President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a speech at the opening of the city hospital in Şanlıurfa on Saturday that Turks, Kurds and Arabs were beginning to unite as they did in the army of Saladin, who liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders 838 years ago.
Linking this message of unity to the “Terror-Free Türkiye” process, Erdoğan said a new era had begun beyond the country’s borders, as it had in Şanlıurfa and its surrounding areas.

Assessment of developments in Syria and Iraq
Erdoğan said the regime he held responsible for the deaths of one million people in Syria had ended. Saying that a government closely friendly to Türkiye had replaced the regime, Erdoğan noted that efforts were under way to resolve the country’s terrorism problem through an integration process.
Erdoğan also said an environment of security had been re-established in areas of Iraq that had experienced security problems for many years, adding that regional developments were linked to Türkiye’s goal of a “Terror-Free Türkiye.”

Goal of security, peace and development
Erdoğan described his goals for the future of the region, saying Turks, Kurds and Arabs would act together as they did in Saladin’s army.

Erdoğan said they would reach days when security would replace terrorism, prosperity would replace instability and peace would replace conflict, adding that no one could stand in the way of this goal.
Erdoğan said they aim for security, peace and economic development to prevail across the region stretching from Iraq and Syria to Iran and Lebanon.