Minister of National Education Nabi Avcı arrived in the Kocaeli provincial capital of İzmit to attend the mass inauguration of several projects including the Science Center and several schools as well as educational facilities. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also attended the ceremony. 

President Erdoğan addressed the people at the İzmit Sekepark area and gave them information about the projects that was to be inaugurated that included educational, health, science and sports facilities. The president said while he was flying into Kocaeli he had the chance to view the ongoing massive projects from the air “I saw the construction of the new bridge, the Kocaeli gulf passage and the construction going on at sea. I thank the Almighty for all this for allowing us to experience all this. Now you will be able to travel through the gulf to Karamürsel, Yalova, Bursa, İzmir without having to travel in the roundabout way.”

The president talked at length about the projects in the area and said the motto was that “if you do not have the road then you are uncivilized.”  

The president thanked the people of Kocaeli for giving him 58.5 percent of the votes and said this is the 17th province he is visiting since being elected as head of state. He said he had come to the province several times before the presidential elections, before the local elections last year and in 2013 to lay foundations for transportation projects.

President Erdoğan in his speech said Kocaeli is the voice of the whole geography of Turkey and that it has embraced its brothers and sisters coming from the Baslkans, the Caucasus and from Anatolia for the past 150 years “we have made it a cause to defend the imam-hatip (religious schools), a cause to promote vocation schools and we took up the issue of education at the highest level. We have reached the point where graduates of imam-hatip schools can also apply to any university they wish. Now we have expectations from our students. We will work hard and graduate from our schools and serve our country. We want to see you ahead in the race for wisdom, virtues and morals. That is why we ask you to put up an extra performance. You should be the bastions of unity, solidarity and togetherness.”

“Such resolutions do not mean a thing”

Erdoğan said last week the European Parliament highlighted the 100th anniversary of the Armenian deportation and once again started attacking Turkey in a very strong manner and Pope Francis accused Turkey of wrongdoing. He said they responded immediately.   

The president said now the sides are trying to make amends but just as they were trying to correct the mistake committed by the pope the European Parliament came up with a similar outburst. “We are witnessing such outbursts in some of the European countries. Such resolutions by the European Parliament do not mean anything to us.”

President Erdoğan said he wants to call on the world and especially on the Armenians as he went on to say “to turn this into a political issue and slant historical facts will mostly harm the Armenians themselves. We know well that those who take decisions do not really aim to defend the rights of the Armenians. Is it up to you to make such statements for the Armenains? Today there are about 40 thousand Armenians who are citizens of the Turkish Republic. Then there are the Armenians who feld Armenia and sought refuge here. Did we mistreat them? Aren’t we good hosts? Don’t yıou have any conscience when you are making such accusations against us? Can’t you see all these facts?”

President Erdoğan said such claims will not deter his administration as he recalled that during his time as prime minister he had ordered the restoration of the Armenians Orthodox church situated on the Akdamar İsland on Lake Van and had the church opened to worship and added “if we had any systematic enmity against the Armenians we would not have permitted such things. Now Armenians are living with our other Turkish, Kurdish, Arab and Circassian citizens. You will see this in the Samatya district and the Kocamustafapaşa district.”

President Erdoğan said Turkey has never turned its back on anyone facing difficulty and the Armenians are no exception and added that in fact Turkey has no problem with the Armenian people.

Saying the Armenians in Turkey freely attend schools; are involved in commercial activities, , participate in politics, become candidates for parliament and become civil servants and enjoy all the rights of all citizens of this country Erdoğan said “we are very proud for all this.”

“It is the Armenian diaspora and the Armenian state that has a problem with us” said Erdoğan and stressed that turkey has extended a friendly had to them several times and displayed goodwill but did not achieve anything as the Armenian diaspora could not rid itself from the guidance of other countries.   

Saying their doors is still wide open to Armenia President Erdoğan went on to say “we are ready to cooperate with them in every way if they take positive steps on the so-called claims of genocide and the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. But they have to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.”

“Turkey will continue to lead ahead”

President Erdoğan stressed that Turkeys economy developed in giant strides in the past 12 years and pointed out that the gross national product which was 230 billion dollars is now 840 billion dollars under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). 

The president said this figure may have dropped to 800 billion dollars due to the strong dollar in recent weeks but added that Turkey will overcome the current global crisis and will continue to take leaps in its economic development.

Most of the facilities inaugurated belong to the Ministry of National Education

Minister of National Education Nabi Avcı said he deserves the greatest applause for the facilities that are being inaugurated adding “in such inauguration ceremonies generally the giant portion of the cake goes to the Ministry of National Education. Today we are inaugurating 27 new schools. That is why we thank His Excellency the President for his leadership role to make this come true.” Minister Avcı also thanked Science, Industry and Technology Minister Fikri Işık and Metropolitan Mayor İbrahim Karaosmanoğlu for their support to education.

After the speeches President Erdoğan, his spouse First Lady Emine Erdoğan, Minister of National Education Nabi Avcı, Science, Industry and Technology Minister Fikri Işık, Minister of Family and Social Policies Ayşenur İslam and Youth and Sports Minister Akif Çağatay Kılıç inaugurated the 195 projects.