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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to protect the Turkish diaspora in Europe from racism and discrimination, telling representatives of the Union of International Democrats (UID) that Türkiye will "not let anyone oppress" its citizens abroad.
"Whether they live within our borders or abroad, we will not allow any of our people to be oppressed or humiliated," the Turkish president stated at the UID Capacity Building and Training Workshop at the Bestepe Presidential Complex on Thursday.
"We will not let anyone oppress the European Turkish community that accompanies our Century of Türkiye march with their pure labor and pure intentions. We will also teach a lesson to the incompetent ones who try to oppress them," he added.
President Erdogan reflected on the struggles faced by Turkish citizens who emigrated to Europe beginning in the 1960s, saying, "We walked against the wind, we were subjected to racist attacks, and we worked harder than anyone to hold on in foreign lands."
"We were pushed aside, we were battered, we were scorned. We lost our young people like saplings, our bright-eyed children, our callous-handed brothers and sisters to racist terror," he added.
Despite these challenges, "the Turkish diaspora has managed to stand, to have a say, influence and will in every field," Erdogan said.
The Turkish president highlighted the significant economic contributions of Turks living abroad, saying, "Of the $60.5 billion tourism revenue we earned in 2024, $10.3 billion was directly contributed by our citizens abroad."
"Of the 62.2 million visitors who came to Türkiye, 9.6 million were our brothers and sisters residing abroad," Erdogan added, noting this does not include exports, investments and employment contributions.
"We are talking about a great human force of over 7 million that provides very important services to Türkiye and gives very serious support to the Turkish economy," he noted.
Erdogan told the diaspora representatives, "Never forget this, dear brothers and sisters—as European Turks, you are the pure children of this homeland, you are the essential elements of this country, you are the doors of this country opening to the world."
"Wherever you live, you are a part of our soul. Previous governments may have ignored you, neglected you. Some may have looked at you through the foreign exchange window for decades, but each of you, together with the 7 million people who have built lives in every corner of the world, deserves the best of respect and service," he added.
The Turkish president stated that the world is experiencing a period of crisis and uncertainty, stating, "From Europe to Asia, in a period when the wave of crisis and uncertainty is rising, we need more solidarity and more brotherhood than ever to not collapse against the winds of disaster and calamity."
He finally noted that Palestinians in Gaza, Lebanese, Sudanese and Muslims in many parts of the world are experiencing "painful days," with over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza "trying to hold on to life under very difficult conditions."
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