President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain discussed bilateral ties and the latest global developments during their meeting in İstanbul yesterday. According to a statement released by the Directorate of Communications, Sánchez was received by Erdoğan after being welcomed by an official ceremony. Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan and Chief Advisor to the President on Foreign Policy and Security Akif Çağatay Kılıç also attended the meeting. It was stated that "Efforts are underway to increase the trade volume between Türkiye and Spain, and the two countries will continue to work on strengthening cooperation in various sectors, particularly in the defence industry and transportation."
The Turkish President touted Madrid's "determined and honourable stance" in the face of the war in the Gaza Strip, stressing, "the oppression in Gaza could only end through joint efforts." On the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Erdoğan told Sánchez that Ankara "remains committed to a ceasefire and views issues such as the prisoner exchange, which was discussed during last week's meeting between the Kyiv and Moscow delegations in İstanbul, as a vital step toward building confidence to end the war." According to the statement, the Turkish President also emphasised that “there has been no departure from Türkiye’s goal of joining the European Union” and that constructive steps are expected from Brussels to revitalise the accession process.