Erdoğan: ‘Ethiopia’s leader told me he was relieved about my appearance on Facetime on July 15’
Speaking at the 36th meeting of the village headmen today (January 8), Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed ‘these meetings are monitored by the whole world.’
Erdoğan asserted on these regular meetings, which he has been holding at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, as ‘the solid proof of a functioning democracy in Turkey.’
Bringing up the July 15 coup attempt again, Erdoğan said ‘people of Turkey demonstrated that night that they are going to protect democracy.’
Erdoğan also mentioned that Ethiopia’s head of state told him: “He (Ethiopian head of state) told me: ‘Once I heard you told from Facetime that you’d be going to İstanbul, I felt relieved.’ So, he monitored this from his country and he said ‘all right, it is done.’
Because, democracy cannot be achieved by mere words. If a leader walks, the nation follows…”
Erdoğan also touched on the bid in the country for a new constitution and said ‘the opposition has been trying all means to stand on the way of this change’ and claimed ‘there has always been a ‘no block’ in Turkey that is against privatization and development.’
Arguments of the opponents of the proposed new constitution – with regards to its breach of seperation of powers principles – are based on ‘lies’, according to Erdoğan.
AKP’s goals for years 2023, 2053, and 2071, which are the centennial dates of the foundation of the Republic (1923), conquest of İstanbul (1453), and Battle of Manzikert (1071), have not been defined clearly enough, however, Erdoğan has again vowed to actualize ‘AKP’s vision’ with regards to these particular goals.