Turkey’s growth benefits everyone: presidential spokesman

ANKARA

When Turkey grows, everyone benefits from it, Turkey's presidential spokesman said Monday.

"It is not done for a certain segment [of society]. When you build roads, bridges, hospitals, open schools, invest in science and technology, allocate a budget for research and development, you do this for the whole society. This is what it actually should be. There is nothing to be proud of," Ibrahim Kalin said in a program on YouTube.

Pointing out Turkey's struggle in facing the challenges of the last hundred years, Kalin said people in Turkey -- regardless of their political views -- have been able to establish bonds with both Bosnia and Jerusalem, while the Turkish people's orientation towards Tripoli and Skopje is the result of the nation being the imperial heir of the Ottomans.

"When the economic standards, the standard of living, the quality of life increases in Turkey, of course, everyone will benefit from this. Those who live in the city, in the countryside, live in the village or live in the east and west," he said.

Noting that Turkey is an "energy dependent country" which has not discovered oil or gas or natural resources such as gold or uranium due to its geographic location, Kalin said his country became rich with a strong leadership, good economic management and faith in the nation.

"We are in the same place and our geography has not changed. Our population has increased. The need for employment increased, but we believed in ourselves," he said, adding the nation has extracted a "new wealth" from what it possesses.

"If we can manage it, share it, and do this in a fair and compassionate manner, we as a nation will leave here again enriched. Everyone gets a share of this wealth. As the cake grows, everyone's share increases. This is what should happen," Kalin added.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev