* Photo: Doğukan Keskinkılıç / AA
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President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the public following the Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara yesterday (October 20).
Touching upon a series of current issues such as the Presidential elections in Northern Cyprus, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Erdoğan has announced that fifth and ninth-grade students will start going back to school for face-to-face classes as of November 2, while others will continue with online lessons as part of pandemic measures.
Kindergarten students and first grade students returned to school for face-to-face education for once a week as of September 21; the second, third, fourth, eighth and twelfth classes and village schools have been giving face-to-face education since October 12.
Sharing details about the ongoing vaccine research, President and AKP Chair Erdoğan has also stated that "the human trial stage is likely to be reached within two weeks in the domestic vaccine works," adding that they have "also made significant progress about the applicability of the works, carried out on a vaccine in the world, in Turkey."
"We hope to have taken concrete steps on this issue by the end of this year. Our goal is to completely resolve the vaccine issue until the next spring."
'Fatih drill ship will start fresh operations'
As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Erdoğan has said that a discovery this weekend in the Black Sea that raised the known capacity of previous natural gas reserves from 320 to 405 bcm would finally allow Turkey to meet its hydrocarbon needs to some extent, adding that Turkey's drill ship, the Fatih, will start on fresh operations next month:
"The Fatih drilling vessel will start drilling in the Türkali-1 well in the next month. The data we have indicate that we will receive news of discovery, which is as significant and plentiful as was in the Tuna-1 well, from there."
According to Erdoğan, "every cubic meter of the natural gas, discovered in the Black Sea, will be used for the prosperity, peace, security and the future of the country and the nation."
'We have managed to foil attacks, schemes'
Erdoğan has also argued that "Turkey's growth has triggered its involvement in external issues due to both its history and other obligatory reasons as it could never abandon innocent people in dire need."
"All kinds of methods, including terrorist attacks, coup attempts, economic traps, efforts for political exclusion, have been employed to deter Turkey from its goals," President has said and briefly added:
"We have managed to foil all attacks and schemes. During this period, most of the international organizations and states which claim to carry the banner of democracy, have shown their true color with the double standards they displayed against our country.
"We have continued to move forward on our path while exposing the hypocrisy of these structures which made it their fundamental policy to stand with any one against us.
"Some of these interests stem from our historical, conscientious and moral stance and some from our obligations brought about by the burdens on our shoulders. We will never stop standing with the oppressed, the disadvantaged, with what is right and just."
'Selfish, spoiled policies crushed by Cypriots'
Erdoğan has also congratulated Northern Cyprus' Turkey-backed President Ersin Tatar on his recent election win against previous President Mustafa Akıncı: "We see the Turkish Cypriots' preference at the polls as a sign of their determination to build a common future with Turkey.
"The Greek side's selfish and spoiled policies, which they have displayed by abusing the European Union and which disregards the other right-holder in the island, once again has been once again crushed by the will of the Turkish Cypriots. Turkey will, as has always been the case, continue to stand with the Turkish Cypriots with all its power and capabilities."
'Turkey is the new rising star'
Concluding his remarks, Erdoğan has reiterated that "they have not and will not escape from any responsibility placed on their shoulders in Iraq, Syria, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean and Azerbaijan."
"We will give those, who do not give upon their dreams to remove us from this geography which we have defended as our homeland, when need be, at the cost of our lives, many more nightmares. We will leave a powerful and prosperous Turkey to our children," Erdoğan has indicated further.
"All the global and regional balances are rapidly collapsing to leave their places to new ones. Turkey, with its strong political and economic structure, is the rising star of the new global and regional quests. Every intelligent and conscientious person accepts that our country, despite some difficulties it is having, is positively distinguishing itself amid crises." (EKN/SD)
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