Highlights from President Erdoğan's speech...

I send my greetings to my brothers and sisters in all the districts and villages of Rize. After a fifteen-month absence, I am once again in Rize, my homeland, my ancestral homeland, to share my longing with you. I thank each and every one of you for your love, your loyalty, and for this love that gives us courage.

3 BILLION 184 MILLION WORKS

I offer my best wishes to you, my brothers, for the flood disaster that occurred on September 20-21.

We were mobilized before and after the disaster, which saw 355 kilograms of rain fall per square meter.

We intervened in the flood disaster with 1,754 personnel, 663 vehicles, and 5 helicopters. May God protect our country and our nation from all kinds of disasters.

My dear brothers and sisters, my valued fellow citizens, when we set out on the path of serving the nation, we said,"He who runs with love never tires." We have continued to run with love on this path we embarked on for 24 years.

Driven by our love for Turkey and our dedication to serving our country, we continue on our path with the same faith and determination we displayed on our first day. Today, we are holding the mass inauguration of 38 projects and the groundbreaking ceremony for two more. May these projects, totaling over 3.184 billion lira, bring prosperity to our nation. We have invested 7.211 billion lira in healthcare in Rize.

"WE BECAME THE VOICE OF THE OPPRESSED"

We proudly represent our country and our nation. We resolutely defend the rights and interests of the Turkish nation.

We are also pursuing a busy diplomatic agenda abroad. We are enhancing Turkey's international prestige and influence. We proudly represent our country and nation at important summits attended by world leaders. We resolutely defend the rights, laws, and interests of the Turkish nation.

We spoke where so-called civilized countries remained silent. We did this at the Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. We did this at the United Nations General Assembly. We did this again the other day at the Organization of Turkic States meeting. Everywhere we went, in every meeting we attended, we gave voice to the oppressed, without hesitation.

"NEWS FROM EGYPT MADE US ALL HAPPY"

The news from Egypt yesterday brought joy to all of us, all Muslims, and even all conscientious people. People poured into the streets with joy and excitement. The happiness of our Palestinian brothers and sisters brought us joy as well. The smiles on the faces of the children of Gaza warmed our hearts.

The main agenda of our contacts in Washington was to stop the bloodshed in Gaza. There, we had a very productive and cordial meeting with US President Trump.

We then sent our MIT Director to Doha and our Foreign Minister to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. We held extensive talks with Hamas. We also held meetings with brotherly countries in the region, particularly Qatar and Egypt. In other words, we did everything in our power to bring peace, tranquility, and security to Gaza as quickly as possible, and thankfully, we did more than enough.

The price of returning to a genocidal atmosphere will be very high. Ultimately, the agreement was signed, opening the door to lasting peace in Gaza. Despite all its challenges, we consider this to be extremely important. Because we say no more bloodshed. We say children should not die of hunger.

Following two years of heavy bombardment, Gaza is riddled with immense destruction and debris.

We will, God willing, fulfill our responsibilities in removing these and rebuilding Gaza.  Our region, especially Gaza, has become saturated with bloodshed, massacres, and tears. Peace must be given a chance, and sabotage must be avoided.

 "PRIVATE, CANNOT ESCAPED FROM THE GUIDANCE OF CERTAIN FOCUSES"

We witnessed once again the main opposition's lack of vision. For a long time, they called Hamas a terrorist organization. When they failed to get their hopes from those they greeted, they changed their tune. They continued their reputation assassinations. You heard the CHP Chairman's delusions after his visit to the US. He denigrated the visit. He claimed we didn't protect Gaza. Yesterday's agreement showed what the truth is. Everyone appreciated and thanked our country. Doesn't the CHP Chairman owe an apology? Doesn't Mr. Özel owe an apology to our state officials? Doesn't he owe an apology to our nation? Mr. Özel is making such grave mistakes because he can't break his chains. We wouldn't want anyone, even our rival, to fall into such a situation.

Instead of living up to his name and engaging in independent politics, Mr. Özel unfortunately cannot break free from the control of certain political circles. And because he cannot break these chains, he makes such grave mistakes.

He's using a tone unbecoming of the leader of Turkey's main opposition party. But let me be clear: We don't want our opponents to be unhappy. But if he doesn't change his ways and his comrades, he'll make more mistakes, be more embarrassed, and get himself into even more trouble.

I remind Mr. Özel once again that he should not listen to everything that is whispered in his ear.

"WE WILL REACH BOTH GOALS"

With your support, we are elevating Turkey to a whole new level. Now, we face the goal of the Turkish Century and, as a crucial component of it, the process of a Terror-Free Turkey.

Hopefully, we will achieve both of these goals with ease.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan performed Friday prayers at the Central Mosque in the Güneysu district of his hometown of Rize. He also spoke with citizens there.