Erdoğan vows to end terrorism 'at home and abroad'

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pledged to eradicate terrorism "at home and abroad" and deliver a secure Türkiye.

“We will build a Türkiye without terrorism together,” Erdoğan said at an event organized by his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the southern city of Kahramanmaraş on Nov. 30.

The meeting marked the first of provincial gatherings leading to a major congress scheduled for Feb. 28 next year.

"We are determined to deliver a country where terrorism is zero at home and abroad to our children. We want to break and throw off the shackles of terrorism that hinder Türkiye's vision of the future," he said.

"Everyone knows now that Türkiye is not someone's test bed, a line of tension, or an area for instability."

Promising inclusivity, Erdoğan vowed to unite the country’s over 85 million citizens across all ethnicities and religious sects.

"We are Türkiye together. God willing, we will walk together to the future,” he declared.

The AKP's congress process began on Sept. 3 and includes a series of preparatory events, including the youth and women's branch congresses, scheduled before the main event.

Neighborhood, town and district congresses are slated to conclude by early December, paving the way for provincial congresses.

The gatherings in major cities, including Ankara and Istanbul, are likely to include changes in key staff positions, daily Hürriyet has reported.

The AKP held an extraordinary congress held in October 2023, during which Erdoğan was reelected as the party's leader.

It also saw a significant reshuffle in the AKP's central decision-making body, with 49 members losing their positions and 26 incumbents retaining theirs.

Notably absent from the new management list were figures such as Binali Yıldırım, Nurettin Canikli, Jülide Sarıeroğlu and Mehmet Ali Zengin.

At a separate ceremony in Kahramanmaraş, Erdoğan emphasized the rebuilding efforts in the wake of last year's devastating earthquake in the region.

The event included the drawing of lots and the delivery of newly constructed homes for displaced families.

"This ancient city has always been a great fortress, a solid pillar of Anatolia," Erdoğan said. "You embraced life again by joining hands. You exhibited the most beautiful examples of brotherhood and solidarity."

Erdoğan revealed plans to complete over 450,000 independent units, including homes and workplaces, across the earthquake-hit areas by the end of 2025.