“We would like it to be known that our decision is motivated solely by the concern for the future of the Turkish nation, the unity and integrity of our country and its stability,” Ogan said, according to the Daily Sabah newspaper, of the meeting with Erdogan, where he expressed his support for the current president.
Edogan does not let up in his campaign. On Twitter, he promised that Turkey would be a home not only for Turks, but also for Tatars, Circassians, Turkmen, Uzbeks and Gagauz, and he listed some of the minorities that live in the country.
We cannot thank God enough for having a home like Turkey and a home like Turkey.
Türkiye; Circassian, Tatar, Gagauz, Albanian, Pomak, Bosnian, Turkmen, Meskhetian, Uzbek, Uyghur has been a home of safety and well-being for every sibling who has been in trouble throughout history. .… pic.twitter.com/aMLvYPplum
— Recep Tayyip Erdogan (@RTErdogan) May 23, 2023
At the same time, during the meeting with the nationalist Ogan, he did not forget to remind that under his government, 450 thousand Syrian refugees returned to their homes and the goal for the coming months is for the number of “repatriated” migrants from Syria to reach one million.
Turkey hosts almost four million refugees. It is the most of all countries to which Syrians have fled. Turkey’s economic woes, manifested by high inflation (almost 44 percent) and a significant increase in the cost of living, are fueling anti-migrant sentiment.
Photo: Murat Cet?nmuhurdar/ppo, Reuters
Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan (right) thanks nationalist Sinan Ogan for his support.
Erdogan won the first round of the presidential election with 49.52 percent of the vote, and Kiliçdaroglu finished second with 44.88 percent. After this unexpectedly high loss, the opposition candidate toughened the tone of the election campaign. Among other things, he stated that if elected president, he would send home from Turkey all the migrants who came to the country illegally, talking about ten million people. He also accused Erdogan of selling out to Russia and chastised the crackdown on critics and restrictions on freedom of speech.
We will take care of you, Erdogan promises voters from the earthquake-ravaged areas
Foreign