Terror groups cannot divide our nation: President Erdoğan

ANKARA

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Terrorist organizations will not succeed in their aims, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said amid a spate of recent terror attacks in Turkey. 

“There isn’t any way left that they have tried until today, but haven’t been successful. They cannot set our people against each other,” Erdoğan told a crowd at the opening ceremony of the Keçiören Metro Line in Ankara on Jan. 5, adding that Turkey was “under mutual attack from terrorist groups.” 

“They won’t be able to set people against each other. They couldn’t destroy our unity and won’t be able to do so. They couldn’t harm our unity and solidarity and they won’t be able to,” the president said. 

Erdoğan also talked about a recent debate on lifestyles that started after an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attack on a famous nightclub in Istanbul’s Ortaköy right after the beginning of 2017. 

“Those who wanted to provoke a part of our society against another over a debate on lifestyles failed again.

 Our people, regardless of their origin and what they believe, see this very well; Turkey is under mutual attack by terrorist groups and they want Turkey to be brought to its knees via these groups,” he also said. 

The debate appeared a concerted call by conservatives for citizens not to celebrate the new year on the grounds that it was a foreign and Christian holiday.

While also noting that the failed July 2016 coup was the best example of Keçiören’s firm stance, Erdoğan noted that people from Keçiören were killed and wounded during the thwarted bid. He also said that the “unity, togetherness and solidarity” presented by the residents of Keçiören was the best example against those who want to exploit differences in Turkey to foment clashes through provocations.

“I know that no one in Keçiören looks at the other and asks if he is Sunni, Alevi or from other sect. Everyone is human here, everyone is a citizen of the Turkish Republic. Everyone is a neighbor, friend and sibling. We know that we get the strongest response from Keçiören when we say ‘one nation, one flag, one country and one state,’” he added.  

Erdoğan also said the concept of a unitary state composed of one nation under one flag was what kept Turkey on its feet.