President Erdoğan spoke at the opening of the new legislative year 01-10-2026 15:00:00
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is the only parliament in the world to have been honored with the title of ‘Gazi’ twice. This Assembly successfully led and managed the National Struggle against the invaders who sought to put shackles on our nation’s feet and a noose around its neck.”
Erdoğan addressed the General Assembly on the occasion of the opening of the 5th Legislative Year of the 28th Parliamentary Term.
Wishing that the new legislative year would bring benefit and prosperity to the country, the nation, the Parliament, democracy, the broader community of nations with which Türkiye shares historical and cultural ties, and all humanity, Erdoğan said: “Through you, I extend my greetings and affection to every member of my beloved nation, of whom I am honored to be a member and servant, from east to west, and to all our citizens living in the seven regions, 81 provinces, and 922 districts of our beautiful homeland. I also convey my heartfelt affection to our citizens living abroad who represent our nation in the best possible way in different countries around the world and whose achievements make us proud.”
President Erdoğan commemorated with mercy the 115 members who, 106 years ago, following Friday prayers at the Hacı Bayram Veli Mosque, raised the voice of the nation’s determination and desire for independence to the world from Ankara, the heart of independence, accompanied by prayers and takbirs, as well as all members of parliament who had served the nation faithfully under this supreme roof and had since passed away.
Erdoğan also prayed to Almighty God for mercy upon Ali Şükrü Bey, who lost his life in an assassination, and upon Adnan Menderes, Hasan Polatkan, and Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, whom, according to Erdoğan, those who sought to attack the nation’s trust and usurp the nation’s will sent to the gallows. He said, “Once again, I ask Almighty God to have mercy on all our martyrs who have fearlessly sacrificed their lives for the survival of our nation in this region for a thousand years, as well as upon those of our veterans who have passed away.”
At the beginning of his remarks, Erdoğan stated that he wished to express a truth with all his heart and continued:
“The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is the only parliament in the world to have been honored with the title of ‘Gazi’ twice. This Assembly successfully led and managed the National Struggle against the invaders who sought to put shackles on our nation’s feet and a noose around its neck. Even while the sound of artillery fire could be heard from 80 kilometers away, the Honorable Assembly continued its work and carried on bearing the torch entrusted to our nation with glory and honor. The struggle of our Parliament also became an example for oppressed nations seeking a way out of the grip of invaders, occupiers, and imperialists. Look, the parliamentary records of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye from 1920 to 1923 are the most vivid witnesses of how Türkiye was made a homeland for the second time.”
“On the night of July 15, our Gazi Parliament passed that grave test with flying colors”
Recalling the words Mustafa Kemal Atatürk delivered in 1921, as President of the Grand National Assembly, at the opening of the Assembly’s second legislative year, during those difficult days when the Turkish nation was caught between independence and annihilation, Erdoğan quoted him as saying:
“Esteemed friends. Let us once again remember the distance we have traveled and the countless difficulties we have overcome since the days of the armistice, when an entire nation stared death in the face. While our nation, which has lived with the honor of independence since times beyond memory, appeared to be heading toward the worst possible end, toward death, the voice of our ancestors, who called their children to rise against captivity, rose in our hearts and summoned us to the final war of liberation. The days of despair and weariness are now far behind us. Your Honorable Assembly, which showed the country the path to salvation and gathered the entire nation under the banner of its own independence, is entering its second legislative year. I pray that the lights beginning to emerge on our horizon will bring a good morning to our unfortunate homeland, which has witnessed so many disasters.”
Erdoğan assessed these words by saying, “These sentences are a clear expression of the love of freedom embedded in every cell of our nation and of the historic mission of our Parliament.”
Emphasizing that 95 years after this speech, which was frequently interrupted by applause, the Honorable Assembly once again fulfilled its duty of leading the nation, Erdoğan stated:
“On the night of July 15, our Gazi Parliament, defending the trust of the nation under the bombs, passed that grave test with flying colors, together with our people who resisted the coup in squares, on streets, and at airports. On this occasion, I thank all our members of parliament who stood up for the nation’s trust that night. I pray that our Lord will never again force this Parliament to undertake the same struggle. I would particularly like to express my pleasure at addressing you in the General Assembly Hall of the Gazi Parliament, whose past is so glorious and whose mission is so exalted.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “We are also successfully overcoming the problem that has emerged in a certain segment of the fund market. We are resolving this issue rapidly within the framework of capital market rules, while observing fairness and justice and ensuring that no one’s rights are infringed upon. God willing, we will not allow this issue to turn into a threat to our economic security and social peace.”
