Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent messages of solidarity on International Women's Day during a Ramadan dinner in Istanbul, where he thanked all institutions involved in organising the event, particularly the Ministry of Family and Social Services.

After extending Ramadan greetings to attendees, Erdogan said: "I express my gratitude to all the ladies who have honoured our iftar table with their participation. I pray to Allah that the holy month of Ramadan brings goodness to our nation, the Islamic world and all humanity."

Women's Day Tributes

Reminding the audience that the day coincided with International Women's Day, Erdogan stated: "On behalf of myself and my wife, I congratulate all women in our country and around the world on International Women's Day, starting with our sisters here in this hall. I once again extend our messages of solidarity to all women, all mothers, and all my sisters who are struggling for life and dignity in Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Africa, Asia, Turkistan, and various corners of our heartland."

Erdogan expressed that he respectfully salutes and congratulates each of the brave women of Gaza who heroically resist oppression and weave victory stitch by stitch despite the massacres of the genocide network of Israel, on behalf of all women in the country.

He stated: "I pray to Allah for patience for our martyr mothers who have raised their heroic children with utmost care only to commit them to the dark earth, and for the dignified wives who are the trust of our beloved martyrs who have stained every inch of our homeland with their red blood.

“We will not disappoint the heroic mothers and wives of our martyrs from now on. We will continue to work to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from our nation and continue to use all the means at our disposal for this purpose."

Women's Rights Progress

Erdogan highlighted Türkiye’s historical progress on women's rights, noting: "It is noteworthy that while women's rights were not even on the agenda in the West, women officially began to take part in working life in our country from 1843.

Women were given the right to serve as civil servants in 1913. The Family Law Decree published in 1917 was another important step. Even before the West, women gained the right to vote and be elected in our country in 1934."

The president emphasised his administration's commitment to women's rights over the past two decades. He described how they established family courts in 2003, ended gender-based discrimination in labour relations, and strengthened constitutional protections for gender equality.

Erdogan further detailed the creation of mandatory women's shelters in larger municipalities, implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat Domestic Violence, and introduction of new maternal rights regarding childbirth, healthcare, and retirement benefits.

Erdogan also highlighted significant social reforms, including the removal of the headscarf ban to ensure women's freedom in employment and politics, constitutional provisions establishing positive discrimination based on equality principles, and the enactment of comprehensive legislation on family protection and prevention of violence against women. These measures, he explained, represented a systematic approach to enhancing women's legal protections and opportunities across Turkish society.

New Initiatives

Erdogan announced the establishment of new coordination councils through a Presidential Circular published on International Women's Day: "Today, with the Presidential Circular we published, we established the Women's Empowerment Coordination Board and provincial coordination boards. With our new boards, we aim to carry out services for women more effectively."

He concluded by emphasising the government's commitment to strengthening women's cooperatives, supporting female entrepreneurship through comprehensive education and financing programmes, and addressing violence against women "with a cross-political approach and a zero-tolerance principle."