Presidency Contradicts New York Times: Number of Emigrants Not Over Quarter Million

* Photograph: Anadolu Agency

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Human Resources Office of the Presidency has released a statement in response to the article "Spurning Erdoğan's Vision, Turks Leave in Droves, Draining Money and Talent", which was published on the US-based New York Times (NYT) newspaper on January 2.

In the article, the newspaper stated, "More than a quarter of a million Turks emigrated in 2017, according to the Turkish Institute of Statistics, an increase of 42 percent over 2016, when nearly 178,000 citizens left the country."

In response to this article, the Presidency has made a statement on Twitter, indicating that the number of people who emigrated from the country in 2017 was not over a quarter of a million, but 113 thousand and 326 people.

NYT news: Old moneyed class moving away

* Screenshot: The New York Times

In its article dated January 2, the newspaper stated, "For the first time since the republic was founded nearly a century ago, many from the old moneyed class, in particular the secular elite who have dominated Turkey's cultural and business life for decades, are moving away and the new rich close to Mr. Erdogan and his governing party are taking their place."

The article also added, "Thousands of Turks (...) have applied for business visas in Britain or for golden visa programs in Greece, Portugal and Spain, which grant immigrants residency if they buy property at a certain level."

Referring to the findings of the Global Wealth Migration Review, an annual report produced by AfrAsia Bank, the newspaper also stated, "At least 12,000 of Turkey's millionaires - around 12 percent of the country's wealthy class - moved their assets out of the country in 2016 and 2017."

"113 thousand 326 people"

Releasing a statement on Twitter, the Human Resources Office of the Presidency has referred to the emigration data previously shared by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) and said,

"When the data of the TurkStat are considered, it can be seen that the number of our citizens who emigrated from Turkey in 2017 is not 'more than a quarter of a million' as it has been alleged; on the contrary, it is 113 thousand and 326 people.

"This figure is less than half of the alleged figure. Moreover, the number of the citizens of the Republic of Turkey who immigrated to Turkey is 101 thousand and 772 people, which indicates that the net emigration from Turkey is 11 thousand 554 people."

Addressing the New York Times, the Office has also expressed its hope that the newspaper "will urgently correct the related error of fact and do a more meticulous and objective journalism based on correct data." (TP/SD)