We bargained for unified flag, country, state, nation, says Turkish minister

İZMİR - Doğan News Agency

Turkey's Transportation Minister Binalı Yıldırım. AA photo

The peace process has seen no other negotiations than those aiming to keep Turkey unified under “one state, one flag, one nation and one country,” Transportation Minister Binalı Yıldırım said on April 28, while attending a breakfast with reporters.

“They ask us what we have negotiated for,” Yıldırım said. “And we tell them, yes, we bargained, but we did so for one state, one nation, one flag and one country. We had no other bargaining than that.”

In response to recent criticism of the peace process, Yıldırım said, “No one should exploit this process; this is a very important step. It’s a process vital to the future of our country, our strength, out unity, and our brotherhood.”

“The right thing to do for everyone would be to contribute to this as best as everyone can,” Yıldırım said. “We have lost resources worth 400 million dollars due to terrorism. If we had spent all that on investments – we spent 150 million dollars over the last decade in investments – we would have built 400 Bosporus bridges, or 100,000 kilometers of railways. Hopefully we will be rid of this from now on and will be able to dedicate our resources to the future of our country.”

Yıldırım said those who have lost loved ones as martyrs may reflect with emotions, but politicians should remain responsible.

“We can understand martyrs’ families, their hearts burn,” Yıldırım said. “Their emotional responses are human responses and can be understood. Those who are in politics should not act with emotions. We expect them to behave more responsibly for the future of our country.”