October 01, 2015•Update: October 02, 2015
ANKARA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the country's political parties to realize that the fight against terrorism is a joint responsibility.
Addressing the Turkish parliament on the sidelines of the second legislative year of the 25th term of the general assembly Thursday, Erdogan said: "The fight against terrorism is a mutual responsibility for all political parties in the parliament along with the president, government and the related state institutions".
He hoped that all political parties would display a humane and conscientious attitude to prevent the "ugly face of terrorism" from posing any threat to the upcoming election on November 1.
"It is a matter of honor for all parties in or outside the parliament to ensure a healthy reflection of the national will on the ballots on November 1," he said.
His remarks came in the wake of renewed violence in Turkey after the July 20 Suruc bombing, which killed dozens of people. The subsequent PKK-linked murder of two Turkish police officers at their home sparked a new wave of terrorist attacks in the country.
The president also warned Kurdish citizens against plots that aim to divide the people of Turkey and make them an enemy of one another.
"I am calling out to my Kurdish brothers: the plot and attempt to separate us actually targets both you and us," he said.
"So I reject the notion that Kurdish people are terrorists. Our fight is not with an ethnic group but with terrorism, a terrorist organization and terrorists," he added.
Erdogan also reiterated that Turkey would never allow terrorism to flourish near its borders.
"No matter what their names are, we will never consent to terrorist groups gaining domains, either in our country or in the wider region," he said.
About post-election prospects for Turkey, the president assured that the Turkish economy would continue to grow and prosper, adding that democracy too would continue to take firm steps forward in Turkey.
"A strong government formed after the November 1 will be a milestone for economic indicators to return to their upward trend," he said.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Cevdet Yilmaz said on Wednesday in New York that Turkey’s growth was 3.1 percent within the first six months of the year, despite the weak global environment, conflicts in neighboring countries and terrorism incidents.
“We predict that the economy will continue to grow by around 3 percent till the end of the year,” Yilmaz said.
