President Erdoğan's statement on Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant: We will produce soon

Erdoğan made important statements after the cabinet meeting.

Here are the highlights from the statements of AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan:

A short while ago, we completed the 50th meeting of our Presidential cabinet, which was formed after the 2020 elections. In this cabinet meeting, we discussed critical issues concerning our country, our nation, and the international agenda. Our efforts to bring Turkey together with its goals continue without slowing down. Since our last cabinet meeting, we have had another period of intense work. We have determinedly continued our struggle to serve the nation with mass opening ceremonies and provincial visits domestically, and international summits and travels abroad. The difference in horizon, vision, and mentality between us and the main opposition party reveals itself more clearly with every development. My nation should know this: in this stormy period the world is going through, Turkey is under the leadership of competent cadres and is safe in secure and capable hands. We are working in complete harmony and coordination as the People's Alliance in the legislature.

"THOSE WHO CRITICIZED US YESTERDAY HAVE COME TO THE POINT OF ADMITTING WE WERE RIGHT TODAY"

In the executive branch, we are developing solutions to our country's problems with our cabinet members and bureaucrats. Our judiciary is striving for the manifestation of justice within the boundaries drawn by the constitution in its own field. All organs of the state are fulfilling their duties properly within their areas of responsibility. We are determined to strengthen and continue these gains, which are one of the most important outputs of the Presidential Government System. Especially in these days when Western countries are facing a serious management crisis, we as a nation understand the value of the climate of stability and trust better. We are successfully managing crises that would have devastated many countries in the world without even a hair on the heads of our 86 million people being harmed. We have seen, lived, and personally experienced this in many issues, from the most serious health crisis of the last century to the war between Russia and Ukraine, from bloody conflicts in our region to trade and customs wars. We did not fall into the trap, we did not fall for the game. We did not embark on any adventure that would produce economic and social costs for our country. We determined our policies not based on what Western countries would say, but with the vast experience, accumulation, and heritage of 23 years. I would also like to express this here: those who mercilessly criticized us yesterday, both during the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine crisis, have come to the point of admitting we were right today, even if shyly. Those who accused us of moving away from Europe and the Western bloc yesterday are now praising the balanced policies we follow. Those who criticized my government's conscientious stance in Syria and Gaza yesterday are now traveling abroad with their heads held high and their foreheads clear thanks to us. It is, of course, important for their own development that those who criticize us sometimes come to a position of appreciating and rewarding us, even if it is sometimes two years, sometimes four years, or much more delayed. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do for those who cannot acknowledge the truth even though they know it.

"OCTOBER 4TH WAS ANOTHER IMPORTANT AND CRITICAL DAY FOR US"

My dear nation, esteemed members of the press, while they were chasing after empty and useless things, we have been running with passion to serve our country and our nation for the past two weeks. On October 1st, we held the opening of the 4th Legislative Year of the 28th Term of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. We conveyed our wishes for the new term to be a year in which different ideas, proposals, and evaluations are expressed freely with respect, consensus, and tolerance. On October 4th, we were in the Sultanbeyli district to perform the opening and groundbreaking ceremonies of 50 projects with a total value of 8 billion 425 million liras. I wish these investments to be auspicious once again. October 4th was another important and critical day for us. In response to Israel's occupation and genocide, we gave strong moral support to the Sumut flotilla sailing towards Gaza from different countries. We successfully managed the evacuation process of the activists, including our citizens. With the evacuation operation we started on October 4th, we safely brought a total of 137 activists, 36 of whom were Turkish citizens, to our country. In the second evacuation process on October 7th, we ensured the passage of 16 of our citizens to Jordan in the first stage, and then their arrival in our country. Our 3 deputies who were detained also reached Turkey via Baku without any problems or trouble. With a special flight organized by Turkish Airlines on October 10th, we transferred a total of 94 activists from 21 countries, 18 of whom were our citizens, to Turkey. I would like to thank all our citizens and all activists who joined the flotilla and became the voice of humanity's conscience once again. I wish them a speedy recovery.

"THIS FIELD IS THE WORLD'S SECOND LARGEST RARE EARTH RESOURCE FIELD"

On October 5th, we participated in the 11th Energy Efficiency Forum held in Istanbul. Here, we also refuted one by one the unseemly claims and accusations of the main opposition targeting Turkey's energy supply security. We are currently meeting the natural gas needs of 4 million households in the Sakarya gas field. This number will hopefully rise to 8 million in 2026 and 16 million in 2028. We currently have natural gas imports and exports with a total of 34 countries. We will produce the first electricity at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant very soon. We have other projects on our nuclear agenda besides Akkuyu. We will continue to invest in nuclear energy without paying attention to the criticisms made by the main opposition by putting forward fish. My dear nation, I would like to clarify a subject that the opposition has distorted on this occasion. Another priority of our energy policy is to present the minerals we possess to international markets in a value-added manner. Especially rare earth elements play a critical role in many fields from the defense industry to renewable energy systems, from electric vehicles to communication and space technologies. In the rare earth elements field in the Beylikova district of Eskişehir, approximately 125 thousand meters of drilling has been carried out in 310 separate locations to date. It has been determined that there are exactly 694 million tons of resources in the study area, primarily barite and fluorite, containing rare earth elements. Look, this field is the world's second largest rare earth resource field. There are approximately 12.5 million tons of rare earth oxides in the Beylikova field, where ten of the 17 rare earth elements are found. We want to be one of the world's 5 largest producers of rare earth elements. We are continuing our work in this direction. We have commissioned the Eti Maden pilot production facility, where we will process 1200 tons of ore annually in the first stage.

"THE GOAL IS TO PREVENT TURKEY FROM BENEFITING FROM THIS UNDERGROUND RESOURCE"

We are continuing our work, including purification technology, to transform the pilot facility into an industrial facility. I must also underline this: countries and companies that possess rare earth element technology unfortunately avoid sharing their experience regarding production processes in this field. Overcoming this obstacle and bringing the existing fields into the economy in a shorter time makes international cooperation mandatory. Many countries sign agreements with experienced countries in these matters for technology development, consultancy, and technology transfer. As Turkey, we are also holding talks to develop collaborations with expert organizations of countries that have technological memory. In this sense, it is never a question of giving the rare earth elements field in Beylikova to any country. Whoever claims this is slandering their own country. I would like to draw your attention to this point in particular: those who do not want Turkey to bring its underground resources into its economy always do the following. First, they try to prevent mineral exploration and research activities. When they fail in this, they then become concerned with sabotaging its operation. The equation is actually very simple. If possible, prevent it; if not, discredit it. This is what is happening regarding rare earth elements. The goal is to prevent Turkey from benefiting from this underground resource. Note that those who slander our government on this issue are also the ones who talk about our Black Sea natural gas and oil discoveries in Gabar. If you remember, instead of supporting us there, they immediately found a fault. They are doing the same today. Nothing will change tomorrow either. I ask my nation to be vigilant against them. My nation should trust us, believe in us. With God's permission, we will not let this trust go to waste. Esteemed members of the press, in the light of the principle of unity in language, thought, and action, we are conveying the solidarity and partnerships between Turkish states. On October 7th, we attended the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Gabala with the theme of regional peace and security. I hope that the decisions we took at the summit and the Gabala declaration we signed will be auspicious for the entire Turkic world.

News Source: 12punto