Erdogan: "Turkey has become a hope for oppressed; a north star of justice"

Erdogan said in his address to Turkish nation that Turkey extended a helping hand to Indians in the farthest west, martyrdom in Myanmar in the farthest east, Turkish communities in the north, and to the needy Somali people in the south of the world.

Erdogan said Turkish citizens voted for them in order to provide service for not just a certain part of the society, but for all of 76 million people in the country for eleven years, adding:  

"Turkey has expanded its economy more than three times in eleven years and Turkey's economic volume has now reached 786 billion USD which was 230 billion USD when we took over the rule. National income, which was 350 billion Turkish Lira in 2002, has now reached 1.4 trillion TL. National income per capita outreached 10,500 USD which was 3,500 USD when we took over the government. Turkish central bank has increased its reserve about five times, which is exceeding 135 billion USD now. Turkey had a 23.5 billion USD debt to International Monetary Fund (IMF) and we have paid all of it and now Turkey has become a country which opens credit for IMF."  

The prime minister said they had built schools, hospitals, universities, justice palaces, dams, highways, speed trains, houses, bridges and more adding that the government has rebuilt the country in a stronger way.  

"We conducted an inclusive research about financial costs of terrorism. Accordingly; Turkey allocated 495 billion Turkish Lira for defense between 1986-2012. If terrorism had not existed in Turkey and defense expenses had been 50 percent less, Turkey would have saved 248 billion Lira. In this 26 year-period, Turkish tourism lost 121 billion Lira and direct international investment loss was about 53 billion Lira. Cost of migration to metropolitan cities due to terrorism reached about 78 billion Lira," said Erdogan.

"Turkey had experienced serious losses in employment, energy, agriculture, livestock and trade. As a result, if terrorism had not existed and Turkish economy grew more than 0.25 percent rate at annual base, there would be an additional profit of 1 trillion Lira for the country. National income is now 1.4 trillion Lira and according to our calculations, it would be 2.5 trillion TL if terrorism did not exist in the country," underlined the prime minister. 

Stating that they witnessed a historical meeting, contiguity and a vital normalization scene in southeastern Diyarbakir province of Turkey in November, Erdogan said over 60,000 citizens as well as Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, a renowned Kurdish singer Sivan Perwer and Ibrahim Tatlises attended a mass inauguration ceremony, adding: 

"We provided a 880 million Turkish Lira masterpiece and service in Diyarbakir and its towns of Bismil and Ergani. We also enabled a 580 million lira investment and masterpiece in a lump in northern province of Trabzon." 

Expressing that the month of November was quiet vigorous in terms of foreign policy and vital steps were taken in this domain, Erdogan added that Turkey hosted many leading state leaders from Europe, Asia and Middle East, hereby stating its important issues in its own region and expressing its theses to its respondents as well. 

Reminding they hosted King Harald V of Norway, Grand Duke of Luxemburg Henry, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdish regional administration Nechirvan Barzani, Parliament Speaker of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Sibel Siber as well, Erdogan continued: 

"Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and I chaired the third meeting of High-level Strategic Cooperation Council in Ankara on Nov. 12-13. We paid visits to three European countries, Finland, Sweden and Poland and had inclusive and high level talks in each of them with about 200 businessmen accompanying us. We attended business forums. In addition to these European countries, we paid an important visit to Russian Federation. Here, the Russian President Vladimir Putin and I chaired the fourth meeting of High-level Cooperation Council."

Turkey has become a country whose words and theses are taken into consideration more in its region and in the world, underlined Erdogan. 

englishnews@aa.com.tr