Plans to keep region unstable doomed to fail: Turkish president

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said that plans to “trap our region in instability” will fail and that “imperialist and Zionist bloodshed perpetrators” will not be able to achieve their goals.

“The strongest response to this 23-month-long genocide witnessed by all humanity will come again from Türkiye and its nation,” Erdogan said at a draw ceremony for the placement of relatives of martyrs, veterans, and veterans' relatives into public institutions in Ankara.

Erdogan pointed out that Türkiye’s compassionate and principled stance — which brings hope to the oppressed — has caused discomfort among oppressors and their supporters.

Erdogan noted that the oppressors and their supporters no longer hide their hostility and the lingering anger from a seven-year-old grievance, but instead openly express it through media, politics and insults to sacred values.

“The massacre network led by the Gaza butcher Netanyahu attacks a country every day, showing no limits in cruelty and barbarism,” Erdogan said.

Türkiye’s enduring legacy and unity

He emphasized that Türkiye is not a newly emerged state on the historical stage. On the contrary, Türkiye is a deeply rooted state with over 2,000 years of knowledge and heritage stored in the nation’s collective memory.

“We ruled for centuries on lands where those who challenge us came just two or three generations ago,” the Turkish president said, stressing: “We were the sword of justice, bringing order to the world.”

“We are neither guests nor occupiers in this region, we have been its hosts for a thousand years and will remain here until the end of time,” Erdogan added.

”We have the power, strength, capacity, and of course, the insight and wisdom to thwart every plot and tear up every scenario,” he stressed, adding that without falling into provocations, Ankara will continue its blessed march carefully and decisively with common sense and calmness.

”As 86 million, we will hold tightly to our eternal brotherhood, unity, and solidarity to disrupt these games once again,” he said.

Despite attempts to divide the nation by ethnicity, sect, or lifestyle, “we will stand united -- supporting, embracing, trusting one another, and communicating with tolerance and empathy,” Erdogan added.

The president called for unity among all ethnic groups in the country, expressing confidence in achieving a terror-free nation with patience and determination.

Underlining that the families of martyrs are sacred trusts for the nation and the state, Erdogan said: “Türkiye honors its martyrs and veterans. The ceremony we are holding today on the occasion of Veterans Day is the most concrete symbol of this effort."

Erdogan also urged a collective effort for a new era of brotherhood and success, and invoked faith in divine support for the future.