President Erdoğan: 31 people identified as responsible for the fires were detained

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a statement following the Cabinet Meeting at the Presidential Complex. Erdoğan stated that they discussed critical issues from security and health to foreign policy, from the environment to industry and technology, and from business life to trade. Stating that the 7th year of the Presidential Government System has passed last week, Erdoğan said, “The Presidential Government System, which has put an end to the nearly two-century-old discussions on the governance system of Türkiye, has successfully passed many tests in the last 7 years, from pandemics to wars, earthquakes to floods. Especially in times of crisis, we see the strategic value of our new government system and the advantages it provides to our state much more clearly. With its architecture that keeps coordination in the state at the highest level with its speed, effective decision-making and implementation mechanisms, its design that strengthens political and social stability, and its structure that is closed to the intervention of tutelage centers, the Presidential Government System makes it easier for Türkiye to manage the threats and challenges it faces with ease. As the system settled, old habits also began to change. The resistance we witnessed at the beginning against the new governance model, stemming from ignorance and malicious intent, has been significantly broken and replaced by trust.”

Regarding the ‘old system discussions’, Erdoğan said, “The old system discussions that the opposition, which cannot raise its head from intra-party fights, frequently resorts to in order to divert the agenda, are painful memories left on the dusty shelves of the old Türkiye. The old situation is impossible, no one will be able to take Türkiye back to its old unstable days when it was the symbol of butterfly-lived coalitions. As the Presidential Government System takes root, the construction of the Turkish Century will hopefully accelerate even more. We attach great importance to the development and preservation of this historical gain in our administrative system in terms of Türkiye’s future journey. Naturally, in light of 7 years of experience, we also make our evaluations in a very comprehensive manner. We are always open to ideas that will enable the state to serve the nation better. We will evaluate with benevolence any suggestion that aims to improve the new system rather than undermine it, increase its effectiveness and strengthen its problem-solving capacity, regardless of who it comes from. We are honored and pleased to bring such a major reform as the Presidential Government System to Türkiye.”

'WE WILL NOT ALLOW THE CREATION OF NEW PROBLEM AREAS'

Noting that all citizens are trying to protect their faith in democracy, Erdoğan said, “The poisonous discourses, which have been increasing in dose, especially in the last 2-3 weeks, and have even reached the level of open insults and threats, are harming our democracy and the political institution more than the addressees of these discourses. There is no decent discussion, but an exchange of insults that drags the standards of democracy to the bottom. The only positive aspect of this civil war is the airing of dirty laundry. We find it extremely wrong, especially in the spiritual climate of the month of Muharram, for the issue to reach a level that will offend our Alevi souls. We have no tolerance for any action that will open a gap in Türkiye’s domestic front. While trying to save our country from a half-century-long calamity that has cost tens of thousands of lives and $2 trillion in economic resources, we absolutely cannot allow the creation of new problem areas. The unity, solidarity, peace of 86 million people and the health and security of our democracy are much more important than a political party’s fight for positions. Hatred that weakens our national unity language should be abandoned as soon as possible. Those who cannot solve their own internal issues cannot produce solutions to the problems of the nation and the country. While historical ruptures are being experienced in the world system, the political institution should act accordingly, centered on Türkiye,” he said.

'WE ARE HAPPY WITH THE EFFORTS FOR A TERROR-FREE Türkiye'

Regarding the Terror-Free Turkey process, Erdoğan said, “We are pleased with the progress made in a short time by the terror-free Turkey studies that we initiated as the People's Alliance and meticulously carried out as a state project under the coordination of our relevant units. We appreciate the generally responsible and constructive statements of political actors and find them very valuable in terms of the success of the process. The continuation of this will become more of a crisis in the future. It is a fact that the recent events that have occurred in our region have confirmed how accurate and strategic a step this process is. We know that there are those who want to disrupt this auspicious process like a fruitful tree being stoned. It is understood that some elements, not only in our country but also within the organization, are pursuing various sabotage attempts aimed at dynamiting the efforts. Of course, our state has enough experience not to fall into these traps, but this does not mean that we will consent to these provocations. It should be known that when our nation's peace is targeted or when there is an aggressive move against our national security, we will not tolerate anyone's tears, we will crush the heads of the attackers one by one. Our patience, "Let no one misunderstand or misinterpret our calmness and composure. We know very well how to throw a cannonball at someone who throws a stone at our window. We have more than enough power and will to do this when necessary," he said.

