Next year's elections are doubly important -- for 100th year of Republic and 2053 vision, says Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan penned a letter to the citizens living abroad in which he underlined the importance of the 2023 elections.
"The elections to be held next year have critical importance both for the crowning of the 100th anniversary of our Republic and for us to realize the 2053 vision," Erdogan wrote. "I fully believe that you will continue to provide the strongest support for the future of our country."
He stated that Turkish citizens represent Türkiye in the best way in the country they live, and that they have achieved "great success" in the social, political, economic and scientific fields.
The president said Turkish expats are the "essential element" of the blessed march commenced 21 years ago toward a "Greater Türkiye."
"We have stood by our state with all the means possible by listening to the voices of our citizens living abroad. With your support and with the strength we receive from you, we built a Türkiye that every person is proud of, from defense industry to foreign policy, from health to transportation," he added.
- 'We brought ballot boxes for citizens abroad after 50 years'
The president said in his letter that his Justice and Development (AK) Party introduced overseas voting for the first time in 50 years "so that you can have a say in the future of our country."
"We have increased the number, capacity and service quality of our consulates. We have given retirees the right to work part-time through foreign borrowing, we have removed the obligation to receive 21 days of basic training in military service in foreign currency, through (state-backed housing developer) TOKI, we implemented the housing project, increased the period of use of mobile devices from 30 days to 120 days, increased the duration of stay of individual vehicles in Türkiye from six months to two years, and opened e-Government services for the use of our citizens abroad and blue card holders," he said.
"We have appointed thousands of teachers and religious officials so that our children can exist in the society they live in without forgetting their language, religion and culture. With our citizen-oriented approach, we have made regulations that are unique in the world in every field from education to health, from social security to population transactions, from customs to military service with foreign currency, from citizenship to blue card application. Not only identified your problems, but we also established institutions such as the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, Yunus Emre Institute and Maarif Foundation, and created a special commission in the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye."
- 'We will continue to be at your service with same determination'
Stating that his party was always there for and at the service of citizens abroad during the coronavirus pandemic, Erdogan reiterated that they kept their promises and met their goals one by one.
He said party officials and deputies traveled to the countries where Turkish citizens are located after the pandemic and met with Turkish citizens and non-governmental organizations to understand their concerns.
"We continue our efforts to implement your demands that you conveyed to them," he concluded.
