President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan commented on the Russia-Ukraine War, saying, “We are contemplating how to establish a peace corridor from here, similar to the success of the grain corridor. We believe a path from dialogue to peace may be the best way to achieve this objective.”
Following his visit to Uzbekistan, where he attended the 9th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States, President Erdoğan answered journalists’ questions and commented on current events.
Stating that they successfully concluded the 9th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States, President Erdoğan said they discussed current issues related to the Turkic world in-depth and identified areas for future cooperation.
President Erdoğan stated that the Turkic world vision document was adopted at the historical Summit in Istanbul last year and that the document established the goals for the next 20 years, adding that the strategy document, which serves as the implementation guide for the first five years, was also adopted at this Summit. President Erdoğan continued:
“We have signed several agreements that will serve as the foundation for our future collaboration in areas ranging from trade to the economy, from cultural issues to environmental problems. The Nakhchivan Agreement needed to be amended as a result of the Turkic Council’s evolution into an Organisation, and we made the required changes with the protocol we signed. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is admitted as an observer member within this framework. We have demonstrated that the Turkish Cypriots, who are an inseparable part of the Turkic world, are not alone. I hope this historic decision will be auspicious for all of us, particularly the Turkish Cypriots. I would like to thank all the leaders for fulfilling the requirements of our brotherhood.”
Expressing that joint steps that can be taken in transportation, media, culture and tourism projects were also discussed at the Summit, President Erdoğan said, “We established the Turkic Investment Fund to strengthen our solidarity, especially in the field of finance. I believe that the prospects provided by the fund will further enhance our cooperation and expedite our activities.”
In addition, President Erdoğan stated that the Samarkand Declaration was an expression of similar approaches to current global issues and the commitment to strengthen cooperation in the Turkic world.
President Erdoğan stated that the next Summit will be held in Kazakhstan in 2023, saying, “We have had frank discussions with the heads of state and government attending the Summit. In addition to our bilateral relations, we also discussed current global issues.”
President Erdoğan stated that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan presented him with the High-ranking Imam al Bukhari Order for his contributions to Türkiye-Uzbekistan relations, and he was also presented with the Supreme Order of the Turkic World for his services to the Organisation of the Turkic States and the Turkic world. President Erdoğan said, “I am deeply honoured to receive these orders on behalf of our nation,” noting that the Supreme Order of the Turkic World was conferred on President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan and former President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan.
President Erdoğan noted that they also declared Samarkand as the Capital of Civilisation of the Turkic World at the Summit, saying, “We strengthened our unity with the saplings we planted together with my counterparts, and we observed November 11, Afforestation Day. I hope our Summit and the other meetings we held in Uzbekistan will be auspicious. I would like to thank Uzbekistan for their hospitality and wish them success as they assume term presidency.”
"The Organisation of Turkic States has proven to be a successful cooperation platform”
President Erdoğan later answered the questions of journalists.
President Erdoğan was asked, “There was a time when Turkic states and Turkish peoples, who had been in Soviet captivity for a long time, attempted to rise up after gaining independence. Centuries later, you played a key role in bringing the Turkish peoples and their states together under the same roof, and you actually pioneered this through an institutional structure. Türkiye’s support for Azerbaijan during the Karabakh War has given the Turkic world tremendous courage and self-assurance. How do you feel as a pioneer who played a role in the foundation of a very promising international organisation like the Organisation of Turkic States? What are your thoughts on the future of the Organisation of Turkish States?” Upon this question, President Erdoğan said that the cooperation among the Turkic states draws its strength from historical ties of brotherhood, shared culture, solidarity, language and traditions.
President Erdoğan expressed that the Turkic world has unfortunately suffered many blows to date and could not achieve the desired goals due to these blows, adding:
“Unfortunately, it was unable to form a certain power together. The Istanbul Summit, where we assumed the presidency of the previous term, was actually a turning point for the Turkic states. During that Summit, we transformed the Turkic Council into an international organisation called the Organisation of Turkic States. Democracy and Freedoms Island, where we convened the Summit, has been a significant step forward in this regard. During the Istanbul Summit we hosted, we also adopted the vision of 2040, which outlines the international goals of our cooperation. We carried out this entire process based on mutual love and respect among the Turkic states. Thanks be to our brothers; they stayed the course we set for this process and stood firm. Today, as a result of the steps taken, they presented me with the Supreme Order of the Turkic World. The Organisation of Turkic States has proven to be a successful cooperation platform and its influence in the region and worldwide is growing. It was very, very, very meaningful for me to be honoured with the High-ranking Imam al Bukhari Order. In particular, Shavkat Mirziyoyev is highly sensitive to this issue, and he is making efforts to make Bukhara a centre in this regard. Maybe in the first quarter of next year, we will establish a joint Türkiye-Uzbekistan university with an Imam Bukhari Faculty or institute, which will be a significant step forward inshallah. A few days ago, our co-workers visited here, they worked together in Bukhara and Tashkent, and we want to see the results of their work in a very short time. Nonetheless, we will have established the Türkiye-Uzbekistan University in Tashkent by signing the necessary documents in the first quarter.”
