Regarding the agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “Turkey will collaborate with Russia in the joint peacekeeping force to be set up in the region in order to oversee and monitor the implementation of the agreement. The memorandum of understanding regarding the establishment of a Joint Turkish-Russian Centre for the control and monitoring of the ceasefire was signed this morning. This centre will be established on the Azerbaijani territories liberated from occupation. This centre will take all measures to prevent violations of the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
In his speech at the GNAT Party Group Meeting, President Erdoğan congratulated Azerbaijan on the liberation of Karabakh.
President Erdoğan noted, “I congratulate all my Azerbaijani brothers, especially my brother, my friend Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the liberation of the occupied territories and the entire Karabakh”, stating that, according to the agreement reached, Azerbaijani lands that had not yet been captured and the remaining parts of Karabakh would be left to Azerbaijan.
“Turkey will collaborate with Russia in the joint peacekeeping force to be set up in the region in order to oversee and monitor the implementation of the agreement. The memorandum of understanding regarding the establishment of a Joint Turkish-Russian Centre for the control and monitoring of the ceasefire was signed this morning. This centre will be established on the Azerbaijani territories liberated from occupation. This centre will take all measures to prevent violations of the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Thus, the 28-year occupation of Azerbaijani territories and Karabakh officially and de facto has come to an end. As Turkey and the Turkish nation, we have felt the pain of the occupation every day for 28 years in our hearts along with our Azerbaijani brothers. Those who had previously turned a blind eye to the massacres in Cyprus, and again in Bosnia in the 1990s, also ignored the massacres in Karabakh. We experienced the pain of the children, women, and the elderly who were killed in Khojaly and other cities of Karabakh together with our Azerbaijani sisters and brothers, and we shed tears together. In the conflicts that began when Armenia attacked the territory of Azerbaijan once again, we have contributed to the process that will bring an end to this occupation by standing by our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters with all our hearts and opportunities.”
“We will build our future together”
President Erdoğan stressed that it would be ensured from now on that no civilians would be harmed, contrary to the killings of Armenia, which caused so many innocent people to lose their lives by constantly targeting residential areas throughout the recent conflicts, and noted the following:
“The Azerbaijani state has already made a commitment that no civilians will be harmed from now on as it happened so far. I would like to thank our military and intelligence advisors and diplomats who have worked hard in the process of liberating the occupied territories and Karabakh.
The joys of our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters are our joy, their pride is our pride. Inshallah from now on, we will be in much closer, much stronger cooperation with Azerbaijan, and we will build our common future together. In the period of change taking place in our region and the world, we will exalt our countries together, joining hands as two brotherly countries, and achieve our goals together. Within this period, we had the opportunity to talk to our brother Ilham Aliyev almost every day. We had the opportunity to be informed."
President Erdoğan stated that they wished wholeheartedly that a period of peace and tranquillity in Syria, similar to that in Karabakh, to begin as soon as possible.
Pointing out that the regime and the terrorist organizations that shed blood on the Syrian territories should first be eliminated to reach this objective, President Erdoğan expressed the following: “For the construction of a new Syria that will be shaped directly by the will of the people, we are ready to work more closely with the forces that have influence in the region, mainly Russia. We are of the opinion that a similar step can be taken in Syria with sincere cooperation just as peace has been established in Karabakh in a short period.”
Hoping that the on-going political negotiations in Libya would result in an agreement that was acceptable, reasonable, and sustainable for all parties, President Erdoğan said, “We are also holding our meetings with all relevant units there. We think an equitable agreement is possible if the spoiling of the Greek side and the Greek Cypriot administration in the Eastern Mediterranean is quitted.”
“We are ready to do our part to the full”
“As Turkey, we are ready to do our part to ensure peace, serenity, safety, prosperity take root in our region,” said President Erdoğan and expressed that as the countries of the region, it was only possible to take their rightful place in the novel global, political and economic order, which accelerated with the pandemic, by rapidly resolving the problems and acting together.
Underlining that this was the way out of the crisis, which the European Union was in and which could not be hidden anymore, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
“In order to eliminate the uncertainty that arose in our region after the elections in the USA, diplomacy and reconciliation channels must be wide open. With this understanding, we will continue to strengthen our presence in the field and to run the diplomacy channels effectively. In this new era, we want to act together with the states of the region that we deem as our friends and their people as our brothers and sisters. We have no hidden or blatant prejudices, hostilities, dark plans against anybody. With all our sincerity and fondness, we call on everyone to build a new era within the frame of peace, safety, fairness, love, and respect. Today, if Turkey is able to show its power confidently and resolutely in every field both on the ground and at the table and to make itself heard, we owe it to the great transformation we have gone through in the last 18 years. We have implemented this transformation on the axis of democracy and development.”
“We have managed to pursue our goals”
President Erdoğan said, “Thank God, today Turkey is not lagging behind the developed countries in the fields of basic services and infrastructure; on the contrary, it has outpaced them in many aspects.”
“The best macroeconomic indicators of our history in every field from growth to inflation and interest rates were reached in our period. We were the one who completely paid off the debt to the IMF and freed our country from this burden. Our 2023 goals, which we shared with our nation about 10 years ago, were an expression of the level that we planned to achieve in the medium term. While advancing rapidly towards these goals, we suddenly found ourselves in dark scenarios aimed at causing political and social chaos in the country. Our economy has been one of the most important targets of the attacks to which our country has been subjected in many ways, from terrorism to coup. With the measures we have taken and the methods of struggle we have developed, we have managed to keep our economy strong and pursue our goals. The rapid decision-making and effective implementation opportunities brought by the Presidential System of Government have a great contribution to this. We have witnessed the greatest benefits of the system during the pandemic process which we have been experiencing since March.”
Expressing his gratitude to Berat Albayrak, who first served as the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, then as the Minister of Treasury and Finance, on behalf of himself and the nation, President Erdoğan said, “During this period, the fact that he brought two seismic exploration and three drilling vessels to our country, in a time when the world faces economic difficulties and turning it to an opportunity, was an important success in terms of financial management. He requested his exempt from the post due to his health problems, and we approved this request and appointed our friend Lütfi Elvan instead of him as the Minister of Treasury and Finance.
Stating that they changed the Governor of the Central Bank on Friday, and appointed Naci Ağbal, who served as the Minister of Finance in the past, and finally, as the Head of the Strategy and Budget Presidency, President Erdoğan also wished success to the new Central Bank Governor.
In our new administrative system, if change is required, the President, authorized by the nation, determines its place and time. It is also the President who will immediately implement this change when necessary. It is our primary duty to exercise the authority and carry out the responsibility given to us by our nation in the light of our own plans, programs and evaluations. We only consider our nation’s will to act.
“We are preparing a business environment based on trust and stability”
Stating that the global effects of the pandemic accelerate the search for change that has already begun, President Erdoğan stressed that in this context, Turkey is the most convenient country to use the opportunities with the brightest future ahead.
Underlining that their aim is to grow, develop and improve in line with its goals in this era when the world is going through a historical process of political and economic change, President Erdoğan made the following remarks:
“We will achieve our goals by building economic policies on three pillars: price stability, financial stability, and macroeconomic stability. For this, we are preparing a favourable environment for long-term savings and investments.
We are determined to make Turkey a low-risk, reliable and profitable attraction centre for both domestic and international investors. We will ensure that our policies are implemented as planned through strengthening coordination and harmony in economy management. We will strengthen macroeconomic stability by increasing the harmony between monetary and fiscal policies and financial policies, thanks to effective decision-making mechanisms. In addition to this, we would like to create a more attractive business and investment environment by improving investment processes and encouraging productive investments.”
Emphasizing that they will focus more on gaining confidence and credibility in their economic policies in the upcoming period and will reduce the country’s risk premium, President Erdoğan said, “We will see the earnings of domestic and international investors who have confidence in the Turkish economy and Turkish Lira as our own gain, and will provide all kinds of convenience and support to investors.”
President Erdoğan added: “Turkey is launching a new mobilization focused on stability, growth and employment, with the awareness that a country without a strong economy cannot protect its gains in other areas. By closely following the developments in the world, mobilizing our own means at the highest level and taking the necessary steps quickly and decisively, I hope that we will achieve our 2023 goals.”
“We will further lower inflation”
Expressing that there are difficulties and troubles in the economy, but that the picture in front of them also points to serious achievements that raise their hopes, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
“By leaving behind the economic constriction caused by the pandemic in the second quarter, Turkey attained a significant recovery in the third quarter. A 29 per cent increase experienced in industrial production when compared to the previous quarter is one of the most concrete proofs. I regard the employment increase worth 1,313,000 provided as of August when compared to April as important but insufficient. The way to sustainable and strong growth and employment increase can be reached through price stability, in other words, by keeping inflation under control.
The obligation to keep interest rates at least at the inflation level makes our struggle on this matter more difficult. Therefore, we are determined to reduce inflation to single digits as soon as possible, and then gradually lower it towards our medium-term targets. Determining and implementing policies that will ensure price stability is the duty of the Central Bank in our country, as in every part of the world. I believe that our Treasury and Finance Minister and the new Governor of our Central Bank will bring inflation targeting and monetary policy tools to a transparent, predictable and stable level as soon as possible, in line with our basic approaches. Within this context, I would like to express that I stand by them in every step they will take.”
“We are preparing for structural reforms”
Stating that they know that the rule of law is one of the most important ways of establishing the atmosphere that encourages investments and promotes economic growth, development, prosperity and stability, President Erdoğan said: "Since we came to power, this truth lies behind our efforts to strengthen our country with a democracy and development-centered understanding.”
Reiterating that they implemented a series of reforms to strengthen Turkey's identity for a democratic state of law over the last year, President Erdoğan noted the following:
“Every reform we make addresses domestic and international investors, as well as various segments of our country. In the upcoming months, we will take new steps in reinforcing the rule of law and making the judicial system predictable, easily accessible, and fast and efficient. Moreover, we are also making preparations for structural reforms such as improving the investment environment, increasing the depth of financial markets, increasing the quality of public revenues and expenditures, preventing informality and good governance.”
Stressing that Turkey met all of the standards of the investment law sought at the international level, President Erdoğan added, “However, if there are problems, we do not remain indifferent. You, as the legislative power, and we, as the executive, will prepare our country for the new period by rapidly meeting the needs that will arise with the consultation of the parties of our legal system and all the representatives of the economy in the public and private sectors. By closely monitoring the deficiencies and disruptions in the implementation in addition to the legislation, we will improve the investment climate. We will continue to move towards our goal of growing our country on the basis of democracy and development by increasing the regulations that will safeguard acquired rights and reasonable expectations. With these feelings, I wish, once again, that the new period in the economy will be auspicious for our country and nation.”
