President Abdullah Gül was responding to questions from the press at Ankara's Esenboğa Airport upon his return from the United States.
''In a mature and decisive manner, we need to erase these issues from our main agenda. As long as we continue to keep these issues on our agenda, it will continue to seep our energy and will unfortunately create serious problems for Turkey's political and social development. Therefore, whether it be government establishments or political organizations, everyone has a grave responsibility to exert the effort to find a sincere solution to the issue."
The Uludere incident
When asked to comment on the Uludere incident, President Abdullah Gül stated, "Unfortunately, this is an incident that causes us great pain, pain that goes way beyond just offering an apology. This is something that people from all regions, and those who have lost their family and loved ones should understand."
Gül went on to point out that both civilian and military investigations are being staged into the incident. "Unfortunately, this saddening mistake was made. However, the question of how it was made continues in the form of a very serious investigation. There is no such thing as a cover-up of the situation. We have given the military every form, records, data and documents related to the incident and will continue to do so, pending what is needed. However, I especially want all of our citizens and especially those close to the victims to know that all of our grief, be it civilian or military is extremely deep and sincere. Unfortunately a tragic unfortunate event transpired which is extremely painful and distressing."
When journalists reminded that the May 27th date marked the anniversary of the 1960 military coup, Gül expressed that he was mourning the deaths of three great men of state, Adnan Menderes, Hasan Polatkan and Fatin Rüştü Zorlu. Gül went on to express that unfortunately such painful periods due exist in Turkish history, however today Turkey is a country that is confronting its past in a peaceful manner.
''What matters is how far we have come. This form of understanding is the biggest guarantee that Turkey will never experience periods such as this. I want to thank Turkey on behalf of my nation for all that it has done."
