President Erdoğan: It is not anyone's right to say 'We will not recognize the court decision'

PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "It is not anyone's right or right to point the finger at members of the judiciary, to say 'we do not recognize the judicial decision', to put pressure on the courts. Özgür Efendi's relationship with politics is long gone from the times we have forgotten. Our stance, attitude, and what we said are clear in the case where we were punished for reading poetry and in the closure case opened against our party. Instead of dealing with empty things, they should look to us and learn how to wage a legal struggle. Even though we were wronged, we did not threaten anyone, we did not insult anyone, we did not say 'I do not recognize the judiciary'. We made our defense. We surrendered to the decision made by the judiciary."

Erdoğan stated that they, as the AK Party, consistently continued their tradition of consultation, and said, "We speak and discuss every issue regarding our party, our country and foreign policy openly, and make our decisions accordingly. As an AK Party tradition, we will hold the 32nd Kızılcahamam Consultation and Evaluation meeting, which has been closely followed in Turkish politics for years, between July 11-13. We see our camp as a common sense platform where the AK Party's new term roadmap will be shaped, beyond being a consultation ground. Hopefully, we will emerge from the Kızılcahamam Camp strengthened, renewed, refreshed, and inspired."

'WE ARE ONE OF THOSE WHO EXALTED THE RIGHT OF BROTHERHOOD'

Stating that they continue on their path more determinedly than ever as the AK Party organization in harmony and coordination, Erdoğan said, "As AK Party cadres, we are not those who fight, but those who glorify the culture of consultation and brotherhood. We are not a movement that undermines each other, that plots and traps each other, but a movement devoted to the same cause and the same ideal. We are such an organization. Look, our interests did not bring us together. Our political ambition did not bring us together under this roof. We did not run for these positions for a seat, a position or a title. We are only here to serve the people and gain God's consent. We are in the AK Party to serve our nation."

'ALL 86 MILLION ARE A PART OF OUR LIVES'

President Erdoğan, who stated that they will celebrate their 24th anniversary in August as the AK Party, said, "We have not allowed arrogance, arrogance, looking down on the nation to come close to this party for nearly 24 years, and we will not allow it to come close from now on either. We have never been among those who look down on the nation, ignore the nation, or turn a deaf ear to the nation's troubles. We will not be from now on either. We have not lost our love of serving Türkiye. We will not lose it from now on either. Our place is with our nation. Whether they vote for us or not, all 86 million are our true brothers and sisters, a part of our soul. We exist for the nation. We will always be there wherever the nation is. We will do whatever the nation wants and implement it. The AK Party is the party of the nation. This organization is the organization of this precious nation itself. We have always been the companions of the poor, the needy, the destitute, and the needy, not the elites. We have sincerely embraced the poor, the destitute, and the stranded, "We struggled to hold their hands and lift them up. Today, we are doing politics on the same lines," he said.

'WE WILL BE ON THE FIELD WITH A FULL TEAM IN THE SUMMER SEASON'

Erdoğan, noting that they will turn the summer months into an opportunity as an organization, said, "We are continuing the 'Turkey Meetings' that we held last year and were quite productive, with the theme of 'Turkey Century Meetings'. Our ministers, deputy chairmen, Central Decision and Management Board members and deputies will visit all 81 provinces and come together with our organization members, civil society organizations, the business world and various segments of our people. We will also hold our advisory councils, which are indispensable for our party, without a break and with the highest possible participation throughout the summer. We have gathered the events that our municipalities will organize for the youth during the summer under the title of 'Summer is Beautiful with You'. 5.6 million of our young people will vote for the first time in the 2028 elections. 2 million of these young brothers and sisters currently live within the borders of our municipalities. We aim to reach 750 thousand young people with our works for the youth in the summer of 2025. We will also ensure that young people residing outside our own municipal borders are informed about these works and activities. During the summer period, our women's branches and youth "Our branches will also go to the field and undertake extremely important work. We will be in the field with our full staff, including the cabinet, headquarters, boards, deputies, district, town, and above all, provincial organizations and municipalities," he said.

