Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told lawmakers at his ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) weekly parliamentary meeting on Tuesday that his government would protect young people from those seeking to exploit outdated ideological slogans.
Erdoğan warned that certain actors, whether on television, at universities, or within political parties, were attempting to manipulate public sentiment, and he expressed confidence that Türkiye's youth would not be swayed by them. He also pledged that no young person would be allowed to turn to violence, comparing the government's commitment to that of parents who want their children choosing education over conflict.
On education, the prime minister said the AKP distributed more than 411 million free books to elementary school students over the previous four years as part of a broader effort to eliminate ignorance nationwide.
Erdoğan also highlighted improvements in Türkiye's financial position, noting that central bank reserves had grown from $26.8 billion to $64 billion during his administration's tenure. He added that the country's IMF debt was on track to fall to $6.5 billion from $8.5 billion, with full repayment expected by the end of 2009.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in February 2007, in its own words.