AK Party Deputy Chairman Ala: “Let’s rid both Türkiye and its region of the scourge of terrorism”

AK Party Deputy Chairman Efkan Ala, speaking about the “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative, said: “Let’s rid both Türkiye and its region of the scourge of terrorism. Let Türkiye look ahead and move toward its goals with confident and swift steps. This is what the ‘Terror-Free Türkiye’ effort is about.”

Ala, along with AK Party Deputy Chairman Zafer Sırakaya, Deputy Chairman of the Political and Legal Affairs Directorate Ömer Serdar, and Türkiye’s Consul General in London Ambassador Hasan Ulusoy, met with representatives of Turkish civil society organizations in the UK at an event held at the Yunus Emre Institute in London.

Ala emphasized that the performance displayed by citizens living both inside and outside Türkiye contributes to the country’s strength, adding that Türkiye has become a nation that draws global attention.

Referring to a famous remark by former Foreign Minister İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil—“If you are invited to an important dinner in the Middle East and your name is not on the guest list, check the menu; you may be on it”—Ala said: “Today, we are a serious force shaping developments both at the table and in the field, as well as in diplomacy.”

He drew attention to the fact that the Turkish population living abroad is larger than the population of many countries.

Explaining that Türkiye now has embassies in almost every African country, Ala continued: “Wherever we go in Africa, France sees us as a competitor. And they’re not wrong. Why? Because we don’t go there solely to exploit underground resources. We build relationships with people. We don’t go there to exploit them, but to produce more together and share more fairly.”

“The grain corridor was opened thanks to our President’s diplomatic power”

Ala stated that Türkiye possesses deep-rooted experience and virtue, saying:

“Wherever we have gone, we brought justice and worked together with people. This gives us both responsibility and opportunity. Within a week, the prime ministers of the UK and Germany visited Türkiye. Our President met with numerous world leaders at the G20 Summit. The Russia–Ukraine war continues, causing great concern, and the world is being reshaped. At such a time, Türkiye uses its diplomatic strength on the ground, and other countries are requesting a grain corridor. They turn to Türkiye again. Because when Russia and Ukraine go to war, 25% of the world’s grain production is affected. Only one person had the diplomatic power to open this corridor—our President.”

Ala added: “We are Türkiye, and we want to use this power for the benefit of humanity. We are seeing Türkiye’s stance on the events in Gaza and Syria, and also seeing its outcomes. Wherever there is oppression, we stand against it. Our President has voiced these injustices at the highest level. His speeches at the United Nations are well-known. ‘The world is bigger than five’ and ‘A fairer world is possible’ have become mottos globally.”

Ala emphasized that Türkiye is a country capable of solving its own problems. Touching on global developments, he said: “There is an incredible commercial competition between China and the United States—a kind of war without weapons. The European Union is reassessing itself. The UK left the EU with Brexit. The Union absorbed the countries that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. When you look at the last quarter century, changes have occurred at incredible speed.”

Referring to developments in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, and the Balkans, Ala said: “Despite the fires around us, despite the tremors and diplomatic shocks in our region, we continue on our path as an island of stability. Others could not achieve with oil what we achieved with the ballot box. We are the only Muslim country to have done so—moving forward without violence or chaos, solving our own problems.”

“We want terrorism to end both inside Türkiye and in its surroundings”

Commenting on the Terror-Free Türkiye initiative, Ala said: “We want terrorism to end both inside Türkiye and in its surrounding region. This is what the Terror-Free Türkiye effort means: Let’s rid both Türkiye and its region of the scourge of terrorism. Let Türkiye look ahead and move toward its goals with confident and fast steps. This is the effort. Rest assured, everything is in safe hands. We have a president who knows what he’s doing, who has vision and determination. And he is backed by political strength.”

Ala said that other political parties are also supporting the process: “The Turkish Grand National Assembly, our institutions, from intelligence to the Ministry of National Defense, from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice—the entire state apparatus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomacy—everyone is doing their part. And we are continuing on our path. We will succeed. And once we do, Türkiye will advance even faster toward its Century of Türkiye goals.”

Sırakaya also spoke, noting that their approach focuses on accountability and listening to the needs of citizens, saying: “What matters is not citizens coming to us, but us going to them and listening to their issues.”

Following the speeches, representatives of civil society organizations shared their concerns and demands. In the closed portion of the meeting, Ala and his delegation answered questions.