Minister for EU Affairs Ömer Çelik made a speech at the ceremony for the award of the State Medal of Honour in Adana

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik made a speech at the ceremony for the award of the State Medal of Honour held by the Provincial Directorate of the Ministry for Family and Social Policy in Adana.

Minister Ömer Çelik stated that the Turkish nation had a history of honouring martyrs and veterans at the highest level and said: “No one should have any doubts regarding our determination to protect this country and homeland.”

Indicating that Türkiye did not have any territorial ambitions, Minister Ömer Çelik said: “This is not an operation that is carried out against innocent people. This is an operation that is carried out only against terrorist organisations. Thus, this operation has been aptly named Operation Olive Branch. The operation is for all oppressed people, namely the Turkmen, Kurdish and Arab peoples in Syria.  Today, our operation is being carried out against terrorist organisations in compliance with international law and with concern for all humanitarian situations to prevent civilian loss. However, our operation is being criticized by those who have overlooked and have expressed no concern over the oppression suffered by the people in the region caused by the PKK, YPG, SDF and Da’esh.