Emine Erdoğan met with Ukrainian children, guests of YTB, at Iftar

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's wife Emine Erdoğan hosted the war-victim Ukrainian children of the members of the Kiev-based Crimean Family Association, who are hosted in Turkey by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), at the iftar program at the Presidential Complex.

Speaking at the program where Crimean Tatar children were among the guests, Emine Erdoğan said, "You are here in your own home, in your own nest. We are with you with all our strength in every need and in solving your problems. All our compatriots are our brothers and sisters. And all the people of the world are our close relatives from the human family."

Stating that she was very happy to spend time with children and young people, Emine Erdoğan said to the children in the hall, "I cannot get enough of looking at your bright faces right now. I want you to know that I love you very much."

Emine Erdoğan told the children that she did not separate them from her own grandchildren and said, "Please accept me as your mother and grandmother. You deserve the best of everything. I will always support you and stand by your side to make you happy and to make your dreams come true. I wish that smiles never disappear from your beautiful faces."

Stating that Ukrainian artist Jamala also participated in the program, Emine Erdoğan said that Jamala organized solidarity concerts all over the world for those affected by the war in Ukraine and thanked the artist for her participation.

"We Consider Children as a Common Trust of Humanity"

Emine Erdoğan emphasized that the only criterion that determines Turkey's humanitarian aid policies is the human being, and that neither language, religion nor race can cause privilege or discrimination among people, and with this perspective, Turkey's hand of friendship extends to all countries, all people, all women and children.

"We consider children as the common trust of humanity," Emine Erdoğan said, adding that Turkey today hosts around 4 million people fleeing from war.

Emphasizing that the war that broke out in Ukraine shook Turkey deeply while it was trying to heal the wounds of the ongoing wars in its geography, Emine Erdoğan continued as follows: "Every war that breaks out, every bullet fired pierces the whole of the values we call humanity. It draws a black curtain in front of the sun that will rise in the future. While everyone suffers indescribable damage from wars, unfortunately women and children are disproportionately affected. The homesickness of forcibly displaced people remains a never-ending pain. The fact that women and children have to struggle hard to hold on to life is a shame on humanity that has been added to the pages of history."

Emine Erdoğan said that 4.6 million people have sought refuge in European countries in the short period since the start of the war in Ukraine, while 13 million people are estimated to be trapped in the conflict zone due to security risks.

Stating that there are statements that hundreds of civilians have lost their lives, Emine Erdoğan said: "However, we were there just two weeks before the Ukrainian war started. We spent a very precious time with my dear friend Olena Zelenska and discussed many new projects. It is inconceivable that so much pain could be caused in such a short period of time. As Turkey, our hearts have been beating with the beautiful people of Ukraine since the first moment. We have diplomatic efforts to stop this war on every platform. Upon the request of my dear friend Olena, I addressed the international community with a video message.

In addition, following a letter sent by Olena, I started an initiative to host Ukrainian orphans in Turkey. With the joint efforts of the Directorate of Migration Management and the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency under the Ministry of Interior and the General Directorate of Child Services under the Ministry of Family and Social Services, we are currently hosting 772 Ukrainian orphans in our country. We are also always with our Crimean Tatar and Meskhetian Turkish compatriots in Ukraine. Today, approximately 2 thousand brothers and sisters from Ukraine, including our compatriots, are staying in our country. Our institutions follow the developments with high coordination and meet the needs of our guests. From health services to psychological support for children who are victims of war, multifaceted assistance is being provided."

"I wish the International Community to show the same strong reflex for all people as it has shown for certain wars"

Recalling her visit to the Crimean Tatar School during her last visit to Ukraine, Emine Erdoğan said, "It is a great pleasure to be together with our compatriots again, but I wish it was not because of a war."

Pointing out that Turkey is a country that is located on a migration route and has embraced countless people in its long history, Emine Erdoğan said that behind this attitude is a culture of compassion with deep roots.

Emphasizing that they are obliged to stand against the oppressor wherever and to whomever the oppression comes from, without any discrimination, Emine Erdoğan continued as follows: "In this sense, I wish the international community to show the same strong reflex that it has shown for some wars for all people and all geographies. If we are to lift up the broken humanity, we can only achieve this if we are willing to wipe away all tears without discrimination. The bitter cries that have been rising from Syria for years are now spreading across the world from Ukraine. Blood is still flowing in Palestine as the biggest wound of this century. We cannot digest the images of women being dragged on the ground. Palestinian children are handcuffed on their wrists, Palestinian children are arrested. The recent attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan have shattered our hearts again. At the moment, there are dozens of active wars going on in the world. And none of us can tolerate living in such a world anymore."

Emine Erdoğan stated that they are obliged to build, not to destroy, and that they have a mission to build hearts, to make compassion a common language and to make the earth a beautiful place to live.

We Need a Peaceful Environment where Children Feel Safe

Emine Erdoğan said: "Any behavior to the contrary is in a sense a betrayal of one's own existence. We need a world where all problems between countries can be resolved through diplomacy, where humanitarian dialogue is the only way to find a solution. Above all, we need an environment of peace where children feel safe and have no worries about the future. On behalf of all humanity, I wish that we can truly realize this in this blessed month when Allah wants us to stick together. I wish that this blessed month, which descends on the earth as a rain of mercy, will be a means of peace."

After the speeches, Emine Erdoğan chatted for a while with Jamala, a Crimean Tatar artist who participated in the program through YTB. Later, Ukrainian children came up to Emine Erdoğan and presented her with their drawings. A child also presented Emine Erdoğan with a model of a mosque he had designed.

Emine Erdoğan took over the cotton candy machine and offered cotton candy to the children who came to her. Later on, Emine Erdoğan also distributed Ottoman paste and popcorn to the children.

At the end of the program, the students of the Vocal Group of the Crimean Family Association sang "O Beautiful Crimea" and "Çanakkale Song". Singer Jamala then took the stage and thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan for their invitation and assistance. Stating that they are going through difficult times and that the war in her country continues, Jamala said that many people had to leave their country and become refugees after the war. Jamala said, "We are grateful to Turkey. Because Turkey accepted us, Turkey opened its door to us, Turkey protected us. Long live Turkey, long live Ukraine." After her speech, Jamala sang her famous Eurovision award-winning songs.

The program was attended by YTB President Abdullah Eren, Head of Migration Management at the Ministry of Interior Savaş Ünlü, Head of AFAD Yunus Sever and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.