'WE WILL HOST NATO LEADERS IN ANKARA'

President Erdoğan stated that the 2026 NATO Heads of State and Government Summit will be held in Türkiye and said, “On this occasion, we will host NATO leaders in our capital Ankara and prepare the ground for very important decisions to be made. I wish it to be auspicious and auspicious for our country and our capital.”

'1516 FIRES HAVE EMERGED SINCE JUNE 1'

Regarding the forest fires that occurred, Erdoğan said, “Since June 1, 1,516 fires have broken out. 1,507 of these fires have been brought under control. Our planes and helicopters dropped 33,200 tons of water in a total of 10,260 sorties. 31 people who were determined to be responsible for the fires were detained, 10 of them were arrested, while 10 people were released on condition of judicial precaution. We are currently fighting intensively against 9 fires. Work continues to bring the fires in İzmir-Menderes and Seferihisar, Manisa-Akhisar, Hatay-Antakya, Aysın-Sultanhisar and Muğla-Bodrum under control. The fires in Sakarya, Bilecik, Balıkesir-Bigadiç, Mersin-Bozyazı have been partially brought under control. Cooling efforts are ongoing. I extend my get well wishes to all citizens affected and harmed by the fires. 27 planes, 105 helicopters and 14 "We are intervening with our air fleet consisting of UAVs, nearly 6 thousand water tenders and first response vehicles, and 25 thousand forest heroes. Our ministries, AFAD and fire department are working in close cooperation," he said.

'I AM WAITING FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO PROTECT OUR GREEN HOMELAND'

Stating that almost all forest fires are caused by humans, Erdoğan said, “The slightest negligence can lead to very big disasters. Our state is of course taking all precautions. But I want to remind you that the most important thing is not to cause a fire. I expect all my citizens to pay utmost attention to protecting our green homeland for the next 2 months.”

'ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE IS NO LONGER A PRIVILEGE, IT IS A RIGHT'

Regarding the work carried out in the field of health, Erdoğan noted the following:

“When we came to office in 2002, health was at the top of the list of areas that got lost in the tangle of problems. Only 70 percent of our population was under the social security umbrella. With our general health insurance revolution, thank God, we have taken almost all of our population under the social security umbrella. The premiums of 6.1 million of our 8.2 million citizens with general health insurance are covered by our state. While the health budget of the Social Security Institution was 7.6 billion liras in 2002, this figure reached 980 billion liras as of 2024. Another striking figure is this: 504 million prescriptions were covered by the Social Security Institution in 2024. The cost of the drugs used in these prescriptions is 305 billion liras. While there were only 3,986 drugs within the scope of reimbursement in the 2000s, this number has increased to 8,522 today. The localization rate of the drugs on the reimbursement list is over 80 percent. At the point we have reached today, access to health services is no longer a privilege, It is a right that all our citizens, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, benefit from. With our city and state hospitals, our qualified health army exceeding 1 million 425 thousand, our modern infrastructure, our comprehensive general health insurance and many other innovations, we have secured this fundamental right in our country.”

'WE ARE INCLUDING 5 DIFFERENT SMART CANCER DRUGS UNDER SSI REIMBURSEMENT'

Erdoğan reminded that they recently added the continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring system to facilitate blood sugar monitoring for children under the age of 18 with type 1 diabetes, and the anti-bleeding drug that can be easily applied subcutaneously at home for hemophilia A patients, to the reimbursement list, and said, “We have taken similar steps in the treatment of our children with SMA. Now we are resolving an important issue in a more auspicious way. We are including 5 different smart cancer drugs used in the treatment of 25 different cancer diseases within the scope of the Social Security Institution reimbursement. Previously, our patients were obtaining these cancer drugs with their own means and suing the Social Security Institution. During this process, both hospitals were victimized and high drug prices and court costs were creating a serious cost for the Social Security Institution budget. We are thus taking a very meaningful step for our 48 thousand cancer patients and their families.”

'WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS'

Noting that they also evaluated the studies carried out in the field of artificial intelligence at the Cabinet Meeting, Erdoğan said, “We aim to increase the data center investments, which are currently at the level of 250 megawatts, to 1 gigawatt by 2030. We will establish data center regions with secure and continuous energy infrastructure where investments exceeding 10 billion dollars will be implemented. We will spread specialization training in the field of artificial intelligence. We will expand the initiatives in this field with the artificial intelligence fund. We will accelerate the projects for the benefit of our nation by transforming the big data owned by the public into value with the National Artificial Intelligence Board. We will continue to take the necessary measures to minimize the risks brought by artificial intelligence. In defiance of those who see nothing but their seats, fortunes and interests, we will continue to work wholeheartedly for the future generations.”

DHA

Reporter: News Center