'WE TOOK Türkiye TO A NEW ERA'

Stating that they will use the summer period as an opportunity to widen the gap between them and the opposition, Erdoğan said, "Again, during this process, we will stop the lies and slanders that the opposition constantly spreads by telling the truth to our citizens with evidence and documents. I would like to state that I expect you, especially our mayors and provincial mayors, to give the necessary importance to these activities and to work devotedly for these activities to be implemented with the highest efficiency. While these programs provide us with the opportunity to learn the views of our nation directly, they also give us the opportunity to explain our services. The most successful staff in the history of the Republic in terms of service, work, investment, implementation and project is here, in this hall. In the words of the late Özal, 'We have made Türkiye leap into a new era' in transportation, health, education, trade, defense, agriculture and many other titles, no one should take offense. The opposition cannot even hold a candle to us in the service race. No one from the opposition can compete with the vision, diligence and passion for service of any of our mayors. When we go to the provinces and districts, we see the AK Party and the President We can see the difference between the alliance municipalities very clearly. There is action, work, 24/7 work in the AK Party and People's Alliance municipalities. There is a struggle to beautify their cities. There is a consciousness of keeping the promises made in the squares. There is a need to pay the debt of the trust with service politics. In our municipalities, there is not complaining, but finding solutions. There is not the cunningness of running a cheese ship with words, but the enthusiasm to put stone upon stone. There is a vision that knows the rights of the city and respects the rights of others. There is a sublime morality that follows the path of service, not profit. There is a perspective that thinks not only about today but also about tomorrow,” he said.

'A FINGER CUT BY SHARIA DOES NOT HURT'

Stating that the ongoing process in the CHP is an internal matter for the party, Erdoğan said, “Our nation is watching the developments in the main opposition party with astonishment, they cannot even raise their heads from the internal party fights and quarrels. They see no harm in insulting the presidential candidates, whom they could not praise enough until 2 years ago. Apparently, eating what is falling to their lot is a CHP tradition. The ongoing civil war in the CHP is of course an internal matter for the CHP. Who says what to whom, what accusations they make, what insults they make, who stabs whom in the CHP is none of our business. The congress discussions they insistently want to drag us into are also an internal matter for the CHP. Pay attention, all parties to the case brought to court are CHP members. All those who voice shameful allegations that our decency does not allow us to mention here are none other than CHP members. We are not involved in any part of this fight, this arm wrestling. The same applies to other investigations and prosecutions. It is valid. If they are looking for someone to blame on the subject, they should not look at the AK Party or us, but at their old and new comrades, and look at whose names are written in the case file. We have never been a party to this fight, this competition, this pitched battle. We will not be in the future either. Like everyone who ends up in court, CHP members also play their cards in court. They present their evidence, make their defense, and the independent and impartial Turkish judiciary makes the most accurate and most correct decision. In the end, the finger cut by sharia does not hurt. It is not anyone's right or right to point the finger at members of the judiciary, to say 'we do not recognize the court decision', to put pressure on the courts. Özgür Efendi's relationship with politics is much further back than the times we have forgotten. In the case where we were punished for reading poetry and in the closure case filed against our party, our stance, attitude and what we said are clear. Instead of dealing with empty things, they should look at us and learn how to wage a legal struggle. Even if we were wronged, we did not threaten anyone, we did not "We did not insult, we did not say 'I do not recognize the judiciary'. We made our defense. We submitted to the decision made by the judiciary. Unfortunately, we do not see the same maturity, the same self-confidence, the same respect for law in the CHP and the CHP administration. I believe that our nation has and will appreciate this very well," he said.

'WHAT Türkiye NEEDS IS THE CONSTRUCTIVE POLITICAL LANGUAGE'

Erdoğan, stating that the CHP's compass has been distorted and its political direction has been lost, said, "Our wish is for the main opposition party to return to the nation's main agenda. While our region has turned into a fire, while the world is experiencing historical ruptures and crises, while Turkey is trying to solve a half-century-old problem, in short, while there are such burning and vital issues, the fact that the main opposition has become the toy of 3-5 municipality robbers and has placed feeding on tension, polarization and abuse at the center of its politics is a loss for both them and our country. Turning political competition into hostility, turning everyone except them into enemies, and trying to suppress every criticism with tyranny is the greatest evil that can be done to Türkiye and our democracy. What Türkiye needs is a constructive and responsible political language. We hope that the opposition will solve its direction problem as soon as possible. In such a period, those who pursue small problems and petty calculations cannot be held accountable to history. We are the ones who will position Türkiye in the strongest way in global politics and ecopolitics where the cards are being re-shuffled. "We are struggling for a Türkiye that has completely solved the terrorism problem, strengthened its internal front, and gotten rid of its baggage and bile. We want to wage this struggle with the broadest possible participation," he said.

President Erdoğan said the following regarding the cartoon published in Leman magazine: "The disrespect shown to our Prophet Muhammad by some immoral people who do not know any manners or etiquette is completely unacceptable. It is a clear provocation disguised as humor. It is a vile provocation. Our security and judiciary immediately took action regarding this hate crime, the magazine in question was confiscated, and the necessary procedures were initiated. Those who are insolent towards our Prophet Muhammad and other prophets will be held accountable before the law. We will be following up on this."

DHA

Reporter: News Center