nation, but to be its servants. We will continue to work for Trabzon, to produce for Trabzon, and to make Trabzon one of the stars of the Century of Turkey.

'TRABZON IS THE CITY OF THOSE WHO PUT THEIR HANDS UNDER THE STONE'

Trabzon is by no means just another city. This is the city that prepared Yavuz Sultan Selim for the sultanate. It is the city where Suleiman the Magnificent, who brought the world to its knees, was born. Whatever the passion of Martyr Eren Bülbül and all our martyrs is, that is the passion of Trabzon. Trabzon is the city of those who put their hands under the stone.

We are walking this path, which we set out on with the prayers of our nation as the hope of the nation, together with our brothers and sisters from Trabzon, and we take great pride in this. This city is a symbol of loyalty that has stood by the AK Party and our nation even on its most difficult days. While going through the most critical processes, Trabzon has always been a hope for us, guided us, and opened new paths before us.

From production to employment, from investment to exports, from tourism to growth and development, Trabzon has made contributions to our country that can never be replaced. Our brothers and sisters from Trabzon have taken on very important tasks in the rise of the Black Sea and the revitalization of the region. I believe that Trabzon will be one of the leading cities of the Century of Turkey. This will exists in Trabzon.

'WE HAVE REMOVED THE EXTENSION OF THE PKK FROM OUR BORDER LINE'

We will definitely reach our goal of a Turkey without terrorism by working together. For this, we are pursuing a very comprehensive, multi-dimensional policy where every step is carefully considered. We have achieved significant success in the strategy of destroying terrorism at its source, which we have been implementing with determination for some time. As a result of the operations we conducted in Northern Syria, we have removed this extension of the PKK from our border line.

'THE END OF THE ROAD IS IN SIGHT FOR THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION'

We have literally defeated the DAESH terrorist organization, which they tried to activate in recent days as an apparatus for regional plans. In our Claw-Lock Operation in northern Iraq, we are constantly squeezing the separatist terrorist organization and making it unable to move. Our pinpoint operations and air strikes continue. Wherever there is a boil, we immediately cut off its head. In 2024 alone, we neutralized 40 so-called high-level terrorists. We are at a very good point in the fight against terrorism. In Syria, with the popular revolution that took place on December 8, the hopes of the separatist organization hit a wall here as well. The new administration in Syria is displaying a highly determined stance regarding the preservation of the country's territorial integrity. Except for the Zionists who martyred 50 thousand of our brothers in Gaza, there is almost no master left supporting the separatist terrorist organization. The end of the road is in sight for the terrorist organization.

Those who act with the minds of Turkey's enemies will eventually face the unchangeable realities of the geography. Let everyone know this once and for all: The era of those who play at creating cantons by leaning on imperialists with weapons, violence, and terror is completely over.

"WE WILL NOT FALL FOR THE GAMES OF THE IMPERIALISTS"

We will not allow new walls to be built between us and our brothers and sisters living side by side. Turk, Kurd, Arab, we are the ancient owners of this geography; we have been together for centuries. We share a common history. Hopefully, our future, like our past, is shared. We will not fall for the games of the imperialists.

"WE ARE ALL THE THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN OF THIS GEOGRAPHY"

Our mother tongue may be different. Our origins may be different. Our political views may be different. Our sect may be different, but we are all the thousand-year-old children of this geography.

"HOW MANY QUARTER-GOLD COINS DO CHP MUNICIPALITIES OWE TO THE SGK?"

No one will be able to break our ancient unity; no one has the power to dynamite this brotherhood, and they never will. By eliminating the scourge of terrorism, which is one of the last obstacles before the Century of Turkey, we will hopefully reach our goal more quickly. The determination of the People's Alliance on this issue is complete. Its will and consensus are at the highest level.

We were in Samsun and Ordu yesterday. I asked some questions there to the CHP Chairman, Mr. Özel. I asked him to explain why they oppose the high-speed railway line that will connect our Marmara and Central Anatolia regions with the Black Sea.

I stated that Mr. Özel should clarify the reasons behind the CHP's hostility toward service and investment. I advised him to calculate how many quarter-gold coins the debts of CHP municipalities to the SGK amount to while he goes around from jeweler to jeweler with a calculator.

'MR. ÖZEL COULD NOT PROVIDE A REASONABLE ANSWER'

I even emphasized that there would be no harm from our perspective if he received help from 'Bay Kemal' (Mr. Kemal), who is an expert in calculations. Mr. Özel could not provide a reasonable answer on this matter. It seems that calculating the accumulated debts of CHP municipalities to the SGK in terms of quarter-gold coins is taking up a lot of Mr. Özel's time. The CHP chairman opposes the high-speed train in Ankara. When he goes to Kars, he says whatever the people want to hear. In the municipalities they manage, they are imposing price hikes ranging from 1,000 percent to 2,500 percent on everything from water to parking. However, he talks about lowering natural gas prices in Kars. I ask Mr. Özel here: If you wanted the people to use discounted natural gas so much, why did you take the EPDK's discount decision to court to have it canceled?

Details are coming...