The president, who has already ruled Turkey unopposed for 16 years, was sworn in to another five years in power, leading up to the centennial of the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, which caused the reduction of the geography of the modern Turkish state, and forced it to give up its large territories after the First World War.
Erdogan seeks revision of the Lausanne Treaty of 1923
Erdogan has raised the issue of the Lausanne Treaty's possible revision. In 2016, he complained that the Treaty saw Ankara "give away" Turkish islands in the Aegean. "They were ours. There are our mosques, our shrines there," he said, adding that Turkey's territorial disputes with its neighbor in the present are a consequence of the treaty.
According to Amman-based Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told the Turkish mayors that Turkey wants to get rid of the effects of the Convention and the restoration of its rights, which were usurped by the Allies and Turkey considers also the texts of the Convention are unfair to its rights?
And by 2023 the period of the treaty ends, which has passed a hundred years, and here we understand Erdogan's comments, as Turkey will enter a new era, and will begin oil exploration and drilling a new channel linking between the two seas Black and Marmara as a preparation to start collecting fees from passing ships, Rawabet Center said.
Erdogan has said that "opponents of Turkey" forced it to sign the "Treaty of Sevres" in 1920, and the signing of the "Treaty of Lausanne" in 1923, and because of that Turkey has abandoned the islands in the Aegean Sea to Greece. Erdogan describes the Treaty of Sevres, as the first fork in the Ottoman back, because it forced Turkey to concede vast areas of land that were under its influence.
ErdoÄŸan assumed vast new powers approved in a referendum last year, including the power to appoint senior judges and vice presidents, and to issue decrees with the force of law.
ErdoÄŸan struck a defiant tone in his victory speech, saying Turkey had set "an example" for the rest of the world, vowing to carry on military campaigns in Syria, fight terror groups and raise Turkey's international prestige. "We have received the message that has been given to us in the ballot boxes," he said. "We will fight even more with the strength you provided us with this election."
The Anadolu Agency said Russian president Vladimir Putin called to offer congratulations and praised ErdoÄŸan's "authority." Iranian president Hassan Rouhani also congratulated ErdoÄŸan in a statement, saying he hoped ties with Ankara would thrive.
Reaction from Turkey's western allies was muted, according to the Guardian. Only Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's Secretary General, congratulated ErdoÄŸan and Turkish citizens on the high turnout. Ties with the EU have been strained for years over lack of advancement on Turkey's EU accession talks.
ErdoÄŸan clinches victory in Turkish constitutional referendum
In April 2017, The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan, achieved victory in a historic referendum on a package of constitutional amendments that will grant him sweeping new powers.
The yes campaign won at least 1.25m more votes than the no campaign, according to official results.
According to the Guardian, the result of the referendum sets the stage for a transformation of the upper echelons of the state and changing the country from a parliamentary democracy to a presidential republic, arguably the most important development in the country's history since it was founded on the ashes of the Ottoman Republic.
Results carried by the Anadolu news agency showed the yes vote had about 51.3% compared with 48.7% for the no vote. Turnout exceeded 80%.
In a press conference in Istanbul following his party's declaration of victory, ErdoÄŸan said foreign powers should respect the referendum's outcome. He said: "We've got a lot to do, we are on this path but it's time to change gears and go faster " We are carrying out the most important reform in the history of our nation."
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
