“We preserve our determination to crown the Turkish democracy with a civilian-stamped new constitution”

 

Addressing AK Party’s Group Meeting, President Erdoğan said: “Today, just like yesterday, we preserve our determination to crown the Turkish democracy with a civilian-stamped new constitution. We never have and never will lose sight of this goal, whatever the circumstances.”

President and Justice and Development (AK) Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the party’s group meeting in Ankara.

“OUR AIM IS TO ESTABLISH LASTING STABILITY IN OUR REGION”

President Erdoğan said: “I would like you, and our citizens watching us on TV screens, to rest assured that we as Türkiye have been doing, without hesitation, whatever it takes to put an immediate end to this mass slaughter, in which our 76 thousand Gazan brothers and sisters, mostly children and women, have been martyrized and nearly 170 thousand innocent Gazans wounded. We are engaged in intense efforts in every field, extending from humanitarian aid to diplomatic talks, from termination of trade with Israel to the recognition of the Palestinian state. High on our agenda during our talks with world leaders is always the genocide in Gaza and Israel’s escalating aggression. We are drawing attention to the catastrophes Israel, acting with the ‘Greater Israel’ delusions, could drag our region into. Our aim is to establish lasting stability in our region without further loss of life, destruction, and bloodshed.”

“Our biggest wish is for the sufferings the innocent Gazans have been enduring for two years to come to an immediate end. Actively supporting U.S. President Mr. Trump’s peace efforts, we hope to swiftly liberate our region from the grip it has been stuck in. Our Foreign Minister and the Director of National Intelligence Organization (MİT) as well as we, ourselves, are constantly in dialogue with our counterparts. Hamas, the Palestinian resistance organization, has given a most positive response to Mr. Trump’s peace plan and thus made its will for peace very clear. However, it is a fact that peace is not a single-wing pigeon. It is neither fair nor right nor realistic to put all the burden of peace on Hamas and the Palestinians.”

“IF PEACE IS GENUINELY DESIRED, ISRAEL MUST IMMEDIATELY STOP ITS ATTACKS”

“At the moment, the biggest obstacle in the way of peace is Israel’s attacks. Despite Mr. Trump’s open calls, Israel continues its assaults that undermine the positive atmosphere. If peace is genuinely desired, Israel must immediately stop its attacks. The Israeli government must come to terms with the fact that it can achieve nothing with atrocities, banditry, and cruelty. They outperformed even Hitler in the commission of genocide. They inflicted every sort of oppression and barbarity on a population of 2.5 million people, whom they confined to just 365 sq. meters. They brutally murdered journalists, doctors, and humanitarian aid workers. They weaponized hunger to starve innocent children to death. They turned Gaza into a huge mass of debris. Yet, whatever they did, they could not bring the heroic children of Gaza, who defend their own lands, to their knees. They turned Gaza into the world’s largest graveyard of children; yet, they could not take surrender of the people of Gaza. So long as the oppression continues, there will always be innocents fighting the oppressors. So long as the occupation continues, there will always be fearless warriors standing up against the occupiers. Ceasefire and a just peace is the most reasonable option for all parties. Talks underway today in Sharm el-Sheikh are of crucial importance. We hope to receive good news. We will continue our endeavors in this regard. And throughout this process, we shall never leave our Palestinians brothers and sisters alone,” President Erdoğan stated.

“I would like to take this opportunity to offer my gratitude to the millions who walked for freedom in our 81 provinces on Sunday, October 5. I wholeheartedly congratulate our party’s woman’s branches, who held a march of silent scream to stand in solidarity with Gaza. I said it before and I am repeating it now: just as our Syrian brothers and sisters regained their freedom after 14 years of oppression, our Palestinian brothers and sisters will also be successful, and will definitely establish a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East al-Quds as its capital city. May Allah bless and protect our Palestinian brothers and sisters. May Allah show mercy for our martyrs.”

“OUR CITIZENS STILL HARBOR A PROFOUND LONGING FOR A CIVILIAN CONSTITUTION”

“Today, just like yesterday, we preserve our determination to crown the Turkish democracy with a civilian-stamped new constitution. We never have and never will lose sight of this goal, whatever the circumstances. Behind this determination lie not personal ambitions but global reasons. It is a well-known fact that both the 1961 Constitution and the 1982 Constitution are full of traces of distrust in the democratic functioning, and in political parties which are an indispensable ingredient of this functioning, as well as in the national will. This pro-tutelage spirit, which has permeated both the essence and the letter of the constitutional texts, has built bastions, castles and towers in a lot of places to perpetuate its existence,” President Erdoğan said.

“The comprehensive amendments introduced in the near history have fallen short of entirely responding to the need for a new and civilian constitution. Our citizens still harbor a profound longing for a civilian constitution, which draws on the people’s wisdom instead of coups, rejecting the evil legacy of military interventions that caused disruptions in our democratic experience. That is exactly why the goal of a new and civilian constitution stands before us as a national issue. It is growing more and more visible every passing day that there is a need for a new social contract that is embraced by each member of the 86 million. What is more, this need is voiced openly by almost all political parties.”

“I would like to underline once more that the 1982 Constitution has already reached its expiration. We cannot build the Century of Türkiye with the current constitution, which is a product of a mindset that believes justice is served by hanging people in turns, one from the right and one from the left. As the institution of politics, the sooner we resolve this issue, the more we serve our country and democracy. We are greatly hopeful of our 28th term Parliament in this respect. I hope that political excuses and categorical objections are set aside when concrete opportunities come up in the period ahead to attend to this longing of our people. As the AK Party and the People’s Alliance, we take a constructive stance on this issue and frequently emphasize that we are ready to act in a spirit of conciliation. We hope to see a similar approach from the opposition, too.”