Erdoğan: We will eliminate all terrorists

“Turkey’s Euphrates Shield Operation and Idlib and Afrin operations result from the obligation to protect the rights of the people in the region, who are the relatives of the Turkish nation,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday in the commemoration ceremony on the 79th anniversary of the death of the country’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Erdoğan hailed Atatürk as “one of the few leaders of the 20th century to lead a nation to victory.”

“We must not stop with remembering Atatürk, but also try to understand him,” he added.

Erdoğan heaped praise on the founder of the modern Turkish republic and highlighted the role of his leadership during the tumultuous times of the 20th century.

"In the troubled period of the [20th] century we see that in every country a leader emerged, in search for liberation led by him. Few of these leaders brought the countries to this victory and the desired success.

“There is no doubt that Ataturk is one of these leaders," he said.

He warned against the approach of using Atatürk to meet ideological targets.

"The problem here is that there is a mentality, that wants to use our nation’s symbol of independence, Gazi Mustafa Kemal, for their own ideological objectives."

He said fascists and traitors, and their terror plots were being exposed in Turkey.

"Democratic-looking fascists have been revealed. The plot under the disguise of rights and law have also been revealed.

Erdoğan said “We have to reclaim our War of Independence National Pact principles. If any attack comes from those territories, we have to do what is necessary,” adding that Turkey will disappoint those who aim to set fire to the region.

“Leaving economic and political reasons aside, the reason for the security problems on the southern border of our country is concessions from the National Pact,” Erdoğan said.

“The traitors who infiltrated all institutions of the state for many years have been exposed. There are new opportunities that have arisen for Turkey. I believe our state will continue on its path in a stronger and more decisive way,” Erdoğan said.

“We will continue to fight until we elimate all terrorists,” he added.