Turkey took ‘revolutionary steps’ over last 16 years for disabled: Erdoğan

ISTANBUL

Turkey has taken “revolutionary steps” over the last 16 years for the disabled population to increase their participation in the society, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Nov. 5.

“Today, 513,000 disabled individuals benefit from home care services in Turkey,” Erdoğan said at the opening ceremony of a special needs school serving children with mental and physical disabilities in Istanbul.

“At 97 rehabilitation and care centers throughout the country, 7,000 disabled people are being looked after,” he said.

The president said the number of disabled people being looked after at private care centers has reached 16,000.

Erdoğan added a salary of around 650 Turkish Liras ($119) are being paid on monthly basis to people with disabilities to support them.

“All kinds of plots were set up to distract us from these goals,” said Erdoğan on Turkey’s 2023 vision, which marks the centenary of the Republic of Turkey.

“Despite all, we have never given up our determination to walk towards our goals,” he said.

Turkey’s 2023 Vision sets specific targets for improvements in the areas of economic activity, energy, healthcare, education and transport.

“We see [Turkey’s] 2053 and 2071 visions, which we will build on [the basis of 2023] goals, as the greatest legacy we will leave for our children,” Erdoğan said.

He was referring to the year 2053, which will mark the 600th anniversary of Istanbul’s conquest and 2071, which will mark the 1,000th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert.

The Battle of Manzikert, known as Malazgirt in Turkish, saw Seljuk Turks led by Sultan Alparslan defeat a Byzantine army and open up Anatolia for Turkish domination on Aug. 26, 1071.

“The strong bond between our nation and state is our most important source of hope that allows us to look at our future with confidence,” Erdoğan said.

The president said Turkey has grown threefold over the past 16 years.

“We will be able to reach our 2023 goals when we grow twofold in the coming period,” he added.

“Then we will all go to a different level, a different league,” Erdoğan said, adding that the “new Turkey” will open doors to a new term for itself and for the region.