Speaking at a press conference in Ankara before leaving for the NATO Summit in the Netherlands, President Erdoğan said: “Our region cannot bear the burden of a war whose impacts will be felt across the world. It would be the right, favorable and smart attitude to take the fingers off the triggers and give diplomacy a chance to resolve conflicts.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a press conference at Esenboğa Airport in Ankara before leaving for the NATO Summit in the Netherlands.
Noting that Türkiye particularly advocates for fair burden sharing and the strengthening of European security, President Erdoğan said: “We are an ally that commands NATO's second largest land army. While continuously improving our country's defense capabilities, we also contribute to the deterrence of the alliance. We attach importance to strengthening the defense industry throughout the Alliance. However, as we set out with the goal of stronger defense and more effective military, we do not find it right to raise obstacles to trade in defense products between allies. These obstacles and restrictions should be removed as soon as possible, without ifs or buts. In this context, we closely follow the recent initiatives of the European Union in the field of defense and security. Our country, which contributes more to Europe's security than many of its members combined, should be properly included in the Union's defense initiatives. The inclusion of the Turkish defense sector in the Union's defense mechanisms and projects will benefit the entire Europe. In this regard, we are in close consultation with our non-EU allies.”
“We are planning further steps to continue the Istanbul process.”
“We plan to discuss measures to support the European pillar of the alliance. As the ally that has contributed the most within the alliance to the concept of combating terrorism, with a visionary approach years ago, we will also draw attention, at the summit, to what the alliance needs to do in this field,” President Erdoğan said. “Efforts to bring a lasting end to the war in Ukraine with a just solution are on the agenda of the summit. Allies will also meet with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. We will explain our efforts to end the war through diplomacy without prejudice to our responsibilities to the alliance. We recently brought the parties together in Istanbul after a three-year hiatus and were instrumental in the adoption and implementation of decisions on exchanges of prisoners and bodies. We are planning further steps to continue the Istanbul process.”
“Both at the summit and in our bilateral meetings, we will draw attention to the massacres committed by the Netanyahu government against the Palestinian people. We will underline that the 21-month-long occupation, invasion and destruction policy must end as soon as possible,” President Erdoğan said.
“We will firmly maintain our principled stance that prioritizes diplomacy”
“Since June 13, tensions in our region have escalated. In the process that started with Israel's attacks on Iran, we have taken initiatives based on negotiations from the very beginning. We talked with many leaders, including Mr. Trump and Pezeshkian. We brought together the foreign ministers of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul. We are closely following the developments following the statements made by US President Trump yesterday. We appreciate and sincerely support any effort to ensure a ceasefire in the region and pave the way to a lasting peace,” President Erdoğan said.
Regarding the Israeli attack on Iran and the ceasefire talks, President Erdoğan said: “We welcome the news, which came late last night, that a ceasefire agreement has been reached between the parties. We call on all parties to fully respect the ceasefire. As I have said before; our region cannot bear the burden of a war whose impacts will be felt across the world. It would be the right, favorable and smart attitude to take the fingers off the triggers and give diplomacy a chance to resolve conflicts. As Türkiye, we will firmly maintain our principled stance that upholds international law and prioritizes diplomacy.”
President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye wants to host the NATO Summit 2026.
“We sincerely believe that a just and lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia is possible”
Following his remarks, President Erdoğan also answered reporters’ questions,
In answer to a question about the Russia-Ukraine war, President Erdoğan said: “You all know Türkiye’s efforts to end this war. We sincerely believe that a just and lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia is possible. We have done and are doing our best to achieve this peace. We are a country that is trusted by both parties. Thanks to this trust, concrete progress has been made even in an atmosphere of war. The talks in Istanbul are one of the most important steps taken. We hope that the talks will be carried further and that we will now enter the path to end the war. We hope that developments on the ground will also boost this glimmer of hope. This war cannot go on forever, we need to roll up our sleeves for peace, strengthen the ground for dialogue established in Istanbul and put forward the peace table with a much higher level of participation. We will explain this vision to our counterparts at the NATO Summit and express that we will not stop until we achieve peace.”
“Israeli aggression must stop in our entire region”
With regard to the Israel-Iran conflict, President Erdoğan said: “Israel's attacks against Iran have ignited a major threat to the peace and tranquility of our region. Israel's reckless actions, starting with Palestine and extending to Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and finally Iran, are unacceptable. Global actors must take effective measures to put an end to this madness, otherwise not only our region but the whole world will pay the price. We will continue to call on everyone to exercise common sense, and to say that the means of diplomacy are sufficient to find a solution to any issue. By conflicts, we mean not only the tension between Israel and Iran, but we also want an end to Israel's unlawful oppression in Gaza, which uses hunger as a weapon. Since the Israeli attack on Iran, we have always said that this tension should not overshadow the atrocities in Gaza. The humanitarian situation there is deteriorating by the day. A permanent ceasefire must be established in Gaza as soon as possible, Israeli attacks must stop, and the way for uninterrupted humanitarian aid must be opened. Israeli aggression must stop in our entire region.”
“Syria will achieve a prosperous and peaceful future”
In answer to a question about the DAESH attack in Syria, President Erdoğan said: “No matter what happens around us, we will continue to pursue our goal of a terror-free Türkiye without any disruption. We are determined to make this process, which we carry out sensitively as a state policy, a success, inshallah. Terrorism has often been used as a tool in our region. We are a country that knows the bloody and treacherous face of DAESH very well. We dealt the heaviest blow to this organization through Operation Euphrates Shield. We once again express our condolences to the Syrian people for the heinous terrorist attack targeting a church. Syria's efforts for peace and stability after 13 years of civil war are admirable. The Syrian government will never allow those who want to neutralize these efforts and take Syria back to a future of conflict. The Syrian government is firmly determined to fight against all terrorist organizations, including DAESH. We are and will be providing them with the necessary support. Syria will inshallah achieve a prosperous and peaceful future. I firmly believe that the Syrian administration will take effective steps in the fight against terrorism and make progress in a short time.”
