Turkish leaders celebrate International Women’s Day

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

AA Photo

In a statement released on March 8 to mark International Women’s Day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised to continue working to make the lives of women better and easier and to encourage their participation in the economic and political fields.

“I believe our educated, brave and self-confident women in every field will help our country reach a more developed level,” Erdoğan said.

Stressing his determination to combat violence against women, he also called on women to protect their own rights and to stand up to violations against them.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called on women across the country to embrace the ongoing Kurdish peace process, after which the more “cries of mothers will no longer be heard.”
Davutoğlu described the process as “a friendship project” and said any matter that is not handled by women cannot succeed.

“Neither our religion nor our traditions are based on discrimination against women,” he said at a panel on “Women’s Changing and Developing Status in Turkey” in the southeastern province of Mardin on March 8.

“Every single day that you show respect to your mother, love for your wife and mercy to your daughter, is women’s day for us,” he added.

Davutoğlu called on society to stand against “violence against women,” which he said is inexcusable in any situation.

However, Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu once again caused some controversy by saying that a woman would be doing “wrong” if she pushed motherhood aside in favor of a career.

“If you push aside motherhood to become a lawyer, doctor, engineer, then you would be doing wrong,” said Müezzinoğlu on March 8, speaking in the northwestern province of Edirne.