The National Security Council (NSC) convened under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex.
The NSC meeting lasted for approximately 2 hours.
National Security Council (NSC) statement released
In the statement released after the meeting, it was noted that operations conducted against PKK/KCK-PYD/YPG targets in Syria and Iraq effectively destroyed the separatist terrorist organisation's developing capabilities while ensuring the safety of civilians as well as friendly and allied forces, as part of the strategy of eliminating the threats against Türkiye "at the source."
It was emphasised that actions that defend terrorists and undermine the very foundations of the alliance law were closely scrutinised, and that no amount of effort could reverse the ultimate fate of terrorist organisations that continue to target our nation.
The following remarks were made in the statement:
“It was pointed out that Israel will eventually be held accountable for the inhumane crimes it has perpetrated in Gaza, which have become a black mark on history, while emphasising that the immediate cessation of attacks targeting the complete destruction of innocent civilians and the occupation of Gaza territory is a shared responsibility of the international community and that Türkiye will persist in undertaking all possible initiatives to this end. The Israeli government and the actors supporting the massacre were reminded that if these heinous acts are not stopped immediately, they could start a cycle of violence with a lasting impact that could even extend beyond the region, and that the only way to achieve lasting peace is to establish an independent, sovereign, and geographically integrated Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Al-Quds as its capital.”
It was also stated that all aspects of cooperation with our neighbour, Iraq, were thoroughly reviewed, with a particular focus on security, and the potential repercussions of events stemming from the Palestinian issue on the stability of Iraq and the region were thoroughly evaluated during the meeting
In the statement, it was expressed that the most recent developments in Kirkuk, as well as the position of our Turkmen cognates, were addressed, and the importance we place on the peaceful coexistence of all parties in the country was emphasised once more ahead of the upcoming provincial council elections.
It was also noted that in addition to the issues pertaining to the conclusion of the Azerbaijan-Armenia negotiations with a permanent peace agreement and normalisation of our relations with Armenia within this framework, the efforts of non-regional actors to intervene in the issue were evaluated.
It was enunciated in the statement that “Despite the growing repercussions and costs of the Russia-Ukraine war on our region and global politics, it was underlined how crucial it is to take immediate actions that will establish peace. It was pointed out that the developments, which had a detrimental effect on the international security environment, confirmed the justification of Türkiye's efforts to ensure that a climate of peace and stability prevails over a wide geographic area extending from the Black Sea to Africa, from the Caucasus to the Balkans, and it was stated that Türkiye would continue to take the initiative with a proactive approach in order to prevent tensions from turning into crises and to stop conflicts before they spread.”