"After the cabinet meeting, President Erdoğan made harsh remarks to Özel."

03.11.2025 21:40

After the cabinet meeting, President Erdoğan harshly criticized CHP leader Özgür Özel. Erdoğan stated, "Initially, we honestly gave him a chance. We were hopeful about his words, 'We will be a party of Turkey.' However, just like his other commitments, he could not stand behind this one either. He has taken the temporary debates of domestic politics abroad. He spends his nights in Europe complaining about his own country."

The Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex started at 3:40 PM. The meeting, which addressed critical topics, lasted approximately two and a half hours. President Erdoğan made statements following the Cabinet meeting.

ERDOĞAN: WE GAVE ÖZGÜR ÖZEL A CHANCE IN THE FIRST STAGE

In his speech, Erdoğan harshly criticized the CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. President Erdoğan said: "We had honestly given the new chairman a chance in the first stage. We were hopeful about his promise to become a 'Turkey party' when he took office. However, the esteemed chairman could not stand behind this commitment, just like the others."

"HE HUMILIATED HIS PARTY IN FRONT OF FOREIGNERS TO GET TWO APPLAUSE"

He carried the transient discussions of domestic politics abroad. In pursuit of getting two applause, hearing a few flattering sentences, and gaining support from a few marginal figures, he humiliated both the century-old party and himself in front of foreigners. He still insists on this erroneous path of politics. I believe that he will soon realize the wrongness of this path. While the leader of the main opposition party spends nights at the doors of Europe to complain about his country, we are making Turkey the center of attraction in the region.

The main points from Erdoğan's statements are as follows:

"Today, we are marking the 23rd anniversary of the November 3, 2002 elections. We are leaving behind our 23rd year in power with honor and pride, and we are beginning to see the dawn of our 24th year. We are experiencing the rightful pride of signing another new record in our multi-party democracy history. I would like to thank each and every member of our esteemed nation who has not withheld their support and prayers from us in all the elections we have participated in. The same excitement, enthusiasm, pride, and feelings we had when we first received the favor of our nation at the ballot box 23 years ago are still with us today."

ERDOĞAN: WE ARE CONTINUING THE STRUGGLE TO BUILD THE CENTURY OF TURKEY

As the Presidential Cabinet, we are continuing the struggle to build the Century of Turkey with an intense agenda both domestically and abroad. In all the meetings we attend and every country we visit, we are defending the rights of our esteemed nation in the strongest way possible. We have personally witnessed the reality of a growing and strengthening Turkey both at home and abroad.

"WE WILL RENT 15 THOUSAND HOUSES TO OUR CITIZENS UNDER FAVORABLE CONDITIONS"

We gifted our domestic electric vehicle TOGG to the Emir of Kuwait and the Sultan of Oman. While the leader of the main opposition party spends nights at the doors of Europe to complain about his country, we are making Turkey the center of attraction in the region.

We introduced the largest social housing project in the history of the Republic in Başakşehir, Istanbul. We will produce a total of 500 thousand social houses in all 81 provinces. We will build 100 thousand of these in Istanbul. In addition to the construction of 100 thousand houses in Istanbul, we will rent 15 thousand houses to our citizens under favorable conditions through TOKİ. Applications will start on November 10, 2025. We will draw lots in December. The first delivery will be made in March 2027, God willing. We will also beautify our cities with neighborhood community centers.

On October 28, we were once again in the presence of our nation on the occasion of a proud ceremony for the Turkish defense industry. We inaugurated the Ankara Tank and New Generation Armored Vehicles Production Facility, one of the top three in Europe and one of the top five in the world. We made the first delivery of our national main battle tank ALTAY to our heroic army. Our goal is to deliver 250 ALTAY tanks to the Turkish Armed Forces within six years.

"WE WILL INCLUDE KAAN IN OUR AIR FORCE'S INVENTORY AS PER THE SCHEDULE WE DETERMINED"

While we rapidly implement our domestic and national defense projects, we will strengthen our defense cooperation with our European allies on a win-win basis. We will include our national combat aircraft KAAN in the inventory of our Air Force according to the schedule we have determined. Just as Hürjet aims for leadership in its field, KAAN will also strive for the top when all processes are completed, God willing.

