*Photo: Aytaç Ünal/AA
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President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the public following the Presidential cabinet meeting in the capital city of Ankara yesterday (October 5).
As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), more students in Turkey will be taking in-person classes soon amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Erdoğan said in his speech.
"We are starting face-to-face education in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 8th and 12th grades" in line with determined rules to ensure the students' safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Erdoğan told reporters.
Starting next week, Turkey will give free tablet computers to half a million students to support them with their distance education, he added.
Separately, Minister of National Education Ziya Selçuk has said on Twitter that in-person education in primary schools, rural schools, 8th and 12th grades and special schools will begin on October 12.
Preschool and first-grade students started in-person education on September 21 while other students continued distance education.
Vaccine studies
Drawing attention to the progress Turkey has made in its efforts to develop its own vaccine against COVID-19, President Erdoğan said, "13 different vaccine studies had been started in Turkey. Five of them in two separate categories have neared the human trials phase."
He also argued that "this picture alone suffices to prove the strategic character of the investments made in Turkey's medical infrastructure."
'We are in full solidarity with Azerbaijan'
Erdoğan also addressed the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus. Reiterating his support to Azerbaijan against its neighbor Armenia, President Erdoğan said, "It is the duty of every honorable state to support Azerbaijan's fight to liberate its occupied territories."
Noting that the Minsk Group, co-chaired by the US, France and Russia, "doomed the issue to deadlock rather than settle it", Erdoğan stated:
"What took place in Karabakh was not only an occupation but also massacres that were a disgrace to humanity. The massacres – which the Armenians committed without any distinction of children, women or men and didn't shy away from talking about proudly – were left unpunished.
"We have been saying since the beginning that we are in full solidarity with Azerbaijan. As a matter of fact, it is every honorable state's duty to support Azerbaijan's fight to liberate its lands that are under occupation.
"It is impossible for humanity to achieve lasting peace and serenity unless the world is rescued from rogue states and their rogue leaders.
"It is a requirement of the historical, legal and geographical realities that the Karabakh issue, the gravest crisis in the Caucasus over the past 30 years, be thus resolved. Otherwise, it is impossible to put an end to the injustice and conflicts in the region."
'Turkey is humanity's common conscience'
Concluding his remarks, Erdoğan referred to Turkey's standing in the world in following words: "As humanity's common conscience, Turkey now has a say and is capable of making its words heard in every issue.
"Turkey now has obtained the capability to implement its political and economic policies with active military support on the ground. Turkey now has reached a level where it is able to lend support to all of its friends and stick by it." (EKN/SD)
