Azernews.Az

By News Centre

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered key remarks at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) parliamentary group meeting, stressing that the process toward a terror-free Turkiye would be successfully completed. Erdoğan said the country was “approaching a new crossroads,” and underlined that the People’s Alliance remains fully united. He also thanked Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli for “exposing all the dirty plots” against the nation.

Erdoğan’s main messages included the following:

“We are moving with confidence toward the goal of a Turkiye free of terrorism. (Regarding DEM Party’s visit to the Presidential Complex) We held a very constructive meeting. We once again confirmed that we share similar concerns about ensuring the process advances with the utmost sensitivity. It is clear we have reached a new stage on the road to achieving a terror-free Turkiye and a terror-free region. Everyone must take responsibility and focus on contributing as much as possible to this process.”

Erdoğan highlighted the work of the Commission on National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy, which has been meeting since August 5:

“The Commission has fulfilled its founding mission. Discussing every issue related to the process, hearing all parties without exclusion, and allowing even opposing views to be voiced are all valuable. These meetings have created a strong foundation that will guide decision-makers. We attach great importance to the Commission’s comprehensive report and its legal roadmap for the coming period. With a little more courage and effort, God willing, we will successfully complete this process.”

Erdoğan said the People’s Alliance will continue working in unity:

“Together with the People’s Alliance, we will first achieve a terror-free Turkiye and then a terror-free region. I sincerely thank Mr. Devlet Bahçeli for his historic remarks yesterday, in which he exposed the games of FETÖ and other malicious groups. Let me state clearly: we will never allow any crack to be opened in the walls of the People’s Alliance, which was formed on the night of July 15. Those who look for fractures between us will be disappointed today as they have been in the past.”

On troop deployment mandates for Iraq and Syria, Erdoğan said these authorizations should be seen as facilitating the Terror-Free Turkiye process, not obstructing it:

“We are tightening security and defense while also taking courageous steps to rid our country of a burden that has weighed on it for half a century. Provocations or attempts to sabotage this process will not derail our efforts.”

Reflecting on the 23rd anniversary of AKP’s rise to power, Erdoğan said:

“On November 3, 2002, our nation brought the AK Party to power alone. For 23 years we have served the country without interruption. This was a popular revolution. We remained loyal to the spirit of the November 3 Revolution. We faced attacks from inside and outside. We could have achieved much more, but the damage caused by Gezi, the December 17–25 coup attempt, and the July 15 betrayal surpassed even what occupying forces inflicted before the War of Independence.”

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Erdoğan commented on the European Court of Human Rights ruling regarding Selahattin Demirtaş and Bahçeli’s remarks on his possible release:

“This is a state governed by the rule of law. Whatever the judiciary decides, we follow it.”

Asked whether he plans to meet Bahçeli soon, Erdoğan replied: “Why not? We are the People’s Alliance. Anything is possible.”

Erdoğan also emphasized the importance of the new generation:

“All our investments and services over 23 years are worldly. Yet we have raised a generation that will leave an impact for centuries—confident, faithful, and rooted. No one should fear a return to the dark days. This youth will protect Turkiye and the Anatolian homeland. They will do what we could not do and take the trust forward.”

On the parliamentary approval extending troop deployment in Iraq and Syria for three more years, Erdoğan sharply criticized the CHP for voting against the mandate:

“CHP’s inconsistency is nothing new. If Mr. Özel continues like this, CHP will either overheat, break an axle, or lose its gearbox.”

Erdoğan also accused CHP leader Özgür Özel of being out of touch:

“He keeps embarrassing himself with gaffes. They don’t know the progress in the earthquake zone, the completed housing, or what has been achieved. Just as he only recently discovered the high-speed rail that has been in service for 16 years, perhaps in 10 years he will notice what we have done for the earthquake region.”