Despite all the open and hidden attempts to obstruct, Turkey will continue to write history in the defense industry, God willing. Last Wednesday, we proudly celebrated the 102nd anniversary of our Republic together as a nation. I once again congratulate the Turkish Cypriot people on their October 29 Republic Day, along with our citizens living both at home and abroad.

I sincerely thank our coalition partner, the Chairman of the MHP, Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, who sent us a meaningful gift to celebrate the 102nd year of our Republic, the leaders of the political parties who honored our reception at the complex, all our guests, and all our citizens. We will continue to work tirelessly with our coalition partner and our nation until we realize the Century of Turkey.

ATATÜRK AIRPORT NATIONAL PARK

We have opened the Atatürk Airport National Park, which spans an area of 1 million 215 thousand square meters, to the service of our esteemed nation. With walking and cycling paths, sports fields, exhibition areas, a national library, parks, pools, and social facilities, we have provided Istanbul with the largest city park in Turkey. This area will also serve as an assembly area in case of disasters, God forbid. Thus, Istanbul has gained a massive assembly center where millions can take refuge against earthquake risks, beyond just a green space.

Since our last meeting, we have participated in many international events and held receptions in Istanbul and Ankara. We strive to be worthy of the trust of our nation. We will continue to work hard for 86 million without falling into complacency or arrogance.

"WE ARE NOT FULLY EVALUATING THE UNIQUE POTENTIAL IN TOURISM"

Tourism is among the sectors that have experienced the greatest leap. Our number of visitors reached 62.3 million last year. Our tourism revenues rose to 61.1 billion dollars. We have developed our sector from the triangle of sand, sea, and sun to include congress and sports tourism in various fields.

We have a very serious potential in areas such as health, culture, belief, and natural sports. Every city in Anatolia is like an open-air museum. However, we are not able to fully evaluate this unique potential. Unfortunately, due to greed, negligence, and lack of caution, our sector has been overshadowed by unmerited criticism.

"WE ARE CRUSHING THOSE WHO DO NOT SHOW THE NECESSARY CARE IN SERVING THE NATION"

The wounds opened in our hearts by the hotel fire on January 21, where we lost 78 of our loved ones in Kartalkaya, are still fresh. I believe that the court decisions announced in recent days have, to some extent, doused the fire in our hearts. We will certainly follow the upcoming process. We have no problem with those who do their jobs properly. We are cracking down on those who profit from the nation but do not show the necessary care in providing the services the nation deserves. We have no tolerance in this regard, and there will be none.

Despite the heartless individuals blinded by greed, our tourism sector continues to rise. In the first 9 months of 2025, the number of people visiting our country reached 49 million 993 thousand. This figure represents a 1.6% growth compared to the same period last year. We are also in a good position regarding tourism revenue compared to last year. In the first 9 months of 2025, we achieved 50 billion dollars in tourism revenue. This is a record for three quarters of all time.

In line with these figures, I can confidently say that we are walking steadily towards our revenue target of 64 billion dollars by the end of 2025. Per capita nightly spending is also an important metric for us. In the first 9 months, it increased by 9% to 116 dollars. For all visitors, this figure was 103 dollars.

"THE REGION WILL GAIN A VERY DIFFERENT MOMENTUM WITH THE PERMANENT END OF THE TERROR THREAT"

Turkey's potential is far beyond these figures. Especially our Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions have not been able to achieve the place they deserve in tourism for many years, despite their natural and historical beauties that leave visitors in awe. The biggest reason for this was terrorism. With the process of a terrorism-free Turkey, we hope to completely remove this obstacle. With the permanent end of the terror threat, Southern and Eastern Anatolia will gain a very different momentum.

When this process is successfully concluded, cities like Diyarbakır, Antalya, Van, and Bursa will benefit just as much as Istanbul. When we reach the destination of a terrorism-free Turkey, hopefully, every member of the 86 million will be a winner.

Everything we do is for this purpose, and we are fighting for it. No one can reach anywhere with terrorism, weapons, and separatist agendas; no good comes from it for anyone. We hope everyone sees this simple truth. We are the 1000-year residents and owners of this geography. Our past, like our future, is shared. It is one and united. We have experienced great pain and paid heavy prices in the last 40 years. We do not want to see any form of terrorism in our country or in the lands of our neighbors.