President Erdoğan spoke at the opening ceremony of the Halkalı-Istanbul Airport Metro Line.

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the Opening Ceremony of Halkalı-Istanbul Airport Metro Line.

“Loving this city requires serving it with love. Valuing this city requires putting one stone upon another. Caring about this city requires concerning oneself with its problems and troubles. This is what we are working to do. We are endeavoring to duly pay our debt of gratitude to Istanbul. No matter who says what, we are determined not to leave Istanbul to its fate. We will not allow Istanbul to get overwhelmed by the tangle of problems, particularly traffic. We will continue to make the investments worthy of Istanbul, the apple of the world’s eye,” President Erdoğan said.

“2026 WILL BE A YEAR OF SUMMITS FOR TÜRKİYE”

Noting that Türkiye is preparing to welcome NATO leaders, including U.S. President Donald J. Trump, on July 7-8, President Erdoğan stated: “Prior to it, the NATO Parliamentary Summit will take place in Istanbul on June 28-29. Afterwards, our country will host many international events throughout the year. In other words, 2026 will literally be a year of summits for Türkiye. Türkiye’s brand value will increase, attesting to its status as a center of attraction in the region and acknowledging it as one of the main playmakers of global diplomacy.”

President Erdoğan further stressed: “First, Türkiye is not a pawn in regional crises but, as has been the case in the recent Iranian crisis, one of the primary actors in settlement efforts. Second, foreign policy is not a theater for performances, but a field of expertise. Third, we have never played to the gallery, either at home or abroad, and, quite the contrary, have always endeavored to win over hearts and minds.”