Kenan Evren
Seventh president of the Turkish Republic, an office he held from November 9, 1982 to November 9, 1989.
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All my trust in the politicians had been rubbed away.
Turkey serves as an anchor of democracy, freedom, and stability in a region in turmoil. Your own Thomas Paine once wrote, 'Those who, expect to reap the blessings of freedom must . . . undergo the fatigue of supporting it.' Let me say that in Turkey, we do not feel fatigued by our support of the Western allies because we know that by supporting the allies, we may all continue to reap the blessings of freedom.
I sometimes feel jealous of countries like the U.S. and Great Britain that have two neighbors. ... When you have two neighbors, you have two problems. When you have eight neighbors, you have eight problems.
All freedoms provided by democracy are for those who believe in it. Can the rights and freedoms of millions of virtuous people who believe in democracy be safeguarded if those who seek to destroy it abuse rights and freedoms to achieve their goals?
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