In his speech to the General Assembly of the Parliament on the occasion of the opening of the 5th Legislative Year of the 28th Parliamentary Term, Erdoğan said that the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye was one of the parliaments in the world with the heaviest workloads.
Erdoğan stated that during the 4th Legislative Year, which began on October 1, 2025, and continued until August 10, 2026, important decisions were also taken and an intense and demanding period of work was carried out. He emphasized that vital laws and critical issues that would shape the future of the country, the nation, and the region were discussed both in the General Assembly and in parliamentary committees.
Underlining that legislative activities were carried out with democratic maturity, Erdoğan said that parliamentary diplomacy was conducted in a professional and respected manner both at international meetings hosted by Türkiye and during visits abroad. He said:
“In this regard, I would like to thank each and every member of parliament in our Gazi Parliament, regardless of political party, for their efforts, dedication, and sacrifices. I likewise sincerely congratulate our Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Numan Kurtulmuş, and the esteemed members of the Presidium. I express my gratitude to our administrators and employees serving in various units of our Parliament for their diligent and devoted work throughout the ten months and ten days.”
President Erdoğan continued:
“I sincerely hope that the new Legislative Year, which begins today, will be a productive and fruitful year in which ideas, criticisms, and proposals are freely expressed, while adhering to the rules of mutual respect and courtesy, and in which debates proceed with a solution-oriented approach, common sense, and calmness. As the ruling party and the People’s Alliance, we will continue, as always, to act constructively and to listen to different ideas and proposals. It is clear that we must place the reputation of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, the embodiment of the national will, above everything else. I would like to emphasize once again that we will act with the utmost sensitivity on this matter during the new Legislative Year.”
“We have taken very important steps in every area concerning our country”
Saying, “There is one point I would first like to bring to your attention,” Erdoğan stated: “As politicians, our primary duty is to serve our beloved nation, whose trust we carry, in the proper manner. All of us, including myself, are responsible for finding solutions to the problems of our people, addressing their difficulties, and opening up new horizons and opportunities for our country.”
Reminding the audience that the AK Party government would reach its 24th anniversary one month later, Erdoğan said: “Throughout our governments’ tenure, we have continuously strived to do this in a stable, determined, and sincere manner. From the economy to democracy, from domestic politics to foreign policy, from education to healthcare, from justice to security, from transportation to urban development, and from energy to agriculture, we have taken very important steps in every area concerning our country.”
President Erdoğan recalled that more than three and a half years had passed since the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes of February 6, 2023, which caused deep and lasting wounds in people’s hearts. He stated that although the pain of those who lost their lives still weighed heavily on them, they were now experiencing the satisfaction of having rebuilt 11 provinces.
“We are also successfully overcoming the problem that has emerged in a certain segment of the fund market”
Emphasizing that they had once again fulfilled the promise they had made to the nation and completed the “reconstruction of the century,” Erdoğan stated that a total of 455,357 homes and workplaces had been handed over to their rightful owners.
He said:
“We have spent 5.4 trillion Turkish lira at current prices on the revitalization of our earthquake-affected region. Despite the successive wars and crises that erupted in our region, we succeeded in keeping Türkiye on a path of development and growth. During a difficult period when missiles were flying through the skies, we did not allow even a single one of our citizens to come to harm. In the first half of 2026, Türkiye grew by 2.5 percent year-on-year. Our annualized national income exceeded 1.7 trillion dollars. Our exports reached a record annualized figure of 280.3 billion dollars in August. Following the agricultural frost and drought experienced last year, our agriculture sector made a rapid recovery. In tourism, despite the conflicts surrounding us, we maintained our strong performance. Tourism revenues reached 25.7 billion dollars in the first six months of the year. In the defense industry, we achieved two things at once. We both strengthened our national defense industry with new products and became a country that sells products to the world in this field. In the first eight months of the year, our defense and aerospace exports increased by 16.2 percent to 6.3 billion dollars. We are at a sustainable point in terms of the external balance. We expect the current account deficit to remain at 2.6 percent of national income this year. In a year when the energy bill has become heavier, this ratio is an indication of how resilient our economy has become.”
Explaining that they had not deviated from fiscal discipline and that they aimed to limit the budget deficit to 3.1 percent of national income this year while achieving a primary surplus, Erdoğan continued:
“We are also successfully overcoming the problem that has emerged in a certain segment of the fund market. We are resolving this issue rapidly within the framework of capital market rules, while observing fairness and justice and ensuring that no one’s rights are infringed upon. God willing, we will not allow this issue to turn into a threat to our economic security and social peace. We will continue to work, produce, and develop solutions to problems until this country and this nation reach the levels they deserve.”
