While the Imralı talks are ongoing, Erdoğan makes a striking statement: I have given instructions to my friends.

President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made important statements regarding current issues at his party's TBMM Group Meeting.

"WE GAVE INSTRUCTIONS TO OUR FRIENDS"

Emphasizing a 'Terror-free Turkey', President Erdoğan stated, "Turkey has a separatist terrorism issue that has lasted for over 40 years. We have witnessed developments that began with the brave stance of our coalition partner Mr. Bahçeli. We see that our esteemed nation is cautiously optimistic. We act with a consciousness that will never compromise the sacred memories of our martyrs and the sensitivities of our veterans. It is in everyone's interest for Turkey to permanently leave behind such a problem for which it has paid a very high price. Not taking advantage of the opportunity to open the doors of a new era, which is embodied in the expression 'Terror-free Turkey', is incompatible with the responsibility we have undertaken. Regional developments are in our favor, the political climate is suitable. We have given instructions to the relevant friends to carry out the works that will ensure the dissolution of the separatist organization carefully and in a multifaceted manner. I explained the purpose of these efforts at our Diyarbakır Provincial Congress. Let us break down the wall of terror. Let us embrace each other tightly as 85 million. We see that the contacts of the delegation have gone well. It has been noted with pleasure that other actors have also acted with a sense of responsibility," he said.

"TODAY IS A DAY OF BROTHERHOOD"

Continuing his remarks, Erdoğan said, "If the necessary call is made and the terrorist organization and its affiliated structures take steps, the winner will be all of Turkey, with its Turks and Kurds." He added, "If the organization turns a deaf ear to the call and drags its feet, then we will achieve our goal of a terror-free Turkey through other means. Burying the organization wherever it is is a matter of time and planning. Moreover, the powers that have supported the organization for all these years are now concerned about their own lives. We desire to resolve the issue peacefully. Today is a day of brotherhood. Today is a day to establish security across our entire geography," he expressed.

Highlights from Erdoğan's statements;

"I am very pleased to be with you at the first group meeting of 2025. I pray that our meeting will be a blessing for our nation. I thank each of you individually for your love, enthusiasm, and excitement. I hope that 2025, which we welcome with great hopes, will bring goodness to all humanity, especially our noble nation. Likewise, I wish ease to the TBMM, our parliamentary friends, political party groups, and the dedicated personnel of our Assembly throughout 2025.

"WE RECEIVED TWO SAD NEWS"

In the first two weeks of 2025, we received two sad pieces of news. The death of Ferdi Tayfur, who touched our hearts with his songs, has deeply saddened us all. The late Ferdi Tayfur was an artist whose heart beat for his country and nation, and who expressed the feelings of the young people of Anatolia. I remember him once again with mercy and gratitude. Our second great loss was our Amasya and Ankara MP Ahmet İyimaya. He was a remarkable figure who served our country for many years under the roof of the Parliament with his curiosity for research and unique style.

"MAY OUR LORD PROTECT US FROM EVIL EYES"

Today, we are once again before you and our esteemed nation with a busy agenda. I want to share an important figure announced last week with you. The Court of Cassation publishes the most up-to-date data on political parties every year in the first week of January. Accordingly, among 168 political parties in Turkey, our AK Party maintains its top position with 11 million 135 thousand 306 members. The difference we have with the main opposition party in second place is 9.5 million members. The membership of the AK Party Youth Branch, which is around 1 million, is more than the total membership of many political parties. I am talking about a massive family that has more members than the populations of 130 countries registered with the UN and 35 countries in Europe. As the AK Party, we are Turkey's largest family. I do not say this as a boast. I take pride in being a member of such a family and the leader of such a political party. Here, I would like to thank each and every one of our members who have supported the AK Party and the blessed cause once again. We are a party that has walked together with its people since its establishment. Of course, there have been those who envy this love, and there are still. May our Lord protect us from evil eyes.

"OUR GRAND CONGRESSES WILL BE A SIGNAL"

So far, we have completed 955 district congresses, and we will conclude the remaining 15 district congresses in the coming days. We have held congresses in 56 of the 81 provinces. With this week's provincial congresses, the number will rise to 63. On January 27, we will hold the 7th ordinary congress of our youth branches in Ankara with a magnificent atmosphere. We will be in intense preparation for our grand congress. Our grand congress will again make a mark on Turkish politics and will be a signal for the process leading to 2028.

"WE BROKE EXPORT RECORDS"

We broke the export record in the history of our republic. Compared to last year, our exports increased by 2.5%. Our defense exports reached the highest level in history at 7 billion 154 million dollars. Tourism statistics will be revealed at the end of this month. Our labor market continues to show a strong outlook. Our unemployment rate has been in single digits for the last 19 months. The unemployment rate was recorded at 8.6%. Despite the hot conflicts in our region, achieving these is also commendable. We emphasize the importance of fighting inflation. We are now seeing a decline in inflation, which has been our biggest headache. The disinflation we entered in June continues. The decline in inflation is more pronounced in goods, but the inertia in services remains high. A similar situation is also occurring worldwide. As a government, we will take measures to break this inertia. We will also support the fight against inflation with supply-side measures in food and housing areas. Our social housing project is one of them. Once the earthquake housing is completed, we will have a bit more ease. As inflation decreases, purchasing power will also increase, so the troubles of our nation will ease a bit more. For this, we will need to be a little more patient. We are hopeful about achieving the inflation target in 2025. In 2008, we said, 'This crisis will barely touch Turkey,' and we were right. We had a debt of 23 billion dollars to the IMF, and we said, 'We are not borrowing from you again.' We closed the door with the IMF. My nation should keep its heart at ease. Whatever we do, we do it with wisdom.

"THE END OF BAATH OPPRESSION IS MAGNIFICENT"

2024 has been a year of critical events in our region and the world.

The end of 61 years of Baath oppression in our neighbor Syria was a magnificent development. Our Syrian brothers have finally freed themselves from Assad and the Baath regime, which has killed its people for 13 years with chemical weapons, barrel bombs, cluster bombs, torture, and starvation. The Syrian people have attained the freedom they longed for. The shame of those who, under this roof, in the group meeting, say "Neither hill nor valley is left" and even blame the atrocities committed by Assad on their own country is for this reason. Their irritability and the reason for lowering the level even further stem from this.

"ASSAD DID NOT KEEP HIS WORD"

The first peaceful protests in Syria began on March 15, 2011. These protests were extremely legitimate. The Syrian people loudly expressed their demands for rights, law, justice, and freedom against oppression. There was no intervention from Turkey in these protests. From time to time, they even showed us the address of Syria. While you didn't know the way there, we were already there. They really need to be given a navigation map. They should know how to get to Syria with this map. After the events began, I spoke with the former Syrian President Assad several times. I emphasized that the discussions were peaceful. I stated that reforms needed to be implemented without further delay. In every contact with him, Assad told us he would make reforms, but he never kept his word. The truth is that it is not Assad, but Esad; they even got us used to it.

"INHUMAN TREATMENT"

Small-scale peaceful protests grew due to disproportionate violence. Russia and Iran intervened in the matter. Terrorist organizations like PKK and ISIS got involved. The fire turned into a burning place that also threatens our country. A mass movement began from Syria to our country. Innocent civilians were subjected to inhuman treatment such as mass slaughter and rape. It became inevitable for Turkey to intervene to protect its borders and take precautions against terrorist organizations. What surprised us the most was that some from within criticized us in a way that was far from the seriousness of the issue, saying, "What is Turkey doing in Syria?" They did not say, "What is the US or Europe doing in Syria?" They only criticized Turkey. For 13 years, they never stood by their country, Turkey, or the oppressed. I particularly draw your attention to this. While 1 million people lost their lives in Syria, they did not raise their voices. While 12 million people fled their homes and lands due to fear of death, torture, and imprisonment, they did not speak up. While mass killings were taking place, they did not raise their voices. While children were being crushed in Aleppo, Bayır-Bucak, Hama, and Homs, they did not say a word against the tyrant Assad and the Baath regime.

"DID YOU ONLY WAKE UP WHEN THE TYRANT LEFT?"

As soon as the Syrian people achieved an epic victory on December 8, their tongues were loosened. Instead of feeling ashamed, they are giving advice on social media. For 13 years, they felt no concern for the massacre, but in the last 40 days, they have started to feel it. What a surprise, there is a massacre in Syria. Weren't you the ones who said, "What are we doing in Syria" until yesterday? Wasn't it an internal affair of Syria? What happened that you opened your radars towards Syria? Did you only wake up when the tyrant left? Where were you when babies were dying? Where were you when tortures were being carried out in prisons? Where were you when innocent children were writhing under siege? Where were you when rockets were raining down from Syria to our country? 1 million people died. Mass graves are emerging from all sides of Syria. We know very well what you are trying to do. We know very well why you were silent for 13 years and why you are speaking now. We know very well why you did not react to Assad's massacres. Today, they are again against Turkey, alongside the enemies of our country. No matter what you do, you will not extinguish the Syrian revolution by blowing on it.

"YOU WILL NOT DESTROY TURK-KURD-ARAB BROTHERHOOD"

You will not be able to provoke the unrest you so desire within our country. You will not be able to destroy Turkish-Kurdish-Arab brotherhood. With God's permission, we will not allow this. We will never fall into your traps. Politics is done with intelligence, insight, and foresight. Politics is done by centering on the interests of the country and the nation. Politics is done to elevate Turkey's rights and law. In this new era, everyone's duty is to contribute to our country's efforts to establish stability in Syria.

"WE WILL MEET WITH THE SYRIAN TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT"

As Turkey, we continue to contribute to the establishment of stability in Syria, the completion of the transition process, and the construction of a system that embraces all Syrians. Our MIT President and Foreign Minister visited Damascus. Today, the foreign minister, defense minister, and intelligence chief of the transitional government will visit our country, and we will hold a meeting.

"IF YPG DOES NOT LAY DOWN ITS ARMS."

If the YPG, which occupies Syria's natural resources, does not lay down its arms, it will not be able to escape the impending fate. We are the supporters, followers, and guarantors of all the issues of our Kurdish brothers. When it comes to project-based excuses like ISIS, they have lost their convincing aspect. The greatest power to solve this issue is Turkey. Everyone should withdraw their hands from the region; we will crush both ISIS and YPG with our Syrian brothers. We have the strength for this.

"CARD GAME IS MORE SUITED TO CHP'S CHARACTER"

While we carry out this politics, which has been calculated down to the finest detail at every stage, there is a very different atmosphere on the CHP side. It is unclear who is doing what. Expecting meaningful support from the main opposition for Turkey's foreign policy is a completely futile endeavor. No matter how hard we try, it is all in vain. The CHP and its entourage somehow manage to position themselves in the wrong place on every national issue. Are we watching Turkey's main opposition party or a primary school play? There is neither seriousness nor dignity. At one point, when half the country was enlightened, they suggested turning off the lights. Since this action required some coordination, they only lasted 3 days. Then they got into the duty of guarding in the Parliament. To be honest, we did not expect this last move either. Like our nation, we were also stunned. We saw once again the CHP's ability to produce politics. I congratulate the management, especially Mr. Özgür Özel, for this brilliant idea. They have increased the hopes of our people. They have brought a new horizon to Turkish politics. Since it does not require much effort, I believe that the card game is more suited to the character of the CHP. The previous ones had a butterfly lifespan; they might continue this a bit longer. They should not get too carried away. There is still the puzzle, the bluff, poker, and rummy. I believe that the best judgment of this dire situation is made by CHP voters.