2021 to be year of recovery, reforms for Turkey, says Erdoğan

ANKARA- Anadolu Agency

Turkey is aiming to make 2021 a year of recovery and reforms in various domains, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Jan. 2. 

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of a bridge in the country’s east, Erdoğan said the ruling AKP had identified various areas where reforms were needed.

“At a time when the global political and economic order has been shaken to its roots, we should work harder to take our country to the point where it deserves to be,” the president asserted.

“We want to make 2021 a year when we leap forward. That is what we are now preparing for.”

He underlined the success of Turkey’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and its efforts to mitigate the economic effects of the global crisis.

“We mobilized all of state resources to protect the nation’s health as well as our citizens’ jobs and future,” said Erdoğan.

Speaking about the COVID-19 vaccination efforts, he said Turkey’s locally produced vaccines will be ready for rollout by April.

“I believe the start of the vaccination drive will mark an important step forward in our struggle against the coronavirus [pandemic],” he added.

The Kömürhan Bridge that Erdoğan opened on Saturday connects the eastern Malatya and Elazığ provinces.

The bridge, which covers a distance of 660 meters (0.41 miles), is the fourth biggest project in its class.

Designed and constructed by Turkish companies and engineers, the project has been completed at a cost of some 720 million Turkish liras (over $96 million).