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International Ombudsman Conference 2023

In the Afternoon of the First Day of the Conference, the invitees of the
International Ombudsman Conference were received by the President of the
Republic of Türkiye H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex.

In his speech where he greeted the guests, the Ambassadors and the participants
who visited our country on the occasion of the Conference organized by the Om-
budsman Institution of Türkiye, President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan touched upon
the problems experienced by people who had to migrate due to the wars that took
place recently, and that Türkiye serves humanity with the services it provides at
these points. He emphasized that as they showed care to humanity and to human
rights by paving the way for the opening of the Grain Corridor during the ongoing war
between Russia and Ukraine, they want to show the same care by realizing a Human-
itarian Corridor for the victims.

Pointig out that human rights are at the forefront of the issues that are most talked
about, discussed and that occupy the agenda the most in today’s world, the President
of the Republic of Türkiye, H.E. Mr. Erdoğan underlined that in many parts of the world
from Syria to Palestine, from Yemen to Arakan, from Turkestan to Africa, new ones
are constantly being added to the serious violations that disregard human rights, free-
dom and dignity. He said that “Crisis, which should bring us closer to each other and
activate our sense of compassion, can, on the contrary, distance people from human
values. The COVID-19 epidemic, the refugee issue, and the conflicts that erupted in our
region stand before us as the most striking examples of this bitter reality. Today, we re-
member with shame the selfishness of the so-called developed countries, only to pro-
tect themselves during the epidemic period. We still have not forgotten how medical
supplies needed in the fight against the epidemic, such as vaccines and masks, were

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