“Grave Threats and Dangers”
It was indicated that one of the most important problems in this region of the world is the FETÖ organisation and that there were some purges after the July 15 coup attempt, and President Erdoğan was asked, “However, there are balances in this region of the world, and there are still some who regard this organisation as the soft power bridge between them and the United States. There are indications that they are still present, particularly in certain Central Asian nations. Clearly, if this structure is not completely eradicated, the Organisation of Turkic States will have problems in the future. How could this structure be eradicated entirely? Do you have hope? As Türkiye, were we able to persuade these leaders?" Upon the questions, President Erdoğan stated that whenever he meets with the leaders, he reminds them of the fight against terrorism, the PKK/PYD/YPG, FETÖ, DEASH and all these concerns.
Stating that leaders do not say, "We have them," regarding FETÖ, but rather, they say, "We have eradicated them, and we continue to eradicate them," President Erdoğan added:
"Today, we talked about the same thing with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. We said, 'How far along are you in your efforts to address this issue? Have you made any progress in your fight against FETÖ? You say that they are no more, yet according to the intelligence we possess, they continue to take place even at your state levels. Then I have only one thing to say to you: Let's bring your intelligence department and our intelligence department together and let them work together; if it is truly eradicated, it will be okay, and you and we will both feel at ease. However, be aware that they are grave threats and dangers to you.' For example, one of the leaders told me today: ‘Even though you dwell on this issue that much, I was still unaware of what the FETÖ was.' And I replied: 'Unfortunately, your source of information provides you with incorrect information. You cannot comprehend what these rascals and dishonest people are since they provide incorrect information. They had schools in nearly 160 countries, and they said they provided education in these schools, supposedly in good faith. The administrators of these countries said, 'They are not doing anything bad; they are offering education.' However, at these institutions, where you say they are providing education, they pick the brightest children, poison them, and then engage them in numerous actions against both their own country and Türkiye. You see, everything broke out during the July 15 incident, and our 252 citizens were unfortunately martyred. Besides, more than 2,000 of our citizens, both military personnel and civilian, were injured and became veterans. We have been through all of this. We show visiting prime ministers and presidents our Parliament. They bombed our Parliament, the centre of our democracy. How? They bombarded it with aircraft of this country, this state, this army. They came in helicopters and shot. If they had won the race against time, perhaps I wouldn't be alive either. Two of my bodyguards were martyred. These are all incidents that we experienced. I'm sharing this with you because I have experienced suffering.'
Who is protecting them now? Mainly Greece. They run away to Greece, and they run away to Europe. They fled to these countries, and now they live in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, the UK, and the US. And the US is sheltering him. Who is sheltering? Biden is sheltering him. They gave him a huge mansion in Pennsylvania, and this man lives there. If you ask me where the centre of terror is, I'll say it's there."
"We are not going through an ordinary process"
Reminding him that President Vladimir Putin of Russia said he would not attend next week's G20 summit in Indonesia, the following questions are posed: "We know that Sergey Lavrov will serve as the head of the Russian delegation. It was anticipated that Biden and Putin would meet for the first time since Russia's war on Ukraine began in February. How do you interpret Putin's absence from the summit? You are in close contact with the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine. Will you contact him by phone prior to the summit? In this context, how do you regard the likelihood of the war's end?" Upon the questions, President Erdoğan said:
"To be honest, I told him in the last meeting that I thought it would be right for him to come to Indonesia. But he said, 'I'll assess the situation and let you know accordingly'. Then they decided that the Foreign Minister should go to Indonesia. If I get in touch with him in the next two or three days, I will have the chance to ask him what he thinks and what steps he will take, especially in terms of turning this process, namely dialogue, into one that results in peace. It means that Mr Putin consulted with his own team about not attending the summit and finally came to such a decision. Making a judgment about this situation would be disrespectful to both himself and his team. Of course, it is up to them. Because we are not going through an ordinary process."
Noting that Russia is not an ordinary state but a powerful one, President Erdoğan said, "Indeed, the West, particularly the US, is attacking Russia practically without restraint. Russia is, of course, demonstrating resistance to all of this. We are contemplating how to establish a peace corridor from here, similar to the success of the grain corridor. We believe a path from dialogue to peace may be the best way to achieve this objective."
Stressing that Mr Putin's viewpoints on the matter would not be sufficient, they would also meet with Mr Zelenskiy to discuss their thoughts on the matter and how they would view such a situation, and they would get their opinion as well, President Erdoğan said, "And we will look for ways to see if this mediation will lead us to peace. But for now, the most important thing for us is to operate this grain corridor properly. Ammonia, in the same way, fertiliser in the same way. In this situation, of course, Mr Putin's goal is to prioritise poor African countries, such as Mali, Somalia and Sudan. And he offered to send the grain to them at no cost. Once such a step is taken, we can demonstrate the same level of sensitivity."
