We are guardians of peace, freedoms: President Erdoğan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that peace cannot be established with weapons, as he commented on the attacks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). 

"These PKK supporters are saying 'peace' all the time. Can peace be established with weapons? We are the guardians of peace and democracy. We openly loved you, not in a hidden way," Erdoğan said during a rally in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on April 1, as he added that the PKK "doesn't love the Kurds."

"PKK terrorist organization is bombing what we have done. They are traitors, cowards and they don't love my Kurdish brothers. As long as this brother of yours is in power, neither the terrorists nor any other calamity can touch you. Those who attempt to bestow their hands on your rights will find me and my friends facing them," he also said. 

Saying that Turkey cannot be what it is without Diyarbakır, Istanbul, the western province of İzmir, the Black Sea province of Trabzon, the southern province of Antalya and the eastern province of Erzurum, Erdoğan noted that "Diyarbakır is Turkey's heart."

"Diyarbakır is our heart and whoever wants to tear this geography apart from us, wants to rip our hearts out of us. Diyarbakır is Turkey's seal. We will never allow it to be attacked. Our past and the future are common," he added. 

'My mayorship was taken away'

During his speech Erdoğan said that wrong practices were implemented on Diyarbakır during coup periods.

"Turkey has been going through very tough days for the past three years. In every era of history, we resisted the attacks on our existence all together. Especially in the coup periods, wrongdoings were made against Diyarbakır. Actually, people in all regions...

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