Erdogan: "We will take historic steps on democratic initiative"

The democratic initiative process is set to pick up pace in the weeks and months to come, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday, warning governors about possible provocations. Delivering a speech at a meeting, which brought together governors from Turkey's 81 provinces in Ankara, Erdogan asked governors to show the smiling face of the state during their contacts with the people, not the glum one. Talking about government plans to give momentum to the democratic initiative process, Erdogan said, "More concrete steps will be taken in regard to this national unity and solidarity project soon." He said, "During this process, there can be many provocations. Some provinces having sensitivity to this issue could see provocation attempts. We should be on the alert to eliminate these scenarios. We have only one common ground: Being citizens of the Republic of Turkey. We will carry this project of vital importance to a successful end for the well-being of Turkey and our nation.”