Erdoğan strongly condemned those who accuse Turkey of "turning its back on its own race".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at a press conference after the internal cabinet meeting held at the Presidential Palace on the evening of November 20.
In his speech, he said: "As Turkey, not only within our borders but also abroad, we will be with the religious, those who are in trouble, and those who are oppressed." Turkey's hand of mercy is there. Just as the oppressed are suffering in Palestine, so are the problems of our Uyghur brothers, Crimean Tatars and Kirkuk Turkmen brothers. We are paying close attention to all of these without making any distinctions. "Whoever thinks that Turkey is facing the problem of its own race, let's make it clear that they are either ignorant, or spies working on behalf of foreign powers."
At the end of his speech, he added, "Turkey's concern for fellow ethnic groups has reached its peak during our rule. Inshallah, we will continue to be with our brothers from now on."
President Erdoğan clearly mentioned East Turkistan in his speech at the 62nd General Meeting of the National Turkish Student Union held in Istanbul on November 18.