President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on June 22 that Türkiye has emerged as a “playmaker” in global politics, criticizing the opposition for what he described as internal disputes and a lack of vision.
“With our silent revolutions, we have brought Türkiye into a new era. We have become the most successful team in the 103-year history of the republic. We have inscribed our name in history with glory and honor,” Erdoğan said at an event in the capital Ankara.
The president said his government had invested 4.28 trillion Turkish Liras (around $92.1 billion) in Ankara since coming to power and argued that economic and strategic advances once viewed as unrealistic had become reality.
“If we had said that Türkiye would first become a regional power and then a playmaker in global politics, we would have been accused of daydreaming,” he said.
“No one thought it was possible to make such major strides in every field in such a short time. Very few people believed our country could write a success story in the defense industry. If we had said we would increase our national income to $1.6 trillion, we would have been accused of living in a fantasy world.”
Erdoğan also targeted opposition parties, accusing them of failing to offer policy alternatives and becoming consumed by internal disagreements.
“They have no plans or projects to offer the nation. They are harming not only themselves but also the political institution,” Erdoğan said.
“We have solved many of our country’s problems, but we have not been able to solve the problem of chronic opposition. We have not been able to teach them to adopt a domestic and national stance on issues such as foreign policy, defense, tutelage and terrorism.”
He further criticized turmoil within the Republican People’s Party (CHP) following a court decision that removed the leadership of the main opposition movement.
“We want to see an opposition that competes in service and achievements, not one filled with discord,” he said.
At the same event, the mayor of Ankara’s Haymana district, Levent Koç, joined Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) after resigning from the CHP earlier in the day.
