President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered important remarks during the AK Party Parliamentary Group Meeting.
Key points from President Erdogan’s speech are as follows:
I thank each and every one of you for your devotion, for this affection that cannot be contained within halls.
Just as your enthusiasm multiplies the hopes of our 86 million citizens, it also strengthens our determination. May God keep our solidarity everlasting.
At the very beginning of my remarks, I would like to draw your attention to one issue. Our parliamentary work is continuing at an intense pace. Despite the opposition’s uncompromising and lawless attitudes, we are acting with patience and common sense.
We know very well that the CHP jet set has no connection whatsoever with the state or with retirees. My nation, my retirees, know perfectly well those who fail to pay workers regularly in the municipalities they govern, those whose own staff are on duty while they enjoy themselves on tropical islands, and those who have driven municipalities into bankruptcy.
As is known, deliberations have begun in the General Assembly on the bill raising the minimum pension to 20,000 liras. We expect it to enter into force as soon as possible.
When we first took office, this amount was only 66 liras, equivalent to 40 dollars at the time. Following the new regulation, the minimum pension will rise to 480 dollars.
We have never turned a deaf ear to the demands of our retirees. Retirees are the crown of our heads. We have never left our retirees alone, and we never will. We are not like those who make promises in public squares and turn into rent-seekers once they come to power.
There is no room for complacency on the path of serving the nation. Nor is there room for those who fall into complacency.
In 2002, the loans and scholarships we provided to university students amounted to 45 liras. Over time, we not only began making payments on a monthly basis, but also continuously improved the amounts of scholarships and loans. Last year alone, we made payments totaling 34 billion liras.
In 2026, we increased student loans and scholarships by 33 percent.
Accordingly, we raised scholarship and loan amounts to 4,000 liras for undergraduate students, 8,000 liras for graduate students, and 12,000 liras for doctoral students. Once again, I wish this to be beneficial for our young people and their families.
Another piece of good news is the GÜÇ Program, short for Gençligin Üretim Çagi (The Age of Youth in Production). Over the next three years, we will allocate a massive 445 billion liras to this program, which will bring more than 3 million young people into employment. Through this system, our students will gain qualified work experience at an early age; young people studying at vocational high schools will be guided into working life through reliable channels even before graduation; young people who are outside education and employment will be reintegrated into the system; and the first job experience of new graduates will no longer be a risk. We will make this system available for the benefit of our youth.
We have left behind two weeks during which we witnessed significant developments in our country, our region, and across the world.
The structure known as the SDG has not taken a single positive step. Just as it failed to comply with the March 10 Agreement, it continued attacking civilians and soldiers in the territories it occupies.
It was the uncompromising attitude of the structure known as the SDG. We issued the necessary warnings to all parties and made every effort to prevent the crisis from turning into a hot conflict. However, there was no change in the stance of the SDG. As a result, the Syrian army carried out operations in a fully legitimate and justified manner in the second week of January.
First of all, I would like to reiterate that, as Trkiye, from the very beginning we have most strongly defended the existence of a single Syrian state with preserved territorial integrity and political unity. We have repeatedly declared that we will not consent to any separatist structure along our southern borders that would pose a threat to our country’s security. As neighbors and brothers, we wholeheartedly support the struggle of the Syrian state and the Syrian army to build a unified, independent Syria in which all ethnic origins, beliefs, and sects live side by side.
We will not tolerate a separatist structure on our borders. I sincerely congratulate the Syrian army and our brotherly Syrian people for their successful operations. I pray for God’s mercy upon those who were martyred during the clashes.
It is already impossible for the terrorist organization to sustain its presence in the areas where it has been cornered. From this point onward, it is abundantly clear that resorting to provocations would amount to suicide.
With the child-aged militants forcibly conscripted by the terrorist organization, with civilians driven into the field through pressure and violence, and by vilely attacking our glorious flag-as it did yesterday on the Nusaybin-Qamishli border-there is no longer any possibility of achieving a result. The only way forward is to comply with yesterday’s agreement, lay down arms, and resolve the issue calmly.
The dirty hands extended toward our flag will certainly be found, and those traitors will be held accountable. Our Ministries of National Defense and Justice have launched the necessary investigations. As a result of these inquiries, whatever needs to be done will be done regarding anyone found to have been negligent or at fault.
We have been closely monitoring-and continue to monitor-all these developments in the Syrian theater. We are conducting a delicate process to eliminate existing risks to Trkiye, prevent new threats, and swiftly establish peace and stability in Syria.
I would also like to state this explicitly: Kurds in Syria are our own brothers and sisters. As their brothers, we know best what kinds of oppression our Kurdish brothers and sisters in Syria faced under the former tyrannical regime. Their existence was not recognized; they were not accepted as citizens. They were not even given identity documents. They were not allowed to speak their mother tongue or to preserve their culture and traditions. When I was prime minister, in all the meetings I held starting from 2008, I raised these injustices. We persistently brought the rights of our Kurdish brothers and sisters in Syria to the agenda. We emphasized at every opportunity that Kurds must be granted their fundamental rights. While no one else even mentioned these issues, while no one spoke about the rights of Kurds in Syria, we openly conveyed these matters to our counterparts.
We extended protection to Syrian refugees. With the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in 2011, our Kurdish brothers and sisters this time faced pressure from terrorist organizations. The new Syrian government has embraced Syrian Kurds and has acted in a very constructive manner.
The terrorist organization has chosen death and killing instead of the welfare and peace of the Kurds. We have no designs on the territory of any country, nor do we interfere in the internal affairs of any state. However, we will not allow harm to come to our country. From day one, we have been monitoring developments moment by moment with all relevant institutions, taking every possible risk into account.
Yesterday, we held a productive meeting with U.S. President Trump. We consulted with him on many critical issues. God willing, with the implementation of yesterday’s agreement, civilians will regain their freedoms as soon as possible, and a Syria will be built where everyone feels safe.
Here, I must also emphasize the following: under the pretext of operations in Syria, we see attempts to provoke all Kurds through propaganda based entirely on lies and distortions. I once again remind my Kurdish brothers and sisters in Trkiye in particular that they should not fall for these games, and that they should act with calmness, common sense, prudence, and wisdom by recognizing the true intent behind these calls and provocations. The terrorist organization is one thing; my Kurdish brothers and sisters are another. No one, whether here or elsewhere, can mortgage the will of my Kurdish brothers and sisters. My Kurdish brothers and sisters should not fall for these provocations and should never abandon common sense.
Over the past 15 months, we have taken very important steps and brought the process to this point. The commission is drafting its final report. I believe that a report will emerge that will guide politics and institutions.
I say this with all my heart and sincerity: no one should be worried. As long as the Republic of Trkiye stands, there is no need for anyone to seek other patrons or pursue other alliances. We will never allow harm to come to our Kurdish brothers and sisters. In their most difficult times, it was we who stood by them. Everyone must now see that what truly matters is unity, not division. What matters is not breaking up into small statelets, but uniting and forming a collective strength.
I call on everyone to act responsibly. Let no member of our nation forget this: we are living through extremely critical days. We are passing through a narrow path where even the smallest mistake could lead to serious consequences. May God not give an opportunity to those who seek to set us against one another.