19.10.2026 16:31
Speaking at the "Muhtars' Day Meeting" program held at the Presidential Complex, President Erdoğan said, "At times they will come at us with their lobbies abroad, at times with their economic hitmen, and at times with their pawns in the international press. They will try to tear out our claws and make us abandon our claims. With Allah's permission, we will not give them this opportunity."
At the Mukhtars' Day Meeting held at the Presidential Complex, President Erdoğan, after delivering messages on domestic politics, moved on to foreign policy and security topics and drew attention to the storm of crises escalating around Türkiye.
"WE ADD OUR NIGHTS TO OUR DAYS" Listing the conflict lines stretching from north to south one by one, President Erdoğan said, "You see it too; our region is experiencing a storm of crises whose violence is gradually increasing. The Russia-Ukraine War just to our north will complete its 5th year in a few months. Israel's attacks on Palestine continue without slowing down despite the agreements signed. Before the tension in our neighbor Iran has completely ended, this time the fuse of a new conflict has been lit in Yemen. The attacks targeting Saudi Arabia caused the tension in our region to escalate considerably. In the attack they carried out on the airport in Riyadh, many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, including Umrah pilgrims, lost their lives, and hundreds of our brothers and sisters were injured. We look at Lebanon; unfortunately, the situation there is not encouraging at all. Good news is coming from Syria, but Zionist Israel is doing everything it can to stir things up there as well. As I say, 'we are surrounded by a ring of fire'; the situation we are in is exactly like this. In such an environment of chaos and crisis, we are adding our nights to our days so that not a hair of Türkiye is harmed. Thank God, we have been successful in this so far. We have kept our country away from the conflicts around us. We did not fall for incitement, we did not fall into traps, we did not yield to provocations," he said.
"THEY WILL TRY TO TEAR OUT OUR CLAWS" Continuing his statement, Erdoğan said, "Remember, the tests of great nations are also great," and added, "Today too, we are right at the heart of a great struggle. In this struggle, as we put a spoke in the wheels of those who want to tear our region to shreds, they will never leave us alone. As long as we stand courageously by the oppressed, regardless of their faith, and not by the oppressors, they will continue to deal with us. Sometimes with their agents inside who appear righteous, like FETÖ, sometimes with their lobbies abroad, sometimes with their economic hitmen, and sometimes with their pawns in the international press, they will come at us. They will try to tear out our claws and make us give up our claims. With God's permission, we will not give them this opportunity. We will not bow down to those who want to establish an order of prosperity for themselves by exploiting the world and turning our region into a sea of blood," he said.