Erdoğan, wishing the summit would yield auspicious results, congratulated Turkuvaz Media Group on this event attended by many distinguished figures and thanked all participants whose ideas, presentations, and evaluations contributed to the summit's content.
Erdoğan stated that the world has been enduring a painful period for the past three years, which began with the pandemic and grew more complex with hot conflicts and regional tensions, and that the energy, food, and raw material prices, which have reached record highs in recent years, and the resulting inflation problem have put a strain on all economies.
Further noting that traditional approaches based on controlling inflation by increasing interest rates have never lived up to expectations, Erdoğan remarked that many economies attempting to contain inflation with such policies struggle with job losses and rising living costs.
Emphasizing that Türkiye was one of the countries that have navigated this difficult period relatively easily, owing to the robust infrastructure it has built over the last 20 years, as well as its economic model based on production, employment, exports, and growth through current account surplus, Erdoğan said, "Every month, our exports set new records and are approaching the $300 billion mark. Our well-organized industrial zones, factories, and manufacturing plants are hard at work. Our roads and highways are packed with trucks transporting goods from our country to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East."
Erdoğan noted that Türkiye gained a significant impetus as it went beyond compensating for the losses in tourism, the sector most severely impacted by the pandemic, and surpassed the threshold of 31 million employed people for the first time.
Erdoğan remarked that the inauguration of the production facilities for the domestic and national electric automobile Togg was carried out with great pride in the 99th year of the Republic and that they took the energy movement one step further by launching the world's fifth-largest dam, Yusufeli Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant.
"Step by step, we are providing solutions"
Stating that they were continuing their efforts to bring the 540 billion cubic meters of natural gas discovered in the Black Sea to the citizens, Erdoğan said, "Step by step, we are providing solutions to the inflation and cost of living issues, which occupies everyone's agenda, including Europe and the United States. God willing, we will have broken the back of inflation by the beginning of the next year as a result of the actions we have taken."
Stating that the level Türkiye has reached in the field of the defense industry in a short period has become one of the sources of pride for the nation, Erdoğan went on to say:
"While the defense industry exports totaled barely $248 million in 2002, we broke a record with $3,224 million last year. We expect an export figure of over $4 billion this year. We design, produce, and develop the systems we need domestically and nationally, from weapons and ammunition to missiles, from unmanned aerial, land, and sea vehicles to helicopters and ships. We are resolved to make 2023 a milestone marked by many a first in the defense industry as well as in the economy and energy. We will not stop until we realize our vision of the Century of Türkiye with all its elements, and we will continue our struggle ceaselessly. In this critical period, we will not allow terrorist organizations, global conspiracies, or mandate economists to divert us off our course. I believe the Türkiye 2023 Summit, organized by Turkuvaz Media Group, will contribute to our efforts." (ILKHA)