Turkey's security starts in Aleppo, not Gaziantep: Erdoğan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım spoke at the opening ceremony of the Keçiören Metro, a rapid-transit train system built in the Keçiören district of the capital Ankara.

“We have been working night and day for 15 years to develop projects that serve the people,” said Yıldırım.

The new line runs for a total of 9.2 kilometers, and at full capacity, can carry 50,000 passengers hourly.

“Turkey is under a joint attack from various terror groups. Those who do not know us should read about Gallipoli and our war of Independence,” said Erdoğan.

“We were accused of not doing enough to combat Daesh. The games of those who support other terrorist organizations against Daesh have gone to waste. Their aim is not to clear the area of Daesh and other terrorist groups; it is to turn the region into a sea of blood and bullets,” he continued.

Turkey has engaged in significant regional efforts to broker regional stability, most notably in Syria.

“Groups in Syria, Iraq, Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens and other groups, may be their pawns, but they are our brothers. If we do not respond to the threat in the area, we will put ourselves at risk. We must combat the threats at the source. Turkey's security starts in Aleppo not in Gaziantep,” he commented.

“The story of the people of Keçiören is the story of Ankara, the story of Turkey. Keçiören is perhaps the best example of how we held our heads high in the face of the July 15 coup plot,” said Erdoğan.

FETÖ terrorists, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup plot. Gülen is also the mastermind behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

“At the same time, we are removing tutelage, which wants to destroy democracy in Turkey. We will make the biggest change this year with the support of our people. We will destroy the political tutelage with the changes to the constitution. The power is with the people,” said Yıldırım.