President Erdoğan commenced his address by welcoming the attendees of the 32nd AK Party Consultation and Evaluation meeting, including members of the Central Decision and Executive Board, other central headquarters bodies, the Women’s and Youth Branches, members of parliament, and the cabinet. “I am greatly pleased to be with you at the 32nd of our AK Party Consultation and Evaluation meetings. I pray to Almighty God that our consultation meeting will be auspicious for our country, our nation, and our democracy,” he stated.
Erdoğan extended his greetings to all party organizations across Turkey’s 81 provinces and 922 districts, as well as party members abroad. He offered a special salute to his “brothers who see the ‘Türkiye Yüzyılı’ as a blessed dawn,” and expressed his gratitude to the party’s veterans, its women’s and youth branches, and all his dedicated companions from the central headquarters to local representatives, emphasizing the importance of unity and solidarity. “I respectfully greet all my fellow travelers and comrades who have selflessly served at every level, and I offer my thanks to every brother and sister who has put their heart into this cause,” Erdoğan remarked, underscoring a message of togetherness.
In a more somber part of his speech, President Erdoğan paid tribute to his late colleague and advisor, Yiğit Bulut. Mentioning that Bulut had been suffering from a severe illness, Erdoğan noted his passing.
“We have bid farewell to my brother, my comrade in our cause and on our path, and my advisor, Yiğit Bulut. As you know, he will be laid to rest today in Karacaahmet. The funeral prayer will be held at Marmara University’s Faculty of Theology following the afternoon prayer,” he explained. “Due to our consultation meeting here in Kızılcahamam, we are unable to attend the ceremony, but our organization will be there to participate.”
Reflecting on his friend’s condition, Erdoğan added, “He was going through a severe illness. When I visited him at the hospital, his situation was truly dire. However, we always say: There is a fate above fate. I saw that he was cautious, and I saw that he was in a state of surrender. May my Lord transform his shortcomings into virtues. May his resting place be paradise, God willing.”
Transitioning to another recent loss, the President stated, “I ask for God’s mercy upon those who have departed from us during this journey of service, and I commemorate them with gratitude. As you know, 6 days ago, we lost 12 sons of the homeland, 12 heroes, as martyrs. The entire nation’s heart was seared with grief.” He continued, “At the very beginning of my speech, I once again wish for God’s mercy upon our soldiers who were martyred by exposure to methane gas during search activities in the Pençe-Kilit region, and I extend my deepest condolences and wish for patient endurance for their families and our beloved nation. They have been honored with the rank of martyrdom, the greatest station after prophecy in the sight of our Lord. God willing, they have attained the glad tidings of eternal life. May God be pleased with them all. May the Lord envelop them in His mercy. May their abode be paradise.”
Erdoğan then turned to a significant historical anniversary. “In addition to all this, yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenitsa genocide, one of the most shameful events in recent human history. As a nation, we share the indescribable pain our Bosnian brothers and sisters experienced 30 years ago, and we feel it in our hearts today, just as we did then,” he said. “Every mass grave uncovered, every martyr we lay to their eternal rest, serves as a stark reminder of those dark days. As Turkey, we continue to stand by Bosnia-Herzegovina and our Bosnian brothers and sisters under all circumstances and in their every moment of need to prevent similar tragedies from ever happening again. We have remained faithful to the promise we made to the late Alija before his passing. God willing, we will not betray his trust from this day forward. When I visited him, he told me, ‘These lands are entrusted to you. This is the land of Evlad-ı Fatihan (Sons of the Conqueror). You will protect these people as the Evlad-ı Fatihan.’ And from that day to this, we have been fulfilling this duty.”
“On the occasion of our party’s meaningful gathering, I once again commemorate with mercy the 8,372 martyrs who were despicably massacred before the eyes of the West,” he declared. “From here, we also send our prayers to the oppressed people of Gaza, who, much like our Bosnian brothers, have been subjected to genocide for 22 months before the eyes of the civilized world. We reiterate that we stand with them in their honorable struggle against oppression and occupation, and we will continue to do so.”
Erdoğan noted that they were conducting the 32nd iteration of the AK Party’s consultation meetings, which have become a hallmark of Turkish politics. “The theme is ‘Leadership that Transcends Borders with the Power of the Nation.’ In our sessions today and tomorrow, we will hold consultations on a range of topics from security to development, and from the economy to politics,” he detailed. “Alongside issues occupying the national, and global agenda, we will also deliberate for two days on matters of vital importance for our party and our future.”
President Erdoğan elaborated on the philosophy behind these gatherings. “The distinguishing feature of our consultation meetings is that they facilitate a common mind. All our participating friends will present their views, express their ideas, and share their criticisms and proposals with the assembly in a democratic atmosphere dominated by sincerity and affection. Thus, God willing, the light of truth will emerge,” he said. “I always say this: the AK Party is a political movement where the culture of consultation is institutionalized. Since our establishment, our work has always been carried out with a common mind, through deliberation, by listening to the voice of the nation, and by consulting our people.”
“We have adopted the command ‘Hold yourselves accountable before you are held accountable’ as our guide. We have always strived for what is better, for more effective and efficient work, and for serving the nation in the best possible way. We have considered different ideas as a source of richness. We have seen constructive criticism as a lantern that illuminates our path. It is a fact that consultation not only facilitates a common mind but also increases blessings, deepens insight, strengthens sagacity, broadens horizons, and further reinforces the brotherhood and solidarity among our members.”
“We are conducting this meeting with the same understanding,” he affirmed. “Like the previous ones, our consultation meeting will function as a platform where we hold a mirror to our party, critically examine ourselves, and capture a high-resolution snapshot of all matters concerning the country’s politics. I especially ask you to share what is in your hearts and minds with us with complete openness. I thank all participating brothers and sisters in advance for their valuable ideas, suggestions, and constructive criticisms.”
Delving into a historical overview, Erdoğan said, “Forty-seven years ago, on August 14, 1984, the separatist terrorist organization carried out its first act in the Eruh district of Siirt and the Şemdinli district of Hakkari. We lost two soldiers as martyrs in this terrorist attack. Nine of our civilian citizens were also injured. From this date onward, the separatist organization launched attacks against our security forces and civilians. We have lost nearly 10,000 of our security personnel as martyrs in the fight against terrorism. Nearly 50,000 of our citizens have also lost their lives in terror-related incidents. First and foremost, I once again ask for God’s mercy upon our martyrs and the citizens who lost their lives. We have not forgotten them, and we will not forget them. Our homeland will, God willing, exist for eternity, and our star and crescent flag will, God willing, wave freely in our skies forever. Our martyrs, who watered the homeland with their blood and colored our flag with their crimson blood, will always be held in the highest honor.”
He then offered a critical look at the past, stating, “Unfortunately, after its first act in 1984, terrorism escalated in Turkey with each passing day. Many governments came and went since then. Each one promised to eradicate terrorism. But terrorism could not be finished, neither on our lands nor in the countries where it established bases. Of course, some mistaken policies of the state also played a part in this. The ‘Beyaz Toroslar’ were one of these, unsolved murders were one, Diyarbakır Prison was one. Burned villages, people forced to migrate overnight, mothers unable to speak Kurdish with their children in prison—these were among those mistaken practices. Methods of struggle outside the bounds of law and legitimacy, instead of ending terrorism, did the exact opposite by fueling and magnifying it, providing the terrorist organization with fertile ground for exploitation. We all paid the price for these mistakes together. We did not just lose our security forces as martyrs; it wasn’t only civilians who lost their lives. These terrorist attacks destabilized Turkey. We faced a bill in the economy amounting to 2 trillion dollars. Most importantly, the terrorist organization inflicted very heavy damage on our country’s peace, unity, integrity, and brotherhood.”
“When we came to office after the November 3, 2002 elections, we took a multi-dimensional approach to the issue of terrorism,” Erdoğan explained. “While fighting terrorism on one hand, we also fought to drain the swamp that created pretexts for it on the other. We took measures to prevent the terrorist organization from trapping our Kurdish brothers and alienating them from the state and the nation. We took historic steps to fulfill the law of coexistence and brotherhood. While implementing reforms that amounted to a silent revolution in democracy and human rights domestically, we conducted very intensive diplomatic efforts externally. Alongside all this, we developed our defense industry. We produced our counter-terrorism weapons without being dependent on foreign sources. With cross-border operations, we took full control of our borders. After the treacherous coup attempt of July 15, we cleansed FETÖ from all our institutions, especially our Armed Forces and Police. By doing so, we eliminated the element of betrayal in the fight against terrorism. In recent years, we have almost completely broken the terrorist organization’s operational capability. We have prevented terrorist acts from harming either officials or civilians.”
Further details are expected…
Editor: Eda Koyuncu