President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered journalists' questions and commented on the recent developments on his return flight from Hungary.
President Erdoğan stated that he had concluded his visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, adding, "I would like to thank all of our Hungarian friends, particularly Prime Minister Orban and President Novák of Hungary, for their gracious hospitality to me and my delegation."
President Erdoğan indicated that their visit allowed them to share the joy of the friendly Hungarian people in their national day celebrations.
President Erdoğan noted that Budapest is presently hosting the 19th World Athletics Championship, congratulated Hungary on its organisational efforts, and expressed his hope that the championship concludes in an orderly way.
President Erdoğan said, "Türkiye is represented by seventeen athletes across thirteen disciplines in the championship that began yesterday." In almost every field, including athletics, recent achievements by our athletes have sparked pride in the country. I firmly believe that our athletes will honourably represent our nation at this championship as well."
"We will always remember Hungary's genuine friendship"
President Erdoğan stated that Türkiye has extensive relations with Hungary, a strategic partner and NATO ally, based on deep-rooted and strong ties of friendship, and that Hungary has demonstrated its support and solidarity for Türkiye in all spheres after the devastating earthquake.
President Erdoğan stressed that, during his March visit, President Novák inspected earthquake zones and met with citizens, adding, "We will always remember Hungary's genuine friendship. This year will label a turning point in the history of Türkiye-Hungary relations."
President Erdoğan continued:
"On December 18, 2023, we will mark the centennial of the Turkish-Hungarian Friendship Agreement. On this date, we will convene the sixth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Budapest. Thus, we will also launch the events for the 2024 Türkiye-Hungary Year of Culture. We are making significant strides in every facet of our relationship. In 2022, our bilateral trade volume hit an all-time high of 3.5 billion dollars."
President Erdoğan remarked that in addition to the Joint Economic Commission Mechanism, a target for economic and trade partnership with Hungary was established last year and continued, "Our target is 6 billion dollars. This number will increase even further now that the Economic and Trade Partnership Committee has been established. Of course, we reaffirmed our steadfast stance on this matter during our meetings with Prime Minister Orban and President Novák."
"We will continue our fruitful meetings"
President Erdoğan stated that they observed that the strategic partnership and cooperation had yielded favourable outcomes in both bilateral and regional spheres, and they agreed to take measures to further strengthen cooperation within the framework of an improved strategic partnership.
President Erdoğan expressed his pleasure with Hungary's reaffirmation of its support for Türkiye's accession to the European Union, adding:
"On the occasion of my visit, I also held meetings with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia, Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željka Cvijanović, and President Milorad Dodik of Bosnia's Republic of Srpska. During my meeting with Cvijanovic and Dodik, I stressed the significance of Bosnia and Herzegovina's stability to Türkiye. The events were also attended by the heads of state and government of Azerbaijan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, as well as former prime ministers of the Czech Republic and Slovenia and the Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan of the Russian Federation. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to have a quick word with the invited heads of state and government."
President Erdoğan expressed his appreciation that his one-day visit to Hungary was fruitful in every way and stated, "I would like to thank the Hungarian authorities again for their gracious hospitality. We will continue our fruitful meetings, with particular affection and enthusiasm, by reuniting, inshallah, in December."
"We will see a positive outcome with the two leaders accepting our mediation"
In response to a question highlighting the fact that a container ship departed Ukrainian ports despite the expiration of the Grain Corridor Deal and wondering what kind of road map will be followed for the reopening of the Grain Corridor, President Erdoğan stated:
"This vessel that departed from Odessa, Ukraine, is a container ship, not a grain vessel. The Ministry of National Defence issued a statement on the matter. Through our phone conversations with Mr Putin, we hope to encourage Russia to adopt a positive stance on the grain corridor issue. In September, there is the G-20 meeting in India and the United Nations General Assembly in the United States. If we have the chance during this hectic period, we will hold a tête-à-tête meeting with Mr Putin. My Minister of Foreign Affairs may soon pay a visit to Russia. Because it is critical that this work be done in person, and the results will be much more accurate."
On whether a peace meeting with his mediation will take place again in the following process, President Erdoğan stated, "We are striving for that; that is our wish. Consequently, during Zelenskyy's visit and the meetings we had with him, as well as at the NATO Leaders Summit, we discussed these matters in depth. I am hoping for a positive outcome with the two leaders accepting our mediation."
"There is no doubt that positive developments can occur"
President Erdoğan stated that Hungary is one of the countries most aware of Türkiye's role and responded to the question "There are serious demands for your Excellency to be a mediator, especially in the Ukraine-Russia crisis, and they too are demanding this. Do they communicate their expectations to you in this manner?" as follows:
"Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary is extremely sensitive on these issues, and as a member of the European Union, he knows Türkiye and he knows us well. He also understands our position as an observer member in relation to the Turkic republics. Viktor Orbán will assume the presidency of the European Union in the second half of next year, and we hope to take significantly different steps in that process. Hungary is a historically close country to Türkiye with differing perspectives, and its attitudes reflect this closeness. Our relations are excellent, and we intend to increase our trade volume from 3.4 billion to 6 billion dollars. Is it possible? It certainly is. Our construction companies are currently making significant investments in Hungary. This is constantly evolving. I believe that this development will lead to even better days."
To the question, "Do you have any positive expectations for Türkiye during Hungary's presidency?" President Erdoğan replied, "Positive developments can undoubtedly happen. However, simply holding the office of president does not produce results. First and foremost, the support of the member states is critical in order to achieve the desired result."
"We will continue to stand with the people of Niger"
After being reminded that West African countries have opted for military intervention in Niger, the question was posed, "What is Türkiye's stance on this issue? In which direction will Ankara go in the near future?" President Erdoğan responded, saying:
"At this time, no solution has been reached. Together with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other institutions, we are presently concentrating on how we can play our key role in Niger, and Allah willing, we will also find a solution there. I hope that the friendly and brotherly country of Niger will achieve constitutional order and a democratic government as soon as possible. The Economic Community of West African States' decision to engage in a military intervention does not strike me as the best course of action. Following this decision, Mali and Burkina Faso also warned that such a military intervention in Niger is to declare war against them. A military intervention in Niger would result in the spread of instability to numerous African countries. I hope that social peace and stability will be restored as soon as possible in Niger. I am confident that the people of Niger will defend democracy and hold elections as soon as possible. As Türkiye, we will continue to stand with the people of the friendly and brotherly country of Niger."
"The swift approval by the Parliament is directly correlated with Sweden's faithfulness to its commitments"
Regarding the questions, "Will Türkiye's stance change when the process for Sweden's NATO membership gets to the Parliament?" and "Has this matter been negotiated with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and People's Alliance parties?" highlighting that there is no effective counterterrorism effort in Sweden, President Erdoğan said:
"The presentation of Sweden's accession protocols to the Parliament and the swift approval of this process are directly correlated to Sweden's faithfulness to its commitments. Our parliament will oversee this matter. However, we have no way of knowing how long the matter will be discussed in our parliament and commissions, or how long it will take. First, Sweden must contain the streets of Stockholm. With all due respect... we will have no choice if they are unable to contain the streets of Stockholm and if these attacks against our sacred book and sacred items persist. Surely, the People's Alliance has its own principles. I will not take any action until I have discussed the situation with Mr Bahçeli and our other friends. We will hold our talks, then do whatever is necessary."