We will never force refugees to leave Turkey: Erdoğan

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 11 said his government will never force refugees in Turkey to return to their homeland.

“Those of these brothers, who want to go back, will return on their own will. As long as we are on this mission, you will not be able to send these brothers back from this country,” Erdoğan said, speaking at his party’s meeting of provincial heads.

Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees who hear this policy will be in peace of mind, he added.

“There are [concepts of] Muhajir and Ansar in this civilization. That’s why we will continue to protect our brothers who fled their countries and took shelter here in the same way we opened our doors,” he stated.

“Their flight from their country is all but a refuge. We are doing the duty of Ansar to these immigrant brothers, and we will continue to do so,” he added.

Some people commit hate crimes that trample all human values on the basis of hostility towards refugees, while others marginalize everyone with their arrogance that they can no longer hide, the president stated.

Addressing his party members, Erdoğan also said they are on the verge of a period when the government will complete the “construction of a great and powerful” Turkey.

“Every election is important; every election is critical. The November 2002 elections were a historic turning point. The 2007 elections enabled us to enter a new phase in our struggle against tutelage. The 2011 elections brought our work and service policy to the top,” he said.

“The 2015 elections had turned into a showdown with those who wanted to return to the old days. The 2018 elections were the test we entered with the coup attempt and the new management approach,” Erdoğan added.

The 2023 elections will be engraved in history, both as an account of Turkey’s achievements during the government of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and as a harbinger of their 2053 vision, he said.

“Breaking the developing country chain” and making Turkey one of the world’s top 10 economies depends on the choice to be made in 2023, the president said.

The only commitment of the opposition to Turkey is to take the country 20 years back, destroy everything that has been done, if possible, and disable what has not been done, he added.

The Russian-Ukrainian war joined the difficulties that Turkey has also been facing, which started with the 2008 financial crisis and reached a great stage with the pandemic, he said, noting that along with threats, it also created important opportunities.

“Thanks to the democracy and development we brought to our country, we passed many tests. We established the supremacy of the national will. We have implemented works and services that will remove the backwardness of our country,” Erdoğan stated.

“Now we are on the verge of a period in which we will reap the real fruits of all these efforts, struggles and sacrifices,” he said, stressing that the importance of the 2023 elections is based on this perspective.