Turkish foreign minister highlights 'stability' under AK Party in meeting with supporters in US

By Servet Gunerigok and Cahit Oktay

WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu emphasized "stability" in Türkiye under the Justice and Development (AK) Party during a meeting Friday with the party's supporters in the US state of New Jersey.

Addressing "AK Volunteers" in Paterson, densely populated by the Turkish community, Cavusoglu drew attention to the gains Türkiye has achieved during the party's rule.

Cavusoglu touched on the upcoming elections on May 14 and said: "We have an election ahead of us. Elections are held in Türkiye every five years now. This means stability and trust."

The minister said Türkiye under the strong leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country has achieved its goals in domestic and foreign policy in "a stable manner."

Cavusoglu criticized some political party leaders who said they will return Türkiye to old coalition eras, saying: "The people will not allow this. They want to return Türkiye to a period of chaos. Therefore, the upcoming election is an important one."

In his address to voters who will vote in the US starting April 29, Cavusoglu noted Türkiye’s gains in domestic and foreign policies during the AK Party's rule.

"Will we waste the high interests of our nation in Libya, Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean? Will we allow FETO to operate around the world, PKK to regain strength and cross the mountains to the Turkish borders? Will we waste the products of the defense industry, which are the apple of Türkiye's eye and which we watch like a child growing up?" asked Cavusoglu.

He said 20 years ago, Türkiye was 80% dependent on foreign countries for its defense industry but now the opposite ratio has been achieved.

Türkiye has produced much better weapons than those that were not given to it and last year, it made $4.5 billion in exports in the field, he said.

The minister also thanked members of Turkish American community for their assistance in the wake of the Feb. 6 earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye.

"We received great support from citizens living in the United States during this process," he said.

The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude quakes struck 11 provinces in southern Türkiye last month, claiming more than 50,000 lives.

More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.

Cavusoglu is in the US for a special session of International Zero Waste Day at the UN, joining Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan.