Regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements on establishing a large natural gas centre in Türkiye, President Erdoğan said, "Certainly, Thrace is regarded as the most important location for this. We directed our Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, as well as the corresponding Russian organisation, to collaborate with President Putin. The work will be carried out there. We hope to establish this distribution facility wherever the most appropriate location is."
On his return flight from the 6th Summit of the Conference on Cooperation and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered reporters' questions and made comments.
Stating that they had successfully completed their two-day visit to Kazakhstan, President Erdoğan recalled that on the first day of his visit, he and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev presided over the fourth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
Stating that the ministers in his delegation also discussed the issues of cooperation with their counterparts, President Erdoğan said: "During bilateral and inter-delegation meetings with our Kazakh brothers, we had the opportunity to assess our relations and regional developments. We reiterated our commitment to expanding our cooperation in every field. We have established the course of action for the coming period."
Emphasising that they have further strengthened the cooperation between the two countries with six new agreements signed in various fields, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
"Previously, during President Tokayev's visit in May, we signed fourteen agreements. We have now reached a total of twenty agreements. President Tokayev honoured me with the Order of Friendship, which I accepted on behalf of our country and nation. We resolved to strengthen our existing solidarity within international institutions, particularly within the Organization of Turkic States. I pray to my Lord that the fourth meeting of our Council be auspicious.
As part of our Asia Anew Initiative, I place a specific emphasis on strengthening our ties with regional and international forums and organisations across the Continent. One of the most prominent of these platforms is the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. The Conference contributes significantly to strengthening peace, security and stability in Asia with the participation of 28 member states, including the brotherly country Kuwait, eight observer countries and five observer international organisations. We have been one of the leading members of the Conference since its establishment. We successfully held the chairmanship between 2010 and 2014 and organised various high-level meetings and forums. During our term, the Business Council and the Youth Council were established. We are taking on the role of coordinator or co-coordinator of the Conference's priority areas, which include 'Military and Political Dimension' and the 'New Challenges and Threats', 'Trade and Investment' and 'SMEs'".
Stating that the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Conference this year adds a historical significance to the summit, President Erdoğan said that they had begun the process of transforming the Conference's present structure into an international organisation.
President Erdoğan said that he shared with his counterparts Türkiye's policies in the fields of economy, environment, people, new challenges and threats, as well as the military-political dimension.
President Erdoğan communicated that he emphasised Türkiye's priorities and sensitivity regarding its human-oriented foreign policy and its rightful stance in the fight against terrorism. President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye reminded its counterparts of the importance of cooperation in establishing security and stability, which is seen as the most crucial issue in its region and said, "In this regard, we had bilateral meetings with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, and Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan of Vietnam. I was very pleased to see that the policies we pursued during our negotiations were welcomed with admiration and appreciation by the member states. I hope that all of our meetings in Kazakhstan will be auspicious".
"We will establish this distribution centre in the most suitable location"
After President Erdoğan was reminded of Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements, "A huge gas centre can be constructed in Türkiye for Europe," the following questions were posed to him: "How would Türkiye view such a project? Some experts began to express their opinions that the project could be a 'peace valve'. Could this contribute to the resolution of conflicts and the development of a more stable regional policy? And recently, Putin has been expressing his concerns about the security of the Turkish Stream. Is there really such a concern, what are Türkiye's measures?" President Erdoğan responded as follows:
"As stated, certainly, Thrace is regarded as the most important location for this. We directed our Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, as well as the corresponding Russian organisation, to collaborate with President Putin. The work will be carried out there. We hope to establish this distribution facility wherever the most appropriate location is. We already have a national distribution centre, but this will now be an international distribution centre. The work will be completed by our Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Russian side and presented to us, and then we will take action. There will be no room for delay. Today, we quickly made the decision with our Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. Miller from Russia (Head of Gazprom) was also present at this meeting and received the instruction. Now our friends will start working by communicating with each other. While we take all kinds of steps for the security, we are constructing this safety net rapidly and will continue working accordingly."
"Türkiye continues to be a key country for peace"
Upon the question, "It is clear that the US and the UK wanted the Russia-Ukraine War to continue, and Continental Europe suffered as a result. Türkiye remains a pivotal country in terms of peace, and there appears to be no other option. Will there be any further developments in this regard?" President Erdoğan said, "During our conversation, this perspective actually maintained its strength. In other words, Russia and other countries continue to have faith in Türkiye's mediation abilities. We also discussed our concerns about the Kerch Bridge with him. He also provided us with some technical information, and we will continue our work in this area with the same degree of care. We were also pleased with the continued confidence in Türkiye."
When noted that there have been some developments in the Agean region for some time and asked, "The public's attention is drawn to the US-backed armament, which stretches from Alexandroupolis to Lesbos and the Aegean Islands. What are your thoughts on this?" President Erdoğan stated the following:
"We issue warnings on this matter. Regarding this issue, our Ministry of National Defence is in talks with the United States. In fact, at this moment, there is a NATO Defence Ministers Meeting. During these meetings, our minister also had the chance to discuss these concerns in depth with their counterparts. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and I will discuss the results when he returns. Obviously, we are aware of what occurred in Alexandroupolis and other islands. After putting on our armour and taking measures, these do not frighten us. We have taken precautions, and everything is prepared. Hence, we proceed accordingly. It is their turn to contemplate."
When asked, "Is there a limit to our patience?" President Erdoğan said, "Such things have no date. We may come unexpectedly one night, which is a separate matter. It will be recorded in history. However, the date is not given. Would it be reasonable to discuss where, when, and what will occur?"
F16 process with the US
Noting that there is a precondition for the F16 procedure with the US, the journalists posed the question, "They announced that the precondition had been removed. It has been about a year. This process has been around for a year. The Kremlin made a statement regarding today's meeting with Putin about whether or not the Ukraine-Russia conflict was on the agenda. What is your assessment?" and President Erdoğan replied:
"These recent steps or recent developments, notably concerning the F16, indicate that something has changed. Of course, all these steps are followed by Russia at the same time. What's happening, what's going on? Now, what do we do, of course, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, as well as us, we discuss and share these in the relevant meetings and meetings with other leaders. In fact, when we attended the most recent United Nations General Assembly, I met with US senators. I addressed these issues with them as well. So I'm integrating this with the statement I just made; all of these issues are included in the package of measures. There, we discussed these issues with Republican and Democratic senators. Even Mr Efkan and our friends stayed there. They stayed there for about a week. They also interviewed members of Congress. With these meetings, we have and will continue to maintain cordial relations."
Noting his meeting with Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia in Prague, and asked, "We know there are still problems with the Zangezur Corridor. Do you believe that Pashinyan will be able to convince the public in his own country after the meeting in Prague? Second, were there any discussions regarding the Zangezur Corridor?" President Erdoğan said, "We had a limited interview there. In this limited context, there was Pashinyan, as well as President Aliyev and Prime Minister Orbán of Hungary. Afterwards, we had an inter-delegation meeting at which these issues were discussed. However, I don't see any problem regarding the Zangezur Corridor."
When asked, "You said in the joint press statement you made yesterday, 'We will continue to work with Kazakhstan to develop the Middle Corridor.' Your host counterpart, Tokayev, said, 'The development of the Middle Corridor in the field of transport and transit is of great importance.' Türkiye is at a significant point due to its location. All projects connecting the Asian and European sides, such as Marmaray, are actually a part of this big step. The Canal Istanbul Project comes to mind in this regard. Have you had any discussions about the possible contribution of the Canal Istanbul Project to the Middle Corridor, or can it be considered that it will be a part of the project? What steps do you foresee to be taken regarding the Middle Corridor in the near future?" President Erdoğan said that the trade volume in the world was currently 12 billion tonnes, and this figure would increase to 25 billion tonnes in 2030.
Noting that sea transportation accounts for almost 90% of the mobility of the trade volume, President Erdoğan said:
"After all, the Bosphorus' current issues are plain to see. Over the following years, this will rise even further. We also have targets in the Middle Corridor on the east-west axis. The Middle Corridor will be under a heavy burden as a result of the issues in the North Corridor. Considering all of these, Canal Istanbul is a must, