President Erdogan: There is no debate from our side regarding the first 4 articles of the constitution.

Speaking at the Foreign Contracting Services Success Awards Ceremony, President Erdogan used striking expressions. Erdogan, who gave a clear response to HUDA PAR's controversial statement regarding Article 4 of the Constitution, said, "We have no problem with the first four articles of the Constitution. Our approach to this matter is clear."

Here are some highlights from President Erdogan's statements: "Every step we have taken towards the development of the construction sector has been tried to be discredited. The success stories written by our contracting companies, especially abroad, have been consistently ignored and disregarded. However, if they knew a little about the economy, they would understand how critical the construction sector is.

"WE ARE ONE OF THE TOP 8 COUNTRIES IN TERMS OF INCOME RANKING"

In terms of the number of companies in the Turkish contracting sector, we are second after China. In terms of income ranking, we are one of the top 8 countries. The projects undertaken by our companies abroad not only contribute to our country's foreign exchange earnings but also increase our brand value. We broke records with project amounts of $32 billion in 2012-2013 and 2021. Despite problems such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the project size reached $28 billion in 2023. We have made significant progress in every field and every aspect. Hopefully, we will take them even higher.

The total international income of the top 250 contracting companies reached the limit of $430 billion in 2023. In our meetings where we discuss the issues of our businessmen, contractors, and entrepreneurs, we frequently express and seek solutions. We will continue to stand by you. In the past 22 years, we have taken revolutionary steps in a wide range of areas from the economy to foreign policy, and we continue to do so.

Turkish foreign policy used to have an inward-looking character for many years. The understanding of not taking risks and avoiding confrontation with certain actors has condemned Turkey for many years. We have paid the price for this in many areas, and we still do. Since 2002, we have made a fundamental change in our foreign policy. We have strengthened our relations with our neighbors through different mechanisms. We have established partnerships with many regional and international organizations.

Today, there is almost no country where Turkish products do not enter. When we took office, we reached 56.7 million tourists from 13 million in tourism. Our economy has grown by 5.4% in the last 20 years. Our national income has exceeded $1.1 trillion for the first time in our history. We are now talking about trillions. Look where we were and where we are now.

We have achieved a dazzling success in foreign contracting services. We have seen an increase in our economic relations with almost every country. We see that there are those who insist on understanding our foreign policy in regional and global issues. It would be a great injustice to condemn Turkey to the molds of 30-40 years ago in 2024.

As the world changes and new power centers emerge in the economy, production, and technology, we are obliged to adapt to this. Turkey's face is certainly turned towards the West. However, this does not mean that we will turn our back on the East and not develop our relations. We no longer live in a world where one of the two blocs must be chosen in a black and white manner. We want to develop our cooperation with all actors based on a win-win approach.

Turkey's exploration of new routes in foreign policy is not to be criticized but to be appreciated and welcomed. We want to save the nation from a coup constitution. We desire to manage and successfully conclude the new constitution process with the broadest possible social consensus. There is no debate about the first 4 articles of the Constitution. We believe that maximalist approaches harm the process."