President Erdoğan on Coronavirus Pandemic: We Need to Manage This Process Well

* Photos: Anadolu Agency (AA)

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the reporters ahead of the "Coordination Meeting on Struggle Against Coronavirus" that began at Çankaya Palace in capital Ankara at 2.20 p.m. today (March 18).

"We will beat this illness, on the one side with patience, on the other side with prayers," said Erdoğan and briefly stated the following:

'It will have serious economic consequences'

"Such a process that has brought the life to a standstill will also have serious economic consequences among several other aspects.

"We cannot let it go hang when we have just started recovering from the attack of foreign exchange, interest rates and inflation in August 2018 and just when the things have started going well for us.

"The outbreak in China has forced the whole world to search for alternatives in production. When it comes to alternatives in production, Turkey is one of the first places that come to mind.

'It will bring additional advantages to our country'

"Together with the fall in oil prices, the financial developments will also bring additional advantages to our country.

"If we can manage this one- or two-week process well in our country and curb the spread of the disease, we will have a good picture before us.

'Let's not let the disease beat us'

"What matters here is to stay strong to beat the virus both medically and economically, without letting it beat us.

"Yesterday, we met with President of France [Emmanuel] Macron, [Chancellor of Germany Angela] Merkel and [Prime Minister of UK] Boris Johnson in a video conference.

"Not only the situation about the virus... (We seem to be in the best position now, Germany seems second best after us). But the situation in England and France is so negative that it cannot even be compared with us."

About the closed-door meeting

The meeting at Çankaya Palace in Ankara was attended by Vice President Fuat Oktay, members of Presidential Councils on Economy and Health Policies, ministers, directors of public institutions and organizations, AKP executives and NGO representatives.

Further measures to be taken against coronavirus outbreak are expected to be announced to the public following the meeting.

(PT/SD)