The Democrat Party (DP), Justice Party (AP), Motherland Party (ANAP), the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), and right-wing parties that progressed with Necmettin Erbakan, saw politics as a means to serve.
During these parties’ term in power, the development matter was expressly attended to, with important progress made in fields such as transportation and infrastructure, the fundamental requirements for metropolitan cities.
Considering the last two decades, while our homeland, Anatolia has been adorned with investments envied by the world through the steps taken against numerous obstacles, we can clearly say there is a strategy that will not leave Istanbul and Marmara behind.
It was during this period that all of Türkiye shifted to the development model from an understanding that set back and otherized the regions in investments.
Türkiye, processed in detail almost like a newly discovered gem, saw during this period investments that will made every province feel special, from its east to the west.
Under Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s leadership, Türkiye almost revived our railways with a 21,590-kilometer railway by building a total 1,213-kilometer fast train, a 2,074-kilometer railway, and an 8,453-kilometer electric and signal line.
Additionally, during the same period, Türkiye’s number of airports increased from 26 to 57, shipyards from 37 to 84, yacht mooring capacity from 8,500 to 18,545, the number of broadband subscribers from 3,000 in 2002 to 87.5 million, and the number of e-government portal users to 57.6 million.
Developments in the environment and urbanization field also continued at full throttle under Erdogan’s leadership. The number of wastewater purification plants increased in the last two decades from 145 to 1,176, and the number of municipalities to which wastewater purification service is provided increased from 35 percent to 90 percent.
While 128 public gardens have been completed, 126 are currently under construction, with the tender, project, and location selection process for 192 others ongoing. A total of 1.1 million residences have been built by the Housing Development Administration of Türkiye (TOKI), and 3 million residences have been transformed.
Increasing our country’s ornament, forest presence, Türkiye increased forest development from 21 million hectares to 23 million hectares, the number of dams from 276 to 930, the number of hydroelectric plants from 97 to 730, the number of potable water supply systems from 84 to 370, the number of irrigation facilities from 1,764 to 3,325, and the number of flood prevention facilities from 5,018 to 10,267.
Türkiye experienced many challenges during this period as well. It fought everything from coups to attempts, to financial attacks – all of which were thought impossible.
Contrary to international institutes that have been publishing reports every year, claiming Türkiye will collapse, it managed to boost its export figure from $35 billion in 2001 to $260 billion, and its tourism revenue from $12 billion in 2001 to $40 billion. It achieved this despite the airport attack, the entertainment venue raid, and the bus terminal explosions.
We protected our borders and ended the explosions by purging the sly terrorist organization from state institutes. Furthermore, foreign operations and the country’s national intelligence started running from one achievement to another.
There is a reality that those trying to get Türkiye into trouble from outside fail to see – or fail to understand even though they might see it. This reality is that Türkiye’s potential and power are much greater than what is recorded. If our fate depended on the recorded calculations, we would not have been able to achieve success in our fight against tutelage, finalize our fight against terrorism with victory, defeat the putschists, or deal with international shell games.
In short, for those who want to see, I suggest they tour Anatolia from one end to the other. They will witness a lot more than the figures stated here without needing any interpretation. There is no chance of interruption to this golden age. Türkiye destroyed the backward, passive agriculture country pressure imposed on it. There is, and there will be no turning back from this.
The West and its allies that have been working towards destroying the great Türkiye ideal will try everything to meet and cooperate with Erdogan in June 2023. They will accept that Türkiye is an active and center country.
