“We will never yield to the hate speech, warmongering, and the climate of conflict surrounding us”

 

Addressing AK Party’s Provincial Heads Meeting, President Erdoğan said: “As the state, we will never yield to the hate speech, warmongering, and the climate of conflict surrounding us. Acting with the rightful self-confidence stemming from standing on the right side of history and conscience, we will never lose our calm and common sense. We will never back down from our peaceful foreign policy grounded in peace for all, stability for all, and tranquility for all.”

President and Justice and Development (AK) Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the Meeting with Provincial Heads in Ankara.

“THOSE BEING KILLED MERCILESSLY ARE OWN BROTHERS AND SISTERS”

“The war on Iran that began on February 28 with Israel’s provocations continues to plunge our region into the smell of blood and gunpowder. Sinless and innocent children are being targeted by bombs and missiles while they are attending classes in their schools. Our region is going through the last century’s most painful and most turbulent days. The genocide network blinded by hate and revenge is dragging our region into a grave disaster under the cover of pseudo-religious arguments,” President Erdoğan said. “Let me speak openly; wherever they are, those being killed mercilessly are own brothers and sisters. Children giving their last breath at school desks are our own kids. Women whose hearts turn into Karbala with the grief of losing their children are our mothers. Cities that are being reduced to rubble with bombs are our cities. Places that are being annihilated and razed to the ground are our places. I am asking, from here, with my heart bleeding; what difference, for God’s sake, is there between the tears shed in Isfahan, Tabriz, Tehran and those shed in Erbil, Amman, Baghdad, Beirut, Sana'a, Doha, Riyadh or in other brotherly cities across the region? What difference does it make to the massacre network if our name is Ali, Murtaza or Omer, if our name is Ayşe, Zeynep, Hasan or Hüseyin. Whether in Iran or the Gulf, are we not the ones harmed by every missile fired? Is it not our region’s economy that loses blood because of this meaningless war? Does the billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure destroyed with missiles, bombs and drones not belong to our brothers and sisters in the region? In the eyes of the aggressors, who have been disregarding all norms, values and principles for 27 days, does it make any difference, for God’s sake, whether we are Shiite or Sunni, whether we are Turk, Kurd, Arab, or Persian? I am asking with all my sincerity; regardless of our sects and origins, is it not our blood that is spilling all across our geography?”

President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: “Have no doubts whatsoever that we neither discriminate among our brothers and neighbors, nor remain indifferent to their suffering. As Türkiye and the Turkish nation, we stand by the brotherly peoples. Let me reiterate that as the region is being plunged into bloodshed, we don’t deem it right to revisit the debates of a thousand years ago, to reopen old wounds, or to pursue agendas that serve division rather than unity. We are extremely vigilant against psychological operations conducted via social media platforms. We oppose every kind of action and debate that would deepen the resentment between brotherly peoples, exacerbate the animosity, and provide logistical support for Zionism’s divide-and-rule plots in the region. As Turks, Arabs, Kurds and Persians, we live in the world’s most strategical region, sharing the same destiny and same geography. In a shared geography, we have shared the same suffering, same grievances, same sorrow, same joy and same excitement for hundreds of years. Just like our past, our future will also inshallah be united. Once the cloud of dust we are currently in settles, we will once again turn to each other as neighbors and brothers. Once the deadly roar of missiles and bombs falls silent, we will inshallah continue to live together in this geography. I believe all must keep these facts in their mind.” 

“DEFENDING AL-QUDS AND AL-AQSA MOSQUE MEANS DEFENDING HUMANITY”

“As I already stated following the cabinet meeting, even though it is Israel’s war, the high price for it is being paid first by Muslims and then the whole humanity,” President Erdoğan stated. The Netanyahu government is not only targeting our neighbor Iran, but also gradually implementing its plans to occupy Lebanon. 1,100 of our Lebanon brothers and sisters have been killed and 1.165 million of our Lebanese brothers and sisters have been displaced in the Israeli forces’ attacks since March 2. Also harassing Syria, Israel persistently continues its acts of aggressions against Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

“The Zionist massacre network has kept our first Qibla, Al-Aqsa Mosque, closed for 27 days. For the first time since 1967, Eid prayers couldn’t be performed at Al-Aqsa Mosque, on the gate of which Israel put a lock. This lawlessness, this banditry amounts, above all else, to an insolent attack on the faith of two billion Muslims. Muslims’ right to worship at Al-Aqsa Mosque cannot be usurped, prevented or prohibited, no matter what pretext. It is a necessity of our humanity to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque, which the late Mehmet Akif Ersoy described as the gate opening up to the existential secret of the universe. Let’s see how the late poet Nuri Pakdil, the poet of Al-Quds, explains this fact; it is a necessity of being a modern human being for every person with a conscientious mind to take a stance against the crimes committed not only in Palestine but in the whole Islamic geography, and, if unable to take any concrete action, to judge them, at least, internally. Al-Aqsa, a captive at the moment, stands in Muslims’ hearts as an innocent victim of a faith killing, just like a book with its pages torn out. Our debt to the captive Al-Quds is to defend Al-Quds, and liberate it. Defending Al-Quds means defending genuine independence. And today I am saying that defending Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque means defending humanity,” President Erdoğan further stressed, adding: “As the state, we will never yield to the hate speech, warmongering, and the climate of conflict surrounding us. Acting with the rightful self-confidence stemming from standing on the right side of history and conscience, we will never lose our calm and common sense. We will never back down from our peaceful foreign policy grounded in peace for all, stability for all, and tranquility for all.”