Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

- Hisarcıklıoğlu reiterated support

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu expressed his happiness to meet with Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Güler during the visit.

“We have supported and continue to support Operation Peace Spring targeting the terrorists nesting in northern Syria,” said Hisarcıklıoğlu noting the statement made by the Turkey-EU Joint Consultative Committee Wing regarding the campaign.

Noting that, in response to the campaign launched abroad against Turkey after the start of the Operations, they’ve penned a letter to their counterparts in 190 countries in 4 languages, ​Hisarcıklıoğlu also provided information on other efforts and visits.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that after Operations Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Claw by the Turkish Armed Forces, Operation Peace Spring was carried out, “Under the leadership of our president, the brave fight of our army against terrorist organizations under your determined and sturdy command gives morale and hope to our nation.”

Stating with the successful completion of the operation Turkey's southern border will be secured, Hisarcıklıoğlu said:

“Thus, the elements that threaten Turkey across the border will not be given the opportunity to develop. We, as all professional organizations here, would like to thank you. We, my friends here, will continue to be at the disposal of our nation, alongside our government, as in every national issue. We stand with our government and all our soldiers with our prayers and with all our hearts. We believe that we, together, will emerge victorious from this fight.”

- Message of support for the operation

Members of the Turkey-European Union Joint Consultative Committee Wing and TOBB Board of Directors also described the successful Operation Peace Spring as the country's honor.

Members wishing fast recovery for to the veterans and the grace of Allah upon our martyrs, said the operation completely eliminated the dream of establishing a terrorist state.

The members expressed their satisfaction with the use of domestic and national defense industrial products in the operation and shared their support with the words “It would not be conceivable that our proud army would remain alone in such a fight.”

At the end of the meeting, which was attended by Deputy Minister Muhsin Dere, Hisarcıklıoğlu presented the file consisting of their statements to Minister Akar.

- National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar

National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, “There is no question of Turkey and our Armed Forces, stopping, slowing down or underestimating the fight against Daesh, because Daesh can never represent Muslims and Islam.”

Expressing his pleasure to meet with such an important delegation on the 96^th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey, Akar thanked the business world, workers and civil servants' representatives for their support to Operation Peace Spring.

Noting that a sensitive period is underway, Akar emphasized the importance of unity and solidarity.

Stressing that Turkey's operations are defensible all over the world, Akar said, “We have no ambitions on anyone's land, nor are we looking for unfair profits. What we're trying to do is maintain the security of our borders, our people, the unity and integrity of our country. We've said from the beginning that we won't allow the formation of this corridor of terror at the very border of our country. At the same time, we have repeatedly stressed that we respect everyone's territorial integrity.”

 - “Consciously distorted”

Pointing out that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statements against the terrorist organization are being consciously distorted by the Western press to falsely accuse it of being an operation against the Kurds, Akar said:

“There's no such thing. We don't have a problem with our Kurdish brothers. We have shared national, spiritual values from the thousands of years of shared history. We are a nation of 82 million, the nation of Turkey. This includes everyone. Religious origin, ethnicity, sect may be different. We embrace them all. Political views, sect, way of life may be different, but we all have the same roots. We're 82 million, we're brothers. In our fight against terrorists in Syria, there can never be a question of fight with Kurdish, Arab, Chaldean, Arami, Assyrian or other ethnic groups, but the foreign press deliberately distorts it. Our only target is terrorists. Other than that, we have no goals.”

- “There are no chemical weapons in the TAF inventory”

Akar, touching on the rhetoric of “ethnic cleansing,” which was put forward with the start of Operation Peace Spring, “It is not possible for our soldiers to shoot without receiving fire or identifying the terrorist.”

Emphasizing that there could never be firing at innocent people, Akar said, “They also put forward the lie of chemical weapons. There are no chemical weapons in the Turkish Armed Forces inventory.”

Addressing the false allegations that, “TAF is not fighting against Daesh terrorist organization,” Akar said:

“This is a lie most contemptible and base. As TAF, we are the only army fighting against Daesh. We have neutralized more than 3,000 Daesh in northern Syria and 700 the edge of Mosul. There is no question of Turkey and our Armed Forces, stopping, slowing down or underestimating the fight against Daesh, because Daesh can never represent Muslims and Islam. So we've done more than anyone else, and we're continuing to do it.”

Akar said that around 1000 terrorists were neutralized within the scope of the Operation Peace Spring and that 500 large and small settlements were cleared from terrorists. “Right now, IEDs are being cleared, food is being distributed, mobile health services have started, people have started to open their businesses. We are making our best contribution to security, comfort, peace and prosperity of the region.”

Akar emphasized that the expressions of the humanitarian crisis in the Western press do not reflect reality, Orada “There is security provided, health, food, water, all basic needs; AFAD, Red Crescent is there, roads are open. Where is the crisis? They are attempting to confuse public perception through willful obfuscation of facts.”

 - “This is contemptible.”

Stating that they are showing consideration for not only against innocent people, but also against the environment, history, religious structures, both in the planning and execution of the operation, which no country shows Akar, “These treacherous terrorists have shelled our provinces, districts and villages over a thousand times in one weak with mortars and rocket launchers. 20 people lost their lives, including a 9-month-old baby, 187 were injured, this is a contemptible.” Akar also pointed out that there was no comment from Western countries regarding these events.

Stating that President Erdoğan's emphasis on the defense industry, the point reached on the issue of indigenousness and nationality is important, Akar pointed out the importance of raising this to even higher levels.