Today, Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reviewed the most important economic, political and social achievements made by his government during the year 2020.

In a speech marking the advent of the new year, Erdogan discussed the difficulties his country faced in 2020 and how it overcame them.

Corona pandemic

Erdogan said that 2020 witnessed many difficulties, especially the Corona epidemic, which is one of the most severe health crises that hit the world.

He pointed out that Turkey has succeeded in reducing losses due to the epidemic to a minimum, thanks to the solid medical infrastructure and the preventive measures it imposed in a timely manner.

He pointed out that 16 hospitals and 10 attached buildings have opened, as well as two hospitals within record time, after the virus spread, each with a capacity of 1,000 beds.

He explained that Turkey has not forgotten its citizens abroad also in light of the pandemic, as it evacuated more than 100 thousand from 141 countries, in addition to evacuating 233 citizens by medical helicopters.

At the same time, he said, Turkey sent medical aid to 156 countries and 11 international organizations.

He stressed his country's continuing efforts to develop an anti-Corona vaccine, and importing the product on the other hand, as a batch of Chinese vaccines arrived recently, and the vaccination process will start within a short time after completing the tests on them.

The Turkish President urged his citizens to continue adhering to preventive measures in order to eliminate the epidemic, and reminded them of the Almighty’s saying, “With hardship, there is ease,” with hardship, saying that Turkey “gave many good news to its citizens during the difficult days in light of the pandemic.”

Hagia Sophia, gas, Libya and Karabakh

He recalled that, after many years of waiting, his country had restored the Hagia Sophia a mosque and opened it in the midst of tears of joy and feelings of pride and pride, last Friday 24 July.

He drew another tidings that he himself gave when he announced the discovery of the largest source of natural gas in the history of the Turkish Republic, as 405 billion cubic meters of gas were found in the Black Sea, expressing his hope for similar discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean.

Erdogan also expressed his deep pride in the victories achieved in Libya and the Azerbaijani Karabakh region.

He explained that Turkey provided support to the legitimate Libyan government, and thus thwarted the imperialist designs there, and cut off the way for the coup efforts to control Tripoli, which contributed to launching the efforts for a political solution in the country, he said.

And he added that Turkish support for the Azerbaijani army contributed to ending the 30-year-old Armenian occupation and liberating the Karabakh region.

Serving the people

Erdogan said that he made many visits in order to serve the Turkish homeland and people despite the restrictions imposed by the Corona pandemic, as he visited 18 Turkish states and 12 countries.

And he added that he participated in many meetings by video call, such as the G20 summit and the United Nations General Assembly.

He added, "Besides defending the interests of Turkey, I highlighted the rise of Islamophobia in the West during all these meetings."

 Comprehensive repairs

He pointed to the completion of many projects in various fields during the current year, starting from defense industries and energy, through agriculture, art and culture, to foreign trade and transportation.

He pointed out that the Turkish economy achieved a growth rate of 6.7% in the third quarter of the year, "which is an indication of the great success achieved in this difficult stage, and an indication of its strong potential during the next new stage."

He explained that his government is preparing to launch comprehensive reforms aimed at strengthening the economy, democracy, rights and freedoms, saying that it is expected to finalize the reform program and present it to the Turkish people at the beginning of the new year.

In conclusion, he expressed his hope that the year 2021 would bring security, prosperity, happiness, health and goodness to Turkey, the region and the world at large.