ADDS ADDITIONAL REMARKS, INFO FROM YILDIRIM'S SECOND SPEECH
By Esra Kaymak Avci
ANKARA (AA) - Europe criticizes President Recep Tayyip Erdogan because he does not allow Turkey's resources to be siphoned off, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Friday.
"Europe [media headlines] call Recep Tayyip Erdogan a dictator because he doesn't let his county's resources be siphoned off," the premier said at a gathering in Turkey's eastern Kars province -- a Yes campaign event ahead of Turkey’s referendum on constitutional changes.
"Therefore, April 16 is important. Saying yes on April 16 means saying yes to a stronger Turkey, to rapid improvement, to further democracy, to end terrorism and to say yes to brotherhood and unity."
"This [referendum] is not about Erdogan," he added. "It is necessary for all."
Turkey will hold a referendum on April 16 to decide whether to shift the government system to an executive presidency, among other changes. Some European media organs, including Germany weekly Der Spiegel, have repeatedly compared Erdogan to an authoritarian.
Yildirim said that Europe had tried to target Erdogan by allowing Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) members as well as PKK militants to stage anti-Erdogan protests and create anti-Turkey rhetoric.
Earlier this week, a rally of supporters of the terrorist PKK in Switzerland showcased a poster with a picture of Erdogan with a gun pointed at his head with the words "Kill Erdogan".
Similar rallies have also taken place in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
- US shirking FETO leader's extradition
Addressing a crowd in Turkey's eastern Agri province later Friday, Yildirim said that the U.S. is still shirking its responsibility to extradite U.S.-based Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) leader Fetullah Gulen to Turkey even though Ankara has sent it ample evidence detailing his culpability in last year’s defeated coup.
"It is FETO in Pennsylvania who organized the coup [attempt], gave the orders, and mobilized the terrorists within the army," he said, referring to Gulen’s residence in the northeastern U.S. state. "We have ascertained this with documents and evidence and filed them with the U.S. Justice Department."
Yes the U.S. has failed to act on the extradition request though the first such files were sent almost nine months ago, he added.
Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating Turkey’s July 15, 2016, coup plot as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and the judiciary.
The measures are part of an ongoing probe into the defeated coup that left 249 people martyred and nearly 2,200 wounded.
- Economic growth boost despite challenges
Yildirim also addressed the country's economic situation. He said Turkey’s gross domestic product (GDP) has risen from $230 billion to $800 billion since the Justice and Development (AK) Party came to power in 2002, despite the challenges the country faced last year, including a coup attempt and numerous severe terrorist attacks.
According to data published Friday by the Turkish Statistical Institute, Turkey's economy expanded at a rate of 2.9 percent in 2016.
Turkey's fourth-quarter GDP reading was also substantially higher than experts’ median estimates, coming in at 3.5 percent compared to a 2.4 percent survey prediction. These better-than-expected figures were partly related to the upwards revision of previous quarters.
According to Yildirim, Erdogan helped his country gain more from world markets, started to build the world's biggest airport in Istanbul, and launched many other projects which would put Turkey into a more developed and powerful position.
The prime minister accused Europe of "being jealous" and of attempting to favor a No outcome in the referendum.
"They don't want Turkey to develop. They want it to be buried in its own domestic problems and lose power so that they can play with Turkey however they want," Yildirim said.
These efforts come from how Turkey kept its financial income at home and did not let it flow to Europe, according to Yildirim.
The mega projects set to boost Turkey's economic growth include Istanbul’s third airport, which will have a capacity of up to 200 million passengers a year. Thanks to its location, it is expected to be a hub for flights connecting Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East and Americas.
Three other mega-projects are also currently under construction: Istanbul’s third airport; the Gebze-Halkali commuter train link in Istanbul; the Ovit tunnel in northeastern Anatolia; and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway.