Erdoğan calls Türkiye a ‘builder of order and peace’

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan cast Türkiye as a stabilizing force and a builder of regional order on Dec. 9, using a gathering in Ankara to tout the country’s global role.

“As our crescent and star-adorned flag waves gracefully around the world, our friends, compatriots and brothers feel even more secure,” Erdoğan told the event.

The event organized by his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was attended by party leaders, lawmakers and civil society representatives.

“As a state that builds order, Türkiye's presence instills confidence in hundreds of millions of people in many regions, from the Middle East to the Caucasus, from Africa to South Asia," he said.

"I am proud to say that when Türkiye is mentioned, what comes to mind is a country that not only protects its borders but also builds peace and shapes diplomacy."

Erdoğan pledged to maintain what he described as Ankara’s longstanding principle of "siding with the oppressed and against the oppressor."

“There is no stain in our history or in our cultural and civilizational codes that would cause us to feel ashamed about human rights,” he said. “We have a clean record compared to all those who lecture us today about rights and freedoms.”

He added this comes despite “the bills that human rights executioners have presented to our country, our nation, our democracy and our social peace.”

"With the motto 'a strong Türkiye for humanity,' we are striving to do our part in many crisis regions from Gaza to Syria, from the Russia-Ukraine war to tensions in East Africa," he said.

"Türkiye's conscientious stance on the incidents in Syria and Gaza is a lesson in human rights, a human rights epic... We did not give in to pressure, threats, or the human rights paupers who sided with the oppressors for various reasons."

Erdoğan praised developments in Syria one year after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad and the installation of an interim government, saying Türkiye is supporting reconstruction efforts “with all its resources.”

"We are pleased to see that despite all the difficulties and hardships of the past year, and despite the wreckage left behind by the Assad dictator, the Syrian people have embraced life with both hands and are fighting to rebuild their country,” he said.

"The Syrian revolution has left the most difficult part behind in the past year. I believe that... there will be no return to the old bad days."

Erdoğan also said the planned integration of YPG into Syria’s new national army "upset the plans of evil forces investing in the dream of an unstable, divided and weak Syria."

"The implementation of the March 10 agreement... will resolve an important knot," he added.