President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned growing attempts to incite racism and xenophobia in Türkiye, asserting that these efforts, fueled by external forces, will not succeed in disrupting the country’s long-standing values of inclusivity and tolerance.
“There are 340,000 students [in Türkiye] from 198 different countries in the world. Of them, 95 percent study with their own means,” Erdogan said at an event at Istanbul's Marmara University on Friday.
Beyond their $3bn annual economic impact, foreign students also contribute to Türkiye's tourism and cultural diplomacy after graduation, he added.
President Erdogan said that the Turkish government supports and encourages talented, motivated students to study at Turkish universities, especially those eager to learn, research, and engage with Turkish culture and language.
“In recent years, racist fascism by those with roots abroad has started to hinder these efforts of our country,” he decried.
“They want to create a wave of hatred against students, tourists and investors coming from our geography of heart.”
No history of discrimination
Emphasising that Türkiye, as a country and a nation, has never discriminated against people based on their skin color, place of residence, or language spoken, Erdogan recalled Türkiye's historical record:
"We are a state that has no colonial shame in its history, despite having ruled over 3 continents and in 7 climates for centuries."
“No one can stain this white page,” he warned.
Addressing Turkish youth, Erdogan said: "We will not allow our youth to fall into this (racist) trap."
