“It is our collective duty to protect and strengthen our family structure”
Addressing the Debut of “Year of the Family”, President Erdoğan said: “It is not only a sociological observation but also a historical truth that strong individuals constitute strong families, strong families constitute strong nations, and strong nations constitute strong states. In view of this truth, it is our collective duty to protect and strengthen our family structure and to leave a rich heritage to future generations.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the Debut of “Year of the Family” in Ankara.
Emphasizing the vital role that is played by families in shaping the social and cultural fabric and carrying values from centuries ago to the present day, President Erdoğan said: “The family institution, which forms the essence and core of the society, plays an indispensable role in the preservation of our national and moral values.”
“STRONG FAMILIES CONSTITUTE STRONG STATES”
History shows that states and nations enjoy a more powerful status during times of higher societal awareness about the family institution, President Erdoğan said. “It is not only a sociological observation but also a historical truth that strong individuals constitute strong families, strong families constitute strong nations, and strong nations constitute strong states. In view of this truth, it is our collective duty to protect and strengthen our family structure and to leave a rich heritage to future generations. Naturally, if we want to make the family strong, we should start with family members before all else. Keep in mind that the stronger the foundation is laid, the more resilient the building will be.”
Pointing out that children raised by mindful parents will safeguard both the national identity and the family institution as the architects of the future, President Erdoğan added: “It is of critical importance that our children grow with knowledge, wisdom, and good morals both within the family and at educational institutions.”
“WE WILL DETERMINEDLY CONTINUE TO OPPOSE GENDER-NEUTRALIZATION POLICIES”
Warning against deviant movements that target the society and the family, President Erdoğan said: “It is also our collective responsibility to protect our children and youths from poisonous trends, poisonous thoughts, and from deviant ideologies that threaten our family and social structure. We are living in truly strange times. Neoliberal cultural trends are transcending borders, penetrating all parts of the world and shaping the social fabric. Series, movies, publications and many other contents most of the time result in irreversible processes such as cultural erosion and identity degradation. These contents, served in a conscious, intentional and persistent manner, cause LGBT and other unnatural trends, first and foremost gender-neutralization policies, to gain ground.”
President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: “At the current stage, it is quite obvious that the primary target of gender-neutralization policies, where LGBT is used as a battering ram, is family and the sanctity of family institution. As I have repeatedly stated, this anomaly, initially sought to be legitimized as a personal preference, has now turned into a fascist imposition. LGBT criticism, just like the rightful criticism against Zionism, is silenced immediately. Anyone who defends the natural, morality, and the family comes under a heavy pressure and is suppressed by the global culture’s hitmen. We all know the examples of this in politics. This tyranny is not limited to politics. We are all faced with a harsher, more oppressive and scarier reality in almost every field, from media and cinema industry to sports, games, and digital platforms. Even 2-3 year-old innocent kids are subjected to this deviance at a very early age through games and cartoons. The immoralities found out at a digital game platform to which we applied measures a few months ago are the most striking examples of this. We are one of the rare countries to courageously and openly raise objections to this increasingly suffocating climate at every platform, including the United Nations General Assembly. We will further consolidate this stance of ours. We will determinedly continue to oppose gender-neutralization policies that ruin, in sequence, the individual, the family, and the society. No matter who says what, Türkiye’s stance on this issue is clear. Taking a step back from this is out of the question.”
