Erdoğan criticizes global inaction amid rising tensions

AKSARAY

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has denounced the failure of leading nations to address escalating tensions worldwide.

"From the Balkans to the Caucasus, tensions are rising everywhere. We are witnessing the most painful examples of how the so-called great states and the international organizations under their control do no good to anyone," Erdoğan declared to supporters at a rally in the Central Anatolian province of Aksaray on March 26 ahead of this weekend's local elections.

Erdoğan highlighted the deepening crises gripping regions such as the war in Ukraine and the plight of Gazans, attributing these to the ineffectiveness of major countries.

"They are attempting to drag Türkiye into this catastrophic scenario with the countless attacks we have been subjected to in the last 10 years. We cannot give up now just because some ambitious people want it that way," he said.

"Together, we will be a little more patient. Those circles that are disturbed by the power and potential of our country want to drag our nation into the swamp of pessimism by using the opposition."

Erdoğan accused unspecified adversaries of seeking to "instill insecurity and instability in Türkiye" to undermine its progress.

The president later acknowledged domestic concerns over inflation and the cost of living.

"It is clear that the problems we are experiencing as a country will not be solved with words, as the opposition does," he remarked, vowing to address inflation and bolster purchasing power.

Erdoğan reassured citizens that measures to mitigate the impact of inflation were underway.

"You know best how the salary increase made without ensuring price stability melts even before it enters the pocket," he said. "Because in high inflation, whatever we give disappears like a bottomless pit."

The president said his administration expects tangible progress in the coming months.

"We are constantly taking steps to compensate for the decrease in the purchasing power of our employees and retirees," he said. “We have the program and determination to achieve this.”

Aksaray is among 22 provinces where ruling alliance partners, Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), are fielding separate candidates.

Evren Dinçer, the incumbent from AKP, will face off against MHP's İrfan Çıtak, while the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the İYİ (Good) Party have nominated Mustafa Tuğrul Karacaer and Pelinsu Yıldırım Demir, respectively.