Erdoğan was speaking to a meeting bringing together the mayors, heads of women's, youth and local branches of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) from across the country held at the party headquarters in Ankara yesterday. Saying that the government's investments in the eastern and southeastern Anatolian regions of Turkey has reached YTL 8.1 billion, the prime minister went on to say the government has also invested extensively in other neglected regions, including the eastern Black Sea region and most of Central Anatolia.
"The terrorist organization does not represent my citizens of Kurdish origin," Erdoğan said. "It cannot be. The separatist terrorist organization is trying to profit from our Kurdish citizens. It tries to create opportunities for itself by exploiting them. It has not shown anything but blood and tears to our people of Kurdish descent."
He said the terrorist organization and its supporters were greatly disturbed by the fact that the AK Party was embracing and protecting the people of the region. "If you are pro-terrorism, then where you belong is there for everyone to see. But if you say you believe in democratic struggle, then you will stand against them and become a part of democracy. For democracy does not accept that (armed struggle)." Noting that the government is calling on members of the terrorist PKK to reunite with their families, Erdoğan said: "No one should forget that the government represents all citizens of the Turkish Republic. We call on [those] members of the separatist organization who have not been involved in bloody attacks perpetrated by the PKK against innocent Turkish soldiers and civilians to reunite with their mothers, fathers and beloved ones. This is what politicians should do, isn't it? The task of protecting the escrow entrusted to the government by our citizens rests on our shoulders. Each member of Parliament should act in accordance with the consciousness of such responsibility."
Erdoğan underlined that heavier duties fall on the shoulders of politicians each day and warned AK Party deputies not to give in to lassitude. "The most dangerous threat lying before us is lassitude. We should never consider service furnished to our citizens satisfactory. It will not serve any purpose other than detracting our attention and hindering us from exerting our utmost efforts to attain desired objectives," he said.
