Turkish MP And Leader Of The Nationalist Movement Party Devlet Bahçeli: Aleppo Is Turkish And Muslim To Its Core; History, Geography, And Reality Say This

Prominent Turkish politician Devlet Bahçeli said in a December 3, 2024 speech at a meeting of the Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi (MHP) party, which he leads and which is in coalition with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AKP party, that “Aleppo is Turkish and Muslim to its core." He said that history, geography, reality, and the ancestors say the same thing, and he drew connections between major landmarks in Turkey and in Aleppo, saying: "Whatever Istanbul's covered market is, Aleppo's covered market is that also. The 'Amens' that rise up from the Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara are the same as the 'Amens' that echo from the Great Mosque of Aleppo. The speech was aired on NTV (Turkey).

Devlet Bahçeli: "You cannot encounter a son of the homeland whose heart does not tremble at the mention of Aleppo, because Aleppo is Turkish and Muslim to its core. We are not the only ones who say this.

"History says this. Geography says this. The reality says this. The ancestors say this. The Turkish flag that is raised over the Citadel of Aleppo says this.

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"Whatever Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is Aleppo's market is that also. The 'Amens' that rise up from the Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara are the same 'Amens' that echo from the Great Mosque of Aleppo. If Aleppo is there, then the Turkish nationalists and the Turkish nation, who heed the call of history, are here."