Bosnia: Erdogan addresses Turks living in Europe

By Talha Ozturk

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (AA) - The Turkish president called on the Turkish diaspora in Europe to play an active role in political parties of their countries of residence.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan was addressing Turks living in Europe at the 6th general assembly of Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD) in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo on Sunday.

"I request you to take part actively in political parties in the countries you live in," Erdogan said.

More than 20,000 Turkish citizens living in European countries gathered to listen to his speech.

Erdogan said the most enmity towards Turkey in European parliaments is being exhibited by Turkish-origin people.

"On June 24, we will not only elect a president and lawmakers but we will also make a choice for the next century of our country," Erdogan added, referring to the upcoming elections in Turkey.

This April, the Turkish parliament passed a bill for early elections on June 24, cementing Turkey’s move to a presidential system.

In the April 2017 referendum, Turkish voters approved the switch from a parliamentary system to a presidential one.

*Fatih Hafiz Mehmet contributed to this story from Ankara.