Erdoğan's local election statement on the plane: Here is the date when candidates will be announced...

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered journalists' questions on the plane while returning from his visit to Algeria. Erdoğan made evaluations regarding the local elections and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Erdoğan pointed to mid-December regarding the date for announcing candidates for the local elections.

LOCAL ELECTION STATEMENT

Erdoğan gave the following response to a journalist's question regarding the elections:

"As the People's Alliance, we are ambitious in the upcoming local elections, just as we are in all elections. We are carrying out our work meticulously in proportion to this ambition, and we are being very thorough in the process regarding candidates. Our party has made the necessary preparations and analyses. As you already know, as the AK Party, our election preparations begin as soon as the previous election is completed.

We have conducted and are conducting public opinion polls in every province, especially in metropolitan cities. We are analyzing the results and striving to understand what is in our nation's heart and to determine the candidates who will be most beneficial to our cities. First of all, December 1st is the deadline for civil servants who want to be mayoral candidates and must resign from their posts for this reason. Let us also see the situation of the civil servants. Once their situation is clarified, we will hopefully start announcing our candidates gradually towards the middle of December."

The questions asked by journalists on the plane and Erdoğan's answers are as follows:

"GAZA IS PALESTINIAN LAND"

Israel revealed its plan to occupy Gaza with the words, 'Control of Gaza in the next period will be with us for security reasons.' Following this, a transition period through various mechanisms and the subsequent transfer of Gaza to a revitalized Palestinian administration are being discussed by the US. Statements like “a Gaza under UN control” are coming from Germany. What is Turkey's approach and stance in this entire process?

First of all, everyone should know this: Gaza is Palestinian land. Even though the ancient homelands of the Palestinians have been occupied by Israel step by step since 1947, Gaza will, God willing, remain Palestinian land. Israel's step-by-step occupation of Palestinian lands was almost like a smash-and-grab. But the tide is no longer turning that way. You can see the stance the whole world is starting to take against Israel right now. Although the occupation taking place in Gaza has plunged the administrations of some countries into silence, thank God, it has stirred the consciences of societies. The number of those supporting Palestine in the streets is increasing. Look at Germany, for example. I was there recently; there were marches in Berlin on the same day. England is exactly the same. You see what is happening in front of the White House in the United States. You see what is happening in France and in Latin American countries.

The collective conscience has now been stirred, and along with this, even the streets of Israel have become active. Everyone has started telling Netanyahu to “leave now.” Some foreign country officials tell us “we must get rid of him.” I do not think this process will continue at an advanced level. Hopefully, in a very short time, Netanyahu will pack his bags and withdraw from here. As you know, Netanyahu already has a legal situation as well. Perhaps he may have taken such a step to escape from that. However, no matter which direction he takes a step, he will not be able to escape. As you know, even the Israelis held in Palestine have reached the point of saying, “You condemned us to this place, withdraw your hands from this business as soon as possible. Let us also be saved.”

HOSTAGE EXCHANGE

As you also mentioned, hundreds of thousands of people from the US, European countries, and from one end of the world to the other are protesting both Israel and the positions of their own countries. You, as the President of the Republic of Turkey, are also a leader who is leading this cause. What would you like to say to all these people in the streets, including those who are of Jewish descent, even if they are not in the majority?

My view is this: I believe in the necessity of looking at the event in terms of the human element, without distinguishing any ethnic element, whether Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, without making any distinction. Humanity is crying out right now.

They are the ones standing on the right side of history. We have been talking for days; Western society could not pass a proper test in the grip of the Holocaust and stood on the wrong side of history. In Bosnia and Kosovo, the massacres that took place were ignored and remained silent. In Iraq and Syria, a shameful silence prevailed again.

This time it did not happen that way. The administrations of the countries were the same as you know, but the peoples are now saying “enough of this oppression.” They see the babies killed in Gaza and they are rebelling. The voice rising from the streets is a cry of conscience. The call of the streets is cornering Israel more and more every day. Politicians who turn a deaf ear to that voice will very soon receive the response to this with the democratic reaction of their peoples. Leaders who have fallen into the position of genocide supporters in the eyes of their peoples with their pro-Israel stances must turn back from this mistake as soon as possible. Before it is too late, the administrations of the states that take sides behind Israel must come to a ground that complies with international law, human rights, and conscientious and moral values, and must not be partners in these crimes.

Therefore, we must save them from the steps taken by the oppressors by standing together with the oppressed. I do not believe that Hamas has any negative behavior towards the civilians in its hands, or that it will have any. Israel has a significant number of Palestinians in its hands. Hamas is currently making an effort to save them. As you know, as of now, a new step is being taken in the process with the intervention of Qatar. I think they will move to the exchange of hostages today or tomorrow.

'EGYPTIAN ADMINISTRATION IS TAKING POSITIVE STEPS'

After the Riyadh Summit, the Rafah Border Gate issue became a bit more of an agenda item according to the statements in the final declaration. Egypt's stance is vital for more wounded people and aid to pass through Rafah more easily. In this context, will you have a recent visit to Egypt or an initiative regarding the situation of the Rafah Border Gate? What will be done to break the blockade?

The Egyptian administration is taking positive steps at the Rafah Border Gate. In the first stage, 40 of the cancer patients in Gaza came to our country. In the second stage, this number increased significantly, and we reached 88 patients and 67 companions. We are treating them in our city hospitals, and we will continue to do so. We want the evacuation of Gazan patients from there and their arrival in our country to continue increasingly. I may organize a trip to Egypt as soon as possible. Our main agenda in Egypt will be these issues. We will talk about “what steps can we take, how can we pave the way for the evacuation of patients?” We want to be able to bring all these patients as soon as possible. In fact, my desire is to take those who need surgical intervention as soon as possible. Especially let's take the children as soon as possible and perform the medical interventions. We are in agreement with our friends on this issue, and we will hopefully operate the process in this way.

Breaking the blockade will be possible not only with the steps taken by one or two countries, but with the steps and strategies to be created by all the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League. The team-play approach, which is frequently used in politics, needs to be exhibited completely. Breaking the blockade does not happen just by letting a certain amount of aid into Gaza. Using many economic, political, diplomatic, sociological, and cultural elements, we must both ensure a ceasefire and deliver enough aid to Gaza and get the city, which has been razed to the ground by Israel, back on its feet. The blockade is not just about the soldiers and weapons Israel has amassed around Gaza. We must force Israel to comply with international law and be held accountable for what it has done. For example, we must also break the blockade on the United Nations ground. We must properly explain what is happening in Palestine, the Israeli oppression there, make those who do not hear the voices of the oppressed Palestinians hear what they have been experiencing for decades, change the perspectives of the peoples, and break the blockade in their minds. We must shatter the fascist approach of “there is no problem when a Muslim dies, it is only a problem if a Christian or a Jew dies,” and make the understanding that “if the person who dies is human, there is a problem there” dominant, and in this way, break the blockade in perceptions. We must destroy all the blockades of the Zionists and their supporters, who tie the world's tongue and eyes, which deprive Palestine of its historical borders, the right of the people there to self-determination, property rights, the right to live, and their freedoms. Only then is it possible to ensure lasting peace.

'ONLY SPAIN IS DIFFERENT IN THE WEST'

We see that both Western countries and some Muslim countries remain silent about these massacres. Is there any country that disappoints you in this regard?

In Western countries, with one exception, unfortunately, there is no one who owns this issue. Almost all European countries are silent on this matter. There is no intervention on their part to stop the massacre. Here, only Spain's approach is developing in a positive direction. As you know, the government was formed in Spain. I will have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Spain, Mr. Pedro Sanchez, next week; his situation is different. One should not turn one's back on these countries. We will meet, and on the other hand, we will look at the issue of “how can we pull them to the side of Palestine?” We were in Germany last. We see what is happening. The Islamic world should also not remain silent about this occupation. The fall of Gaza means that the unity and solidarity of the Islamic world will also receive a deep wound. Remaining silent and unresponsive in the face of Israel's reckless occupation of Gaza and its attacking around without recognizing international law, human rights, and ethical values is a cause for shame. The Islamic world must stand behind the determination it displayed in Riyadh and act with a spirit of unity and solidarity to implement the decisions taken and be a single fist. When that fist hits the table with all its might, it will not be possible for Israel to continue its occupation or continue its oppression.

The most important point here is to be a single fist, to be able to be one. The state and occupying terror that Israel applies in Gaza and other Palestinian cities is a crime against humanity, it is genocide. One cannot remain silent and unresponsive to this. The seed of resurrection in the Islamic world was last dropped into the soil in Riyadh. If that seed is not watered enough, it cannot sprout, it cannot grow. We will all give that life water together and fulfill our responsibility to our martyrs in Palestine and our ancestors together.

We are working tirelessly to ensure this. Our hope that we will get results is alive. I hope these pains we are experiencing are the birth pains of the peace desired in our region for years and the Palestinian state that will ensure it.

'THE OPPOSITION IS ACTING WITH THE ZIONIST STRUCTURE'

Since October 7th and before, you have a leadership that criticizes this entire ruthless picture that Israel carries out with its massacres and terrorist state identity and displays a principled stance. But on the other hand, when we look at global capital, there is a Jewish influence, a Jewish lobby influence. Do you see any movement or move to punish this principled stance in the flow of funds to Turkey? Or at this point, what would be your call to international capital, along with the country's principled stance and stance against antisemitism?

We need to identify one thing well regarding Turkey. Jews are different, Zionists are different, and the event in Israel right now is one of the most important steps of Zionism. In the West's attitude towards Israel, there is also a lack of a firm stance against Zionism. Unfortunately, there are structures in Turkey that are defeated by this, and besides being defeated, they follow in their footsteps. There are also political structures among them. For example, the person at the head of the main opposition speaks with Netanyahu's mouth. If the person at the head of the main opposition in my country speaks with Netanyahu's mouth, it means they have not received anything from the water of our lands in Turkey. I believe that my nation will give these people the necessary lesson when the time comes. Again, you see that among those who are in the alliance led by the main opposition, there are those who act together with the Zionist structure. I do not need to count them one by one. However, the will of my nation will overturn the will of all of them. I believe that I will receive the necessary answer from my nation in about 4.5 months.

