President Erdoğan: Attempts to make Türkiye surrender through terror will never succeed
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a press conference before leaving for Indonesia, where he will attend the 17th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit.
Commencing his speech by wishing speedy recovery to those wounded in the explosion at İstiklal Street in Istanbul, President Erdoğan said: “Relevant units of our state are carrying out works to find out the perpetrators of this heinous attack as well as the circles behind it. Attempts to make Türkiye and the Turkish nation surrender through terror never have and never will succeed. May our people rest assured that all the aspects of this incident will be clarified and the perpetrators will be punished in the way they deserve.”
President Erdoğan added that the Istanbul Governor’s Office has put the number of dead at 6 and those wounded at 53.
“GLOBAL INFLATION WAVE DEEPLY SHAKES ALL ECONOMIES”
The coronavirus pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, and other critical issues affecting the daily life will be high on the agenda of the G20 summit, President Erdoğan stressed. “As the global inflation wave deeply shakes all economies, it also brings on the recession threat. As the G20 members, we made a commitment to prevent food waste besides other issues in the Antalya declaration. We convened the first-ever meeting of energy ministers in the history of G20 and drew attention to the importance of the issue during our term presidency.”
Drawing attention to the Black Sea grain corridor established with the mediation of Türkiye and the United Nations, President Erdoğan said: “We have thereby enabled the shipment of over 10 million tons of grains to world markets. As we maintain our efforts for the continuation of the process, we endeavor to make sure that the grain reaches the countries most in need, particularly African nations. I will especially focus on this issue during my talks with my counterparts in Bali. We will do everything in our power to ensure that this grain reaches African countries.”
“PANDEMIC LAID BARE THE GLOBAL HEALTH SYSTEM’S SHORTCOMINGS”
President Erdoğan pointed out that the second agenda item of the summit will be health, noting that the pandemic laid bare the shortcomings and injustices of the global health system.
Underlining that hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives because they lacked basic health services and access to timely vaccination, President Erdoğan stated that Türkiye performed very well both at home and abroad during those days when even developed countries faltered.
The investments made since 2002 in Türkiye’s health infrastructure and social security system bear fruits, stated President Erdoğan, adding: “We are now taking this rich experience of ours to the international arena under the Health Türkiye brand, putting it at the service of the whole humanity along with our own citizens. During the talks to be held at the G20, we will discuss the steps and preparations that should be completed in view of Türkiye’s experience.”
Digital transformation will be the third agenda item in Bali, with the theme of inclusiveness set to be in the limelight, noted the President, stating that the leaders will exchange views on how to lay the groundwork for a structure by which no one is excluded. President Erdoğan added that he will share with its counterparts Türkiye’s success in works related to electronic state and digital transformation.
FETO LEADER SHELTERED IN THE U.S.
President Erdoğan answered reporters’ questions following the press conference.
Asked whether he would discuss the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, President Erdoğan, in reference to FETO leader, said that he and his entourage take shelter at a huge mansion in the U.S. and that this issue would come up again in case of a meeting with the U.S. President.
TRNC’S OBSERVER STATUS AT THE ORGANIZATION OF TURKIC STATES
In answer to a question about Europe’s reactions to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) accession to the Organization of Turkic States as an observer member, President Erdoğan underlined that Türkiye cares about its own views and perspectives rather than the opinions of Europe or the European Union. Pointing out that Türkiye had already made a statement on the issue at the United Nations General Assembly, President Erdoğan drew attention to the consensus reached among the Turkic States’ leaders on the TRNC’s observer status.
