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"The Turkish democracy should settle old scores with the tradition of coups by adopting a new and civilian constitution"

Presidency of The Republic of Turkey

20.05.2024

Delivering remarks following the Presidential Cabinet Meeting, President Erdoğan stressed that the current constitution cannot sustain the new Türkiye, and said: "The Turkish democracy should settle old scores with the tradition of coups by adopting a new and civilian constitution."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a press conference following the Presidential Cabinet Meeting at the Presidential Complex.

Drawing attention to the busy schedule pursued since the last meeting, President Erdoğan said: "We have hosted in our country heads of state and government from neighboring countries. We marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations with Kuwait in a manner befitting its meaning with the visit of Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah. The fact that my brother Emir Sheikh Meshal Al Sabah paid the first visit following the Arab world to Türkiye is an indication of the importance attached to our relations. We have taken our cooperation one step further with the six new agreements signed during the visit. We aim to boost our trade volume with Kuwait to 5 billion dollars."

"WE WILL EXERT EVERY EFFORT TO ACHIEVE PERMANENT PEACE"

Noting that Türkiye reiterated its support to Azerbaijan during Prime Minister Ali Asadov's visit, President Erdoğan stated: "The post-quake residences built by our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters are under construction. We view these residences as a symbol of the unbreakable bond of brotherhood between us. We are closely following the peace negotiations Azerbaijan has launched with Armenia following the Karabakh victory. We welcome the agreement on the return of the four villages, under occupation for 30 years, to Azerbaijan."

Reiterating his warning that the historic opportunity that has now emerged in the South Caucasus should not be wasted, President Erdoğan said: "Our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters have thus far repeatedly demonstrated that they are the party that seeks peace. We expect the same reconciliatory approach from the Armenian administration as well. Provocations by foreign powers that feed on instability in our region shouldn't be given any credence. We as Türkiye will exert every effort to achieve permanent peace."

"CURRENT CONSTITUTION CANNOT SUSTAIN THE NEW TÜRKİYE"

Underscoring that the current constitution cannot sustain the new Türkiye, President Erdoğan highlighted his belief that Türkiye, with its 85 million-strong population, should accomplish its goal of a new constitution in the new century.

Pointing out that future generations deserve to be governed with a libertarian constitution, President Erdoğan said: "The Turkish democracy should settle old scores with the tradition of coups by adopting a new and civilian constitution."

"TÜRKİYE MAKES HISTORY IN DEFENSE INDUSTRY"

Describing defense as one of the top areas in which Türkiye has written a success story, President Erdoğan stated that Türkiye is now capable of meeting almost all of its defense needs by national and local means, and said: "Along with our own, we have also started to fulfill the friendly and brotherly countries' demands, too. Our defense exports, which stood at 1.2 billion dollars a decade ago, have increased 4.5 times to 5.5 billion dollars in 2023."

President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: "Last year, we exported 230 types of defense products to 185 countries. We are among the top three countries in the UCAV technology with our unmanned aerial vehicles including TB2, Akıncı, Anka and Aksungur. Currently, more than 50 countries from Africa to Europe use the unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured by Turkish companies. Unmanned aerial vehicles play critical roles not only in military field but also in natural disasters as well as search and rescue activities."

President Erdoğan went onto say: "The importance of UAVs was once again revealed in the helicopter crash in which Iranian President Raisi and his accompanying delegation died. Bayraktar Akıncı UAV participated in the search and rescue operations upon the request of our Iranian brothers. Bayraktar Akıncı UAV performed 7.5 hours of search and scanning in the region despite the difficult weather conditions and flew a total of 2,100 kilometers. It returned to Türkiye after successfully completing its duty."

"THE DISTANCE WE HAVE COVERED WITH GREECE SHOULD SET AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHER COUNTRIES IN OUR REGION"

Stressing that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' official visit to Türkiye attests to the will to open a new chapter in the bilateral relations, President Erdoğan stated: "We are pleased by the increase in our contacts in line with good neighborly relations without needing any third party intervention. We of course cannot resolve every issue through a few meetings yet we will not refrain from seeking common ground on matters where we have shared interests. We are aware that this is a process that requires patience and wisdom. We see that Mr. Mitsotakis shares our sensitivity. Cognizant of the risks, we will inshallah maintain the process with determination. The distance we have covered with Greece in a short span of time should set an example for other countries in our region. Türkiye never leaves unreciprocated the hand extended to it. There are no problems that cannot be resolved on the basis of mutual respect and understanding."

President Erdoğan continued: "We reiterated our will to expand our cooperation with Georgia, another neighbor of ours, during the visit of Mr. Prime Minister and his delegation. In the future, we expect to receive more support from Georgia in the fight against organized criminal networks and FETO. It was very meaningful for us to see that Mr. Prime Minister is on the same page with us."

"I EXTEND MY MOST HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO THE IRANIAN PEOPLE"

Expressing his profound sadness over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and members of the delegation accompanying him, President Erdoğan wished Allah's mercy upon those who died in the helicopter crash, and said: "On behalf of the Republic of Türkiye and the Turkish nation, I extend my most heartfelt condolences to brotherly Iranian people, state and government. I had a phone call with Acting President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber during the cabinet meeting. We offered him our condolences during the telephone conversation. Iran is our neighbor. Iranian people are our brothers and sisters. We have been sharing the same geography throughout centuries, working side by side in peace. We have multidimensional cooperation in a wide range of areas from trade to energy, transportation to tourism, security to the fight against terror. We have always appreciated Iran's strong support for the Palestinian cause."

"WE DECIDED TO DECLARE A DAY OF NATIONAL MOURNING"

Stressing that Türkiye has been in close dialogue with Iran since the Astana process for the settlement of the problems in the region, President Erdoğan stated: "We fulfilled what the bond of neighborhood requires by not joining the unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran. We last hosted the late Raisi in Ankara on January 24, furthering our relations with the signing of 10 new agreements."

President Erdoğan went onto say: "To date, Türkiye has always lent sincere support to its Iranian brothers and sisters, displaying an unwavering stance on this issue. We contacted the Iranian authorities following the helicopter crash and mobilized all our resources to contribute to the search and rescue efforts. We will continue to act with the same sentiments. At our cabinet meeting, we decided to declare a day of national mourning in our country to share the Iranian people's tremendous anguish. We once again extend our condolences to our Iranian brothers and sisters."