Erdoğan: We aim for 'great, powerful Türkiye'

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reaffirmed his administration’s longstanding goal of building a "great and powerful Türkiye," hailing the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) track record.

"Our compass is our ancient values that make us who we are. Our source of power and inspiration is all 86 million people, regardless of political party," Erdoğan told an AKP women's branch event on July 2 in the capital Ankara.

Erdoğan said the AKP had helped Türkiye achieve “the greatest successes in its history."

“We have written our name in the hearts of the nation with honor and glory. We have raised Türkiye to a very high level, from rights and freedoms to family and social policies," he said.

“We have lifted the bans, dispersed the tutelage centers and together we have put the monuments of arrogance who consider themselves superior to the nation in their place."

He said his government’s progress came "despite oppression."

"We sweated and fought to make the national prevail. We tried to spend every day on the path of serving our nation. Despite all kinds of sabotage and distraction, we achieved historic gains for our country," he said. "We aim for a great and powerful Türkiye."

A significant portion of Erdoğan’s address focused on women, who he said were instrumental in expanding the AKP’s reach across all segments of society.

"We entered the most remote villages, all households and all hearts from the metropolises, thanks to women," he said. "Unlike some people, we never saw the women of this country as filling material."

Under his administration, Erdoğan said, the percentage of female students in universities rose from 13 percent to 53 percent, while women’s participation in the workforce increased from 27.9 percent to 36.5 percent.

"We fought violence against women with the principle of zero tolerance," he added. "We implemented effective deterrent measures with comprehensive reforms."