Erdoğan says Turkey has become ‘the enemy’ for standing up for opressed people

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday said that some countries had declared Turkey as the enemy for standing up for oppressed peoples.

“We illuminated our future by spoiling their plots, so they became our enemy. They turned into our enemies because we didn’t remain silent in the face of atrocities, because we threw their injustices in their faces. We strengthened our economy, so they became our enemy,” he said in the Turkish province of Kastamonu.

Turkey has often vocalized its support for the oppressed Palestinians and Uyghur Muslims.

Reiterating turkey’s fight against terror, “The time came when Turkey has tried to be taken hostage with the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terror organization, and with various projects like Daesh,” Erdoğan said.

“We won’t let it go. We will track them wherever they run. We have chased them and will chase them to Judi, Gabar and even Qandil,” he affirmed.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.