Erdogan: "Democracy and terror cannot coexist"

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Diyarbakir, Yuksekova and Hakkari over the weekend as part of his tour of the southeastern Anatolia region. After attending several inauguration ceremonies, Erdogan yesterday addressed a congress of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Hakkari. Criticizing the Democratic Society Party's (DTP) leadership in local cities, Erdogan said they try to win votes by exploiting Kurdish-origin Turkish citizens. Stating that democracy and terror cannot coexist, Erdogan added, "These (DTP supporters) have respected neither the land of this country nor the people who live here. This is exploitation of our Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin. They are falling into identity politics. They are trying to win votes through ethnic discrimination." Touching on investments in the region, he said that the government has invested as much as 124 billion YTL in Hakkari alone. "We always say 'one nation, one flag and one country'," he added. "We all are citizens of the Turkish Republic. The terrorist group refuses to accept that reality."