Erdoğan: Türkiye nears end of '$2 trillion terror scourge'
ISTANBUL
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Türkiye is on the verge of eradicating the "terror scourge" that has cost the country $2 trillion over the past four decades.
"We are trying to get the Turkish ship to shore in the stormy waters where the wave height is increasing with trade wars, and we are doing well," he said on May 30 at an event in Istanbul.
He cited reconstruction efforts in Türkiye’s southern earthquake-hit regions, support for Syria’s political transition and efforts to end the war in Ukraine as key priorities.
"Domestically, we are moving forward with firm steps towards our goal of a terror-free Türkiye. Except for a minority who oppose everything, the political institution and the overwhelming majority of society support this process," Erdoğan said.
"After our losses over the past 40 years, we are very close to getting rid of the scourge that has cost $2 trillion. I believe that we will reach the target this time with careful and patient process management."
On the economic front, Erdoğan said high interest rates harm production, trade and social life.
"The opposition has always stood against us when we defended the interest-free system. Even in the right policies, they could not display a local stance that would be good for this country," he said.
"As Tayyip Erdoğan, I will continue to personally voice my longing for an interest-free economy. We will not back down from the struggle for the change of the interest-based economic order."
He pledged to develop alternatives to the current system and called for a higher rate of participation banking in Türkiye.
"We are determined to implement our economic program, in which we have made significant progress in the past two years, until we reach our goals," Erdoğan said.
"We are a government that has achieved the lowest inflation and interest rates in the history of the republic. They hope for our economy to collapse, but they will not succeed."
He also promised new support packages tailored to evolving economic conditions.
"In the chaotic atmosphere of the global economy, the ethical, fair and sustainable approaches offered by Islamic finance will be examined in great detail," Erdoğan said.
He called for greater economic cooperation within the Islamic world, emphasizing the need to boost trade, investment and financial ties.
"Trade opportunities between us should increase, the Islamic world should increase cooperation," he added.
