Money, intimidation cannot buy will, Erdogan tells US

By Burcu Calik, Ayse Sensoy Zehra Aydin

ANKARA

The Turkish president on Saturday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's threats ahead of the recent UN General Assembly vote on Jerusalem, saying money and intimidation were not enough to influence the outcome.

The UN's 193-member General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution on Jerusalem by an overwhelming majority, calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel's capital.

A total of 128 members voted in favor of the Jerusalem resolution, nine countries voted against and 35 others abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.

Trump had warned that aid would be cut to those countries voting against Washington’s move at the General Assembly.

"They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care," Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

Erdogan said the UN vote demonstrated that money could not buy will.

"As you know, everyone stood united at the UN...128 against 9... This means, will be bought with dollars, intimidation," he said in a public address ahead of an ordinary provincial congress of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in the southeastern province of Hakkari.

Separately, Erdogan at his party's ordinary provincial congress in the southeastern province of Sirnak once more called on the U.S. to revoke its decision on Jerusalem and asserted that Turkey will not "allow" Jerusalem to be used for "personal interests" and "ideological ".

"We will also defend the rights and justice of Orthodox and Catholics in Jerusalem if necessary, as we did throughout history," he said, asserting that Turkey "will not allow" Jerusalem "into a bloodbath".

PKK terrorism prevented investments

Erdogan also talked about the effects of PKK terrorism in the southeastern Hakkari province.

"The terrorist organization did not only take the lives of our people hostage, did not only take their will but also prevented the coming of investments.

"If you disable the works of engineers [...] and contractors with threats, weapons blackmail how will other investors come here? Why would they come" Erdogan said.

Erdogan said exports from Hakkari province last year amounted to $23.5 million while imports reached $3.5 , but stressed that the province's potential ten times that.

"Hopefully, we will evoke this potential together," he said.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and the EU. In over three-decade-long terror campaign against Turkey, more than 40,000 people have been killed.

The terror group uses northern Iraq’s mountainous border region to launch attacks on Turkey and has its main base at Qandil, near the Iraq-Iran border.

Since the PKK terrorists resumed its armed campaign in July 2015, more than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives.