Erdoğan’s statement on the ‘Terror-Free Turkey’ process: We will not tolerate risky approaches

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered questions from journalists regarding the agenda on his plane returning from Kyrgyzstan. Erdoğan made statements concerning the discussions and criticisms surrounding the process referred to as “Terror-Free Turkey.”

Stating that the process cannot be viewed from a “narrow perspective,” Erdoğan said, “We will be sincere. We will be responsible. We will be level-headed, and we will protect our brotherhood.”

Expressing that they are against rhetoric that could harm social cohesion, Erdoğan said, “We cannot tolerate approaches that damage the nation’s brotherhood, wound social cohesion, and carry the risk of reactivating the fault lines created by terrorism in the past.”

Erdoğan argued that some political actors may have “disproportionate rhetoric” and that these could be used to influence the process. Stating that “every piece of rhetoric that does not serve social cohesion contributes to chaos,” Erdoğan said he believes society has developed a resistance to such provocations.

Using the phrase “The nation has fermented this process, and the fermentation has taken hold” regarding the process, Erdoğan said, “Strengthening the internal front does not mean eliminating differences. We will unite on the common ground of Turkey with all our differences. We call this the ‘Great Turkey Consensus.’”

Responding to a question about when the process will be completed, Erdoğan stated that it is not possible to provide a definitive calendar on this matter. Saying that they view the “Terror-Free Turkey” process as a matter of goals rather than a calendar, Erdoğan stated, “Of course, as a state, we have a roadmap, a plan, and a schedule. Our relevant institutions are currently working in coordination regarding the process.”