Continuing to target the West during his nonstop “yes” campaign ahead of an April 16 referendum on a switch to an executive presidency, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the West has not forgotten losing Istanbul to the Turks in 1453.
“We [Turks] made a big decision when we opened the gates of Anatolia in 1071. Similarly, we made a big decision when we conquered İstanbul. For centuries some have not been able to forget the pain of losing İstanbul in 1453,” Erdoğan said on Wednesday during a program dedicated to “Relatives of July 15 Martyrs and Veterans” in İstanbul.
“Some could not get rid of the anger of our mark on the Balkans, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. For centuries, they have lived with the pain of losing that paradise-like land. They want our nation to pay for it.”