Erdoğan: We will Enter East of Euphrates

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President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the inauguration ceremony of the Bursa City Hospital and İstanbul-İzmir Highway yesterday (August 4).

Addressing a series of issues in his speech, President Erdoğan stated, "We entered Afrin, Jarablus and Al-Bab [in northern Syria] and now we are going to enter east of the Euphrates."

"We shared this [information] with the US and Russia", he indicated further.

Some highlights from his speech were as follows:

'Interest rates will decrease further'

"The Central Bank has decreased the interest rates, they will decrease further. I am giving the good news: Inflation will also decrease, you will see that as well. I am calling out to my all citizens: Everyone should close their ears to the speculations about our economy and mind their own business.

'No money spent from our safe for these projects'

"The Highway of İstanbul-Bursa-Balıkesir-Manisa-İzmir is one of the most important recent investments of our country. Just like similar other projects, when we began Turkey's first build-operate-transfer highway, there were the ones who criticized it, the ones who said that it was not going to work out and the ones who mocked it in their own ways.

"You know who these people are, right? But, it is what they do, they say, 'How are they doing it? They should first explain it...' I am doing it without any money coming out of our safe.

'Tourism and industry will gather pace'

"It was not that easy to build these viaducts, these tunnels. We did not cross the mountains that easily. But we became the Farhad, Farhad... We moved the mountains and reached Shirin.* In this way, we have not only made the travel between İstanbul and İzmir faster, safer and more comfortable, we have also cut the way short by 100 kilometers.

"In the future, if Allah permits, we will also link the Tekirdağ-Çanakkale-Balıkesir highway, which includes the 1905 Çanakkale Bridge, with this road.

"Thanks to this road, tourism will gather pace, industry will gather pace, commercial activities will equally gather pace; it is apparent that it will make more greater contribution to our country.

"In conclusion, this highway is a profitable and lucrative project for Turkey in all aspects. But, does anything come out of the safe of the state? No. That is the question. If it works, then we will get it done." (DB/SD)

* The folkloric tale of Farhad and Shirin is the Anatolian version of Khosrow and Shirin, the famous tragic love story by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209). The tale is about the young muralist Farhad, who falls in love with the princess Shirin as he was commissioned to decorate her villa. Farhad asks the ruler for permission to marry Shirin. Unwilling to agree, the ruler says that Farhad has to bring water to the town from a far distance spring by digging a water tunnel in the nearby mountain.

** Source: Anadolu Agency (AA)