“President Erdoğan Stated That Ethical Rules Will Continue to Serve as a Guide for Public Officials”
“President Erdoğan Stated That Ethical Rules Will Continue to Serve as a Guide for Public Officials”
President Erdoğan said during his speech at the “Signing Ceremony of the Cooperation Protocol on Ethics Education and Training of Ethics Educators,” “The public interest is above everything else. Our primary priority is ensuring that each of our citizens benefits from public services equally, fairly, and effectively.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the “Signing Ceremony of the Cooperation Protocol on Ethics Education and Training of Ethics Educators” held at the Presidential Complex and delivered a speech.
President Erdoğan congratulated all public officials on Ethics Day and Ethics Week, expressed his gratitude to public employees who serve diligently both domestically and abroad, and wished them success in their duties.
Stating his hope that the activities and events to be held during Ethics Week would be beneficial for the country and the nation, President Erdoğan said: “I find the cooperation protocol signed between our two esteemed institutions extremely meaningful and appropriate. This protocol, which foresees the organization of educational and awareness activities and the training of qualified instructors, will play a significant role in spreading ethical awareness in the public sector. I hope the protocol brings beneficial outcomes for both institutions. I extend my gratitude once again to the Chairperson of the Board and to our Minister of Family and Social Services.”
"THE PUBLIC OFFICIALS ETHICS BOARD CONTRIBUTES TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ETHICAL AWARENESS"
President Erdoğan stated that the Public Officials Ethics Board, which they established in 2004 to enhance the quality of public services and strengthen ethical values, has recently carried out effective and successful work. He continued:
"Our Board contributes to the establishment of ethical awareness in our country through its investigations and research activities, its collaborations with various institutions and ministries, and its organization of trainings, seminars, conferences, and panels. Last year, a total of 228,922 public officials received ethics-centered training through our Board. Various activities were organized to ensure that values, principles, rules, and standards are fully embraced and implemented. I want it to be known that I consider these efforts very valuable in terms of efficiency, productivity, and transparency in public services. I extend my thanks to our Chairperson Ms. Zerrin, to the members of the Board, and to all personnel of our Ethics Board for their efforts and dedication. I also offer my gratitude to all members who have served successfully in the Board until today. I pray to God for success in the future endeavors of our Public Officials Ethics Board. As President, I will continue to provide them with strong support as needed.”
Reminding that the Republic of Turkey is a state with a strong tradition, President Erdoğan added:
"Our state experience has a deep-rooted history that exceeds 2,000 years. When we examine this past in all its stages, two truths consistently emerge. The first is that our ancestors had a very strong founding will and an unyielding spirit of independence. Even in the darkest moments of our history, our forefathers managed to establish new states that would endure for centuries. This tradition, shaped by the principle of continuity embodied in the expression ‘eternal state,’ clearly reveals how skilled our nation is in organization and revival. The second truth is the human-centered approach in our concept of governance and administration. The principle of ‘Let the human live so the state may live’ and the motto ‘service to the people is service to God’ have guided our management philosophy for centuries.”
“THE PUBLIC INTEREST IS ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE”
President Erdoğan continued his remarks, saying: “Throughout our history, every flag we raised in the skies has been a symbol of goodness, justice, prosperity, peace, virtue, and faith on Earth. The spirit that transfers tradition, custom, moral values, and codes from the past to the future is preserved in this national structure and national consciousness. All the qualities we define today as ‘ethics’ have manifested in our national character through these very concepts. The importance given to knowledge, morality, competence, and merit has undoubtedly played a major role in maintaining stability in state governance and public service.”
“Look how Nizamülmülk expressed this matter a thousand years ago in his work Siyasetname: ‘When we assign major responsibilities to individuals who are without character, nobility, or virtue, we render scholars, nobles, and virtuous people idle and useless.’ Our Lord also commands in the Holy Quran: ‘Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice.’”
Emphasizing that merit, competence, justice, and peace are interconnected and mutually reinforcing values—especially in state affairs—President Erdoğan reminded that even the smallest concession in these areas can lead to increasingly larger challenges and destructions, as recorded in the pages of history.
President Erdoğan added: “No matter the position, rank, or title, I want to remind every one of my colleagues in public service of this: each of these positions is temporary. These duties and authorities are entrusted to us by the nation. What truly matters is to serve the people sincerely and to earn the consent of God and the goodwill of our nation. The public interest is above everything else.”
“THE STATE MEANS A MECHANISM THAT SERVES ITS CITIZENS”
President Erdoğan stated that ensuring each citizen benefits from public services equally, fairly, and effectively is one of their most fundamental priorities.
He said: “In this context, we have never and will never show leniency to anyone who abuses their duty and authority, fails to respond to the demands and expectations of the people, becomes part of the problem instead of the solution, damages the dignity, reputation, and benevolent identity of the state, squanders public goods and resources, or lays hands on the public treasury.”
Using the expression, “We will not tolerate anyone who oppresses the citizens they are obliged to serve by abusing the power of their position,” President Erdoğan stated, “The state means order, regulation, and discipline. The state is the mechanism that serves its citizens.” He emphasized that in both the state and society, order is ensured not only by laws but also by conscience, and that the fact that an action or decision is in line with the law does not necessarily mean it is ethical or legitimate.
President Erdoğan underlined that no one will be allowed to exploit gaps in the legislation and say, “I did it, so it’s done,” thereby violating even a single citizen’s rights or the rule of law. He expressed that public personnel, who are responsible for delivering public services to the nation, are expected to show the utmost sensitivity on these matters.
Stressing that every citizen who prioritizes the public good, complies with legal and ethical standards, strives to address the problems of the people, and works with a strong sense of duty holds a place of high esteem in the nation, President Erdoğan said, “I congratulate these colleagues of ours. May God be pleased with them.”
“We Have Taken All Steps to Ensure the State Mechanism Functions More Effectively”
President Erdoğan said that in a people-oriented state administration, ethical principles are at least as important as legal provisions for a government that prioritizes serving its people.
He noted that ethical rules are not merely regulations or even restrictions that public officials must follow; they also ensure that every public employee performs their duties properly and acts with a consciousness of serving their state and nation. President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows:
“To reinforce this awareness, we established and implemented ethical rules within public administration in 2005. We have taken all the necessary steps to ensure the state mechanism operates more efficiently and to guarantee that the state delivers faster, more effective, and higher-quality services to our citizens. Thankfully, over the past 20 years, there has been significant accumulation of knowledge and practical examples in this regard. Today, I am pleased to say that we have made substantial progress in maturing the model of the state we aspire to. I sincerely appreciate the efforts of the Public Officials Ethics Board, which has played a major role in institutionalizing this system.”
Recalling past difficulties, President Erdoğan said, “In the recent past, we suffered greatly from the bureaucratic oligarchy, the ‘come today, return tomorrow’ mentality, and the ‘this cardholder is my relative’ mindset.” He expressed that those who saw themselves as superior to the public, avoided interacting with citizens, and displayed arrogance caused great suffering to the people for years.
President Erdoğan added:
“We experienced days when treacherous organizations like FETÖ, terrorist groups, and various criminal networks infiltrated the ranks of the state and threatened our nation’s future. With the support we received from our people, we managed to overcome all these challenges, trials, and coup attempts with our heads held high.”
“4 Million 590 Thousand Applications Were Made to CİMER in 2024”
President Erdoğan emphasized that they have ensured citizens receive first-class service without needing personal connections or intermediaries. He stated that throughout their 23 years in power, they have worked day and night to improve public services, raise service standards, and make services more accessible.
He continued: “With the legal and constitutional regulations we have enacted, we have increased efficiency in the public sector. We introduced new institutions and mechanisms, such as the Presidential Communication Center (CİMER), to expand avenues for seeking justice and accessing information. We implemented a modern version of the groundbreaking ‘white desk’ initiative we started at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 1994, extending it nationwide through CİMER. Acting as a bridge between the state and the public, CİMER received 4 million 590 thousand applications in 2024. As a symbol of our participatory governance approach, CİMER has also played a key role in exposing numerous criminal organizations closely followed by the public. By tearing down the walls that once stood between the people and the state, we have strengthened the bureaucratic capacity of politics. We have eliminated obstacles standing in the way of national will. We found solutions to the chronic political instability that for years invited tutelage and bureaucratic oligarchy. We have established justice in representation and stability in governance, for which we are grateful. From now on, we will continue with the same determination and commitment to bring works and services to our nation. We will continue to implement our ‘Century of Türkiye’ goals, one by one, with our knowledgeable, conscientious, moral, and visionary public officials, and with all our institutions.”