"I believe that imposing a time limit would be wrong"
Reminding him that the grain corridor deal would expire on November 19, the following questions were asked: "We know that negotiations for an extension are ongoing. Will you offer another 4-month or longer-term agreement to the parties? Do you have any suggestions?" Upon the questions, President Erdoğan replied:
"I believe that imposing a time limit would be wrong. We told them it would be to the point the longer it is. On the other hand, I believe we need to define the scope of this effort and work diligently on it. I mean, as Putin said, this step can be taken in the name of African countries. Because there are currently many poor people living in African countries. It would not be fair to ignore Africa and deliver them to Europe. 'We were going to do it like this, but it didn't happen; it's going to European countries,' he said. And its shipment to European countries negatively impacted his stance on this matter. Now, in our next meeting, if we provide an intensive flow of grain, fertiliser, and ammonia from the grain corridor to developing countries, particularly African nations -that is to say, we can greatly increase the number of the countries I have mentioned- we will alleviate the suffering of the people in these countries."
Upon the question, "Could this be considered as the first step towards the recognition of Northern Cyprus?" underlining the decision taken at the summit for the TRNC to join the Organisation of Turkic States as an observer member, President Erdoğan said, "It would be wrong to interpret this as recognition. Recognition has many facets and sensitivities."
Stating that President Ersin Tatar of the TRNC was the first to thank them for this decision, President Erdoğan said, "Obviously, our address to the United Nations General Assembly had an impact. We need to start infrastructure work first and keep it strong. After the infrastructure work, we must communicate to the rest of the world that Northern Cyprus is a state, and we must blanket the world with this idea."
Referring to Kosovo's recognition process, President Erdoğan stated, "The number of countries that recognise Kosovo has surpassed one hundred and is currently around 120. Nonetheless, it remained at that level because, unfortunately, America did not support it. We have stood by it and continue to do so. However, the case of Northern Cyprus is more difficult than that of Kosovo, but we will do our best. We will strive for it. I believe we will have the chance to introduce Northern Cyprus to the rest of the world."
F-16 negotiations with the US
Upon the question, "On one hand, the Greek government and the press continue threatening statements. Due to the port of Alexandroupolis issue, its sale to the United States has been put on hold for the time being. When you add it all up, is there a schism between Athens and Washington due to the discomfort with the recent negotiations between Türkiye and the US?" when it was pointed out that Greece is uncomfortable with the ongoing process with the US regarding F16 supply and F35, President Erdoğan said, "Greece is deeply troubled by the recent steps taken. We are also concerned about the West's position on Greece, particularly that of the United States. Alexandroupolis issue is one of them. Apart from that, we are concerned about Greece's attitude in the fight against terrorism. This Lavrion Camp issue, in particular, cannot be tolerated."
Referring to the F35 issue, President Erdoğan remarked:
"The F35 issue bothers the US far more than it bothers us. Why? Because we did our part. The payments were made in accordance with the payment schedule, unfortunately, but we did not get anything in return. Following this development, technical work on our F16 request continues as planned. We said, "Let's handle this issue in this manner, resolve it, and shut the door on it." From time to time, the American side says positive and good things to our Defence Minister, Hulusi Pasha.
Of course, they have gone through an election. As a result of this election, we receive some encouraging news, and we continue to follow them closely. I hope next month will be filled with good news, and we will make significant progress on the F16 issue. Republicans have finished ahead in the House of Representatives, but there is still the Senate. Two or three seats in the Senate are extremely important. In other words, if the Republicans win these two or three seats, it may be much easier for us. We are currently following the process."
"Türkiye has evolved into a heeded, respected and indispensable actor"
When he was reminded of the agreement made between Türkiye and Sweden and Finland during their membership application to join NATO and the international success achieved within the framework of the fight against terrorism with this agreement and asked to comment on "Türkiye's position on the world stage within the vision of the Century of Türkiye, its future on the world stage of diplomacy and the steps to be taken to enter the top ten in the economy", President Erdoğan emphasised that they have pursued a realistic, entrepreneurial, humanitarian and national foreign policy in the face of crises in the world and neighbouring countries in the last 20 years.
President Erdoğan stated that they both defended Türkiye's rights and interests while also working hard for global and regional peace and stability, adding:
"Thanks to our efforts, Türkiye has become a heeded, respected and indispensable actor in global issues. This is also acknowledged by the world public. We tirelessly work to encircle ourselves with a belt of peace and prosperity. To this end, we are committed to eradicating the scourge of terrorism from our nation's agenda. We will continue to determine our foreign policy based on our country's benefit and bolster our position within the context of our national interests. In the Century of Türkiye, which will be the second century of our Republic, we will reinforce our country's role as an effective and respected global actor in a manner befitting our nation."