Turkey to build 200,000 homes for 1 mln Syrians to voluntarily resettle: Erdoğan
ANKARA
Turkey plans to build 200,000 homes in northern Syria for some one-fourth of the refugees to voluntarily resettle, the Turkish president announced on May 9.
Addressing citizens following the Presidential Cabinet Meeting, President Erdoğan said: “Turkey is progressing towards its goals without deviating from its route at a time when the world and our region are going through a painful period in the grip of wars, conflicts, political and economic crises, and social upheavals.”
Describing Turkey as the center of new pursuits developments such as pandemics and wars have triggered in the global logistics and production system, President Erdoğan said: “While the global governance and security system, instituted following the Second World War, has been shaken deeply, we have revived the historical accumulation in our possession by means of political, economic and military reforms.”
Stressing that Turkey not only stands on its own feet but also lends support to all of its friends, President Erdoğan drew attention to the efforts exerted with the goal of building the great and strong Turkey step by step, and said: “We don’t allow any internal or external incident, any overt or covert plot, to deter us from that goal. We consider the prices, which we as the nation pay in this struggle, to be the assurance of our safe and prosperous future.”
Erdoğan extends well wishes to Saudi king
Meanwhile, President Erdoğan on May 9 held a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and extended well wishes for Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
After being informed of the health condition of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, who was admitted to hospital for medical exams, President Erdoğan conveyed his get well soon wishes to King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the presidential communication directorate said.
The call also addressed Turkey-Saudi Arabia relations as well as regional matters, said the statement.
The Saudi state news agency SPA reported that the 86-year-old monarch entered King Faisal Specialist Hospital in the city of Jeddah on May 7 to have some “medical examinations.”
In March, the Saudi King had the battery of his heart pacemaker replaced.
Erdoğan held meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on April 28, in his first visit to Saudi Arabia since 2017, in a bid to mend the ruined ties due to the brutal killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on the premises of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Over the past year, Ankara has embarked on a diplomatic push to reset relations with countries such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia after years of antagonism following the 2011 Arab Spring. Turkey’s support for popular movements linked to the Muslim Brotherhood initially spurred the break with Arab regimes.
