Turkish President's Strange Appeal

Amid tensions with EU countries, the Turkish president made a strange appeal to Turkish families on the old continent.

According to the Telegraph, nearly a week after the outbreak of diplomatic tensions with the Netherlands, Mr. Erdogan made a call to the Turkish people to increase their birth rate in front of a crowd of supporters.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on his country's citizens in Europe to increase their birth rate and have five children per family. Photo: The Huffington Post

Speaking in the central city of Eskisehir, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on his countrymen in Europe to increase their fertility rate and have five children per family. According to Erdogan, increasing the Turkish population would be the best answer to the EU's "vulgarism, antagonism and injustice".

In a call to a crowd of flag-waving supporters, President Erdogan urged his “brothers and sisters… in Europe” to start having more children in new countries. “Not just three, but five.”

“The place where you live and work is now your new homeland and your new motherland. Claim ownership of it. Open more businesses, enroll your children in better schools, move your families to better areas, drive the best cars, live in the most beautiful houses,” Erdogan said.

His message was addressed to the 1.4 million Turkish voters living in Germany as well as the Turkish communities in the Netherlands, Austria, Bulgaria and Britain.

Mr Erdogan is at the centre of a referendum campaign in which he is asking Turkish voters to allow him to remain in office until 2029.

To do this, Mr. Erdogan is using a policy of diplomatic confrontation with EU countries, calling the Dutch government “a remnant of Nazi Germany” and accusing Germany of harboring terrorists.

There are no reliable polls ahead of the referendum, scheduled for April 16, so it is impossible to say whether Mr. Erdogan’s campaign to promote a clash with the EU is working.

However, speaking on the streets of Eskisehir, supporters of Turkish President Erdogan said they were angry at the way the Netherlands and other European countries prevented Turkish ministers from participating in campaign rallies in those countries.

Turkish ministers have repeatedly said in recent weeks that they are considering breaking an agreement reached with the EU to prevent migrants and refugees from Syria from pouring into the old continent.

The German government said on March 17 that there was no sign that Türkiye was actually letting people through and expected the deal to continue.

According to Kienthuc.net.vn