In response to a question from reporters about his newborn granddaughter, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged reporters to have babies, the Cumhuriyet daily reported on Friday.
When reporters asked Erdoğan about his newborn granddaughter, Erdoğan said: “I hope God will increase their numbers. Our numbers as a nation have to increase. Of course now it is your turn. I don’t know if you took the steps? I feel like you are acting slowly. Speed up those things.”
Erdoğan called on Turkish expatriates living in Europe to have at least five children in a bid to increase their presence on the continent so that they will be the “future of Europe.”
On various occasions Erdoğan had been calling on fellow citizens in Turkey to have at least three children in order to keep the age average of the country low.
Underlining that the European countries where Turks live and work are now their homeland, Erdoğan urged Turks to stake a claim there.
“The place in which you are living and working is now your homeland and new motherland. Stake a claim in it. Open more businesses, enroll your children in better schools, have your families live in better neighborhoods, drive the best cars, live in the most beautiful houses,” he said.
“That’s because you are the future of Europe. It will be the best answer to the vulgarity, antagonism and injustice made against you,” he added.