President Erdoğan's message to Turks abroad: We will not abandon you.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a video message to the 9th Ordinary General Assembly of the International Union of Democrats (UID), headquartered in Germany. In his message, Erdoğan stressed the importance of protecting the rights of Turkish citizens living in various countries around the world.

Reminding that more than 7 million Turkish citizens live worldwide, Erdoğan emphasized the importance of Turkish people abroad preserving their culture and identity while taking on a more active role in the social, economic, and political life of the countries where they reside.

"We Will Never Leave Them to Their Own Mercy"

In his speech, addressing racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia, Erdoğan said that Turkish citizens living abroad would be protected against discriminatory rhetoric.

Erdoğan used the following expressions in his message:

"We will never leave our brothers living abroad to the mercy of immoral types who either spread xenophobic currents abroad or demean our citizens by calling them 'zırzop'."

Turkey's Support Will Continue

Erdogan, who said that Turkey's support for its citizens living abroad will continue, also pointed out the importance of the work of Turkish civil society organizations.

Erdogan's message brought the issues of protecting the rights of Turkish citizens living abroad, preserving their cultural identity, and fighting discrimination back to the agenda.