Speaking at the dinner held by the Turkish American National Steering Committee in New York, Erdoğan said: “The Turkish-US relations improve each passing day. Our bilateral trade volume reached a record high last year, having exceeded 32 billion dollars. We will further enhance our cooperation on the basis of common interests in the upcoming period.”

Drawing attention to the February 6 earthquakes in Türkiye, Erdoğan pointed out that the construction of 200 thousand post-quake houses has started so far, and added that their aim is to build 319 thousand houses within the first year and deliver them to their owners.

“The aid you delivered to the disaster zone contributed to the healing of our wounds”

Noting that a total of 650 thousand houses will be built within the process, President Erdoğan said that they will revive the quake-hit cities in a manner that will be safer than the past with all their infrastructures, superstructures and historical and cultural structures alike. Pointing to the aid supplies sent from all across the world, Erdoğan continued as follows: “Although there are thousands of kilometers between us, we have felt in our hearts the support of our U.S.-based brothers and sisters whose hearts beat for Türkiye. The aid you delivered to the disaster zone contributed to the healing of our wounds. I particularly thank you for that. We are grateful for the solidarity our American Muslim brothers and sisters and communities of other faiths showed with our nation. Also, I would like to thank the American Muslim community.”

“You are building social bridges between Türkiye and America”

“You are building social bridges between Türkiye and America by representing our rich culture to the American people in the best manner while defending your identity here,” Erdoğan said, and added: “There are some groups of interest who act with the aim of poisoning the Turkish-American relations. By telling the facts, being a good example and duly representing Türkiye and the Turkish nation, we will foil those groups. Responsibilities fall to you, our citizens, as well as our official institutions on this issue. In this sense, your active participation in the civil society and representation in the decision-making bodies in the country are important.”

“The nefarious attacks on our holy book Quran can in no way be forgiven”

Drawing attention to the recent rise in racism and Islamophobia, Erdoğan stressed: “We as Türkiye make our warnings against and openly respond to this threat growing bigger like a snowball. We seriously maintain our works in order for this issue to remain on the agenda of the international community. The nefarious attacks on our holy book Quran in Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and most recently in New York can in no way be forgiven. We never accept the legitimization of attacking the sacred values of 2 billion Muslims across the world under the pretext of freedom of expression. To us, these acts are provocations aimed at inciting people. As you know, we led the adoption by the UN Human Rights Council and General Assembly of the resolution that recognizes any kind of attack on sacred books as the violation of international law. We will determinedly continue our efforts to that end.”

“Our stance in the Russia-Ukraine war is appreciated by the entire world”

Stating that they work selflessly to crown the centenary of the Republic with the Century of Türkiye, Erdoğan said: “We are making really great progress in defense, diplomacy, economy and tourism alike. We give no respite to any terrorist organizations, from DAESH to FETO and PKK. Let me reiterate that we will determinedly continue our fight against terrorist organizations inside and outside our borders.”

Underscoring that while defending the rights of the nation, they work to correct global injustices and inequalities, Erdoğan noted: “We, to that end, pursue a strong, constructive, active and balanced foreign policy both on the ground and at the table. With the critical roles we have assumed recently in regional and global crises, we have consolidated our global leading position in the area of mediation. Our stance in the Russia-Ukraine war is appreciated by the entire world. We have achieved many diplomatic successes, from the exchange of war prisoners to the Black Sea Initiative. Believing that ‘there is no winner of a war, and a loser of a peace”, we continue our efforts in a multifaceted manner.”

Stressing that the Turkish-US relations improve each passing day, Erdoğan went on to say: “I have agreed with President Biden on strengthening our cooperation and friendship. The Strategic Mechanism we decided to establish with Mr. Biden contributes to the deepening of the dialogue between our countries. Our bilateral trade volume reached a record high last year, having exceeded 32 billion dollars. We will further enhance our cooperation on the basis of common interests in the upcoming period.”. (ILKHA)