During his speech at the event "On the Road to a Great Türkiye with Women", President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "You have a share in our epic in every field, from economy to democratization, from family to education, from social policies to agriculture. I hope you will be the architects of the Century of Türkiye."
After several openings and reviews in Antalya, President Erdoğan attended the event "On the Road to a Great Türkiye with Women", organized by the AK Party Women's Branch at Dokumapark Modern Arts Gallery.
Expressing that they are proud of bringing 89 various investments totalling 8 billion 143 million liras to the city as part of the Antalya initiative, President Erdoğan said that according to official figures, there were 90,000 participants at the opening ceremony of multiple facilities and 13 thousand participants in Kumluca.
"The only way for the world to rise is through peace"
Stating that the world has recently been watching what Türkiye is doing, President Erdoğan said:
"You see what they did in the Russia-Ukraine War? Was the world able to intervene in any way? No. They all help arms dealers. They are working to assist arms dealers in earning money and finding new ways to profit. On the other hand, we are working towards world peace. On the same day, we speak with President Putin as well as Zelenskyy. We are working hard to reconcile the parties. We keep going by demonstrating our honesty because we know that the only way for the world to rise is through peace. For this reason, the leaders of the world tell us, 'You have opened the grain corridor; you send it from here.' It is not only about that. President Putin said, 'I'll give you the grain for free if you deliver it to underprivileged African countries.' We accepted this offer and told him that we would turn it into flour at our factories. Nevertheless, some transfer 44 per cent or 46 per cent of it to Europe. Yet, we are determined; we will make every effort to transport these products from the grain corridor to the poor and needy countries in Africa."
"I produce 180 tons of bananas every year"
Entrepreneur Gülay Yando, who set up a banana greenhouse with support from the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution, said that she applied to the Ministry and received support without heeding those who said, "You are a woman; you cannot farm. Do you know anyone? You have an opposing view, you are not one of them, and you cannot receive support."
Yando thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his support for women's achievements; she responded to President Erdoğan's question about how much bananas she produces annually by stating, "180 tons."
President Erdoğan said, "I suppose you supply bananas to Antalya's hotels?"
"Forty varieties of tropical fruits are produced in Antalya right now," Yando added, and President Erdoğan said the following:
"I learned that in Kumluca today. They said, 'We produce 40 varieties of tropical fruits here.' I was initially astonished, then delighted. This is what the region affected by this disaster is saying now. There, we also took photos together in front of those fruits. This also made me happy. You all know that Kumluca is the top address for tomatoes. When I told this Putin during those troubled times, he did not turn down our request. We had such a brief transition period, and we began exporting tomatoes immediately. Bananas were the luxury of our tables once, but now you produce so many bananas in this region that it is no longer a luxury for us, and we can easily obtain them. And I say to all our citizens from here, 'Banana is no longer a hard-to-reach fruit for us, as long as we have such businesswomen you can easily access it.'"
Yando said that she would also apply for the new support package announced for farmers.
"There is nothing we cannot accomplish once we set our minds to it"
National taekwondo player Nur Tatar noted that a gym named after her was opened in Van as a result of her achievements and made the following remarks:
"I'm really happy. I don't know how to explain it, but women are really strong and capable of accomplishing anything they set their minds to. I would like to thank our President, who has been with us every step of the way and has never left our side, and I pledge to do my best to pass on this knowledge and experience to future generations of girls."
Hatice Öz, Deputy Speaker of the Assembly of Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry and board member of the West Mediterranean Exporters Association, stated that they have been implementing projects for children, youth and women for the past seven to eight years and that businesswomen have flourished thanks to President Erdoğan.
Brand expansion with KOSGEB support
Nevin Akçelik, a businesswoman who engages in production and export in the coal mining industry, and İlknur Köni Aldemir, who developed her own brand in the cosmetics industry with the support of KOSGEB, both spoke about their production and export activities.
Aldemir stated that 80 per cent of her team consists of women and that she has expanded her brand with the support of KOSGEB, adding, "I received export support from the Ministry of Trade. I travelled to Dubai. The first thing they said to me in Dubai was 'Tayyip'. I felt tremendous pride and honour. Mr. President, I would like to thank you in particular for helping me achieve this position and for providing us with incentives."
Deniz Uğur, an exporter of fresh vegetables and fruits, also thanked President Erdoğan for his support in boosting exports.
Actress Esin Doğan stated that she quit acting and started coaching in 2017, stating, "In 2017, like almost everyone else, they asked me, 'Can you do this by yourself?' I used the loan to set up my workshop. Since 2017, I have been coaching many actors you see on TV and digital platforms. I have been doing this from Antalya for the last 3 years."
Betül Demirok, a businesswoman in the tourism sector, also noted that they are investing in the food sector and alternative tourism, and she thanked President Erdoğan and his spouse Emine Erdoğan for their support in enabling women to participate actively in investment and politics, as well as all spheres of life.
"Women's place has been strengthened"
Prof. Kamile Perçin Akgül, Rector of Antalya AKEV University, stated that there were times when they faced the difficulties of being a woman. Despite comments that it was absolutely impossible for her to be appointed as Rector because no one would support her and she would be unable to do so, she said, "With the approval of our President, I had the honour of being responsible for a university in Antalya when a trustee was appointed."
Prof. Özlenen Özkan, the first female rector of Akdeniz University, said that she is one of the most concrete evidence of President Erdoğan's support for women.
Emphasizing that President Erdoğan and his spouse Emine Erdoğan have always trusted and supported women, Özkan said that women's place in academia, science, industry and other fields is strengthening, and they can feel it on every platform.