The number of Jews who do not support Israel's massacres and stand against them is not small. Among them are those who are included in the international capital definition you mentioned. I think that investment in Turkey will not be a problem for them. As for the capital owners who are uncomfortable with Turkey's opposition to the killing of children and its defense of peace and human rights, they will only be pleased with you if you unconditionally support Israel's massacre. It is never possible for us to display such an attitude. Therefore, we do not have any concerns. The world is aware of Turkey's value, and global investors are also aware. Except for a few marginals, I do not think that global investors will turn their backs on a country like Turkey due to Israel's influence. To attract global capital to our country, we will continue to act with the win-win principle and display a humanitarian stance worthy of Turkey.

DEFENSE INDUSTRY

Sir, our region is a place of fire, as you know. Despite this, Turkey is making very serious investments in the defense industry. Bayraktar TB-3 and Kızılelma will revolutionize world combat history. About 35 days later, our national aircraft Kaan will make its first flight. So, after this, with the first flight of Kaan, what kind of period awaits us in the defense industry, both in terms of production and exports? Are there any innovations?

Every step we take in the field of defense industry excites us. Everyone who puts a stone on top of a stone in this field makes a very important contribution to the future of our country and the construction of the Century of Turkey. Kaan is already one of the innovations. But Baykar's work, which we can call the peak, is, as you know, Kızılelma... Now they are doing the final tests of Kızılelma. The issue they need to overcome is to produce its own domestic engine... As soon as it achieves this, Kızılelma's stance against the world will already be different. Of course, there is also a burden on Aselsan here, camera production. The engine production process, unfortunately, takes about five years no matter how you look at it. During this period, we have to proceed by importing engines. Aselsan's production work has also started at the camera point. We need to resolve that problem as soon as possible. Some countries give us promises, but they do not fulfill the promises they give. We are looking at “can we get a result from countries like Canada, South Africa?” Both we and Aselsan need to follow this closely. If we can get results from these places as soon as possible, then we can put our unmanned combat aircraft into service faster. Kaan, Kızılelma, TCG Anadolu, and many others will not be left alone with God's permission; new ones, better and more equipped ones, will again be shaped in the hands of our brothers who shed their sweat and mental effort for this homeland. Not long ago, just a few years ago, we did not have unmanned aerial vehicles, we did not have smart ammunition, we did not have Milgems. We rolled up our sleeves, and together with our brothers who put not only their hands but their bodies under the stone for this country, we reached today's level. We did not see this as sufficient, we cannot. There is always a better one, always a more developed one, we will look for it... We need to move at a running pace, let alone walking towards these goals. We must have the best engineer, the best software developer, the best master, the best designer. Our new steps are on the way. Let no one worry, we will make our name heard more in the field of defense industry and in other fields.

"THE PROCESS IN WHICH THE TURKISH LIRA LOST VALUE HAS COME TO AN END"

Senior famous economist Robin Brooks stated, “Turkey is in the early stages of a current account adjustment similar to 2018.” He said, “This adjustment has been positive for the Turkish Lira.” Can we say that the Turkish Lira is now recovering itself? How do you welcome the positive divergence of the Turkish Lira in this economic environment where the world is fighting with crises?

The disinflation program we are implementing will very likely cause a real appreciation in the Lira. In other words, the process in which the Turkish Lira lost value in real terms has come to an end. In summary, the probability of the Turkish Lira gaining value in real terms is high. Therefore, in the coming period, we will gain investor confidence with the sound policies and structural reforms we implement, and we are still gaining it. This confidence will trigger the flow of funds. The flow of funds will cause real appreciation in the Lira. This will accelerate disinflation and limit the downside risks of growth. Ultimately, we will both grow at a reasonable level and inflation will fall under these conditions. In other words, we will enter a virtuous cycle, hopefully.

A NATIONAL TEAM

In the statement you made after the Cabinet meeting, you congratulated our A National Football team for defeating Germany. Our national team deserved to participate in the European Championship. The opposition says, “Turkish youth are leaving Turkey and have lost hope in this country.” However, when we look at the national team, we see that our athletes who play in Europe and have dual citizenship prefer the Turkish National Team. In this context, what would be your message to our youth in all fields?

Almost half of our youth playing in Europe are candidates for our National team and have also taken part in our National team. At the same time, there is a serious transformation in the teams in Turkey now. It would probably be better if our children in Europe played in our teams rather than foreign football players. As you know, success must be continuous; we would like to see the same performance from our national team in the Euro 2024 European Championship. The support we give to sports and athletes is obvious. We will continue to increase this support. We have very talented young people not only in sports but also in science and technology, and they are signing their names to works that make us proud both in Turkey and in various parts of the world. My call to our youth is this; whatever they do, let them find a way to serve this nation, this homeland, and be useful. All of these are included in our Century of Turkey vision. In the work we do to achieve these goals, we must strive to achieve the best.

News Source: 12punto