Erdoğan vows inclusion for all citizens

RİZE

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said his government does not discriminate against citizens based on their political views.

"We all remember very well what happened to us in the past when the institution of politics lost its ability to offer hope and find solutions to the country's problems," he said, addressing a crowd in northern Rize city on Feb. 17.

Erdoğan highlighted the current state of the country, describing it as experiencing "a great breakthrough and a great development in every field." The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader underlined the government's responsibility to ensure that all citizens feel included, stating, "As the AK Party and the People's Alliance, we cannot allow any of our citizens to feel excluded, marginalized and ignored, regardless of their political views."

Promising to address challenges such as the cost of living and inflation, Erdoğan asserted the government's determination, saying, "As a government that has achieved many successes in the last 21 years, we are the ones who will solve today's problems."

Reflecting on Türkiye's first manned space mission completed last week, Erdoğan expressed aspirations for future endeavors, stating, "God willing, we will send our second astronaut into space in the near future."

The country's first-ever astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, returned to Türkiye on Feb. 12 after completing a two-week mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The former F-16 pilot in the Turkish army conducted 13 experiments during his mission and has since been appointed to the Turkish Space Agency's (TUA) board of directors.

The appointment decision was published in the country's official gazette, bearing the signature of Erdoğan.

Later in the day during a rally in neighboring Trabzon, the president shifted his focus to the upcoming local elections. He touted the advancements made under his leadership, asserting that investments over the past 21 years have significantly improved standards of works and services across the nation.

Erdoğan outlined a vision for municipalities to transcend conventional boundaries.

"Classical municipal services are no longer a distinguishing feature," he remarked, promising a standard of living surpassing traditional municipal services. "With the Century of Türkiye cities, we promise you a standard far beyond classical municipalism, from advanced technology infrastructure to services that will improve the quality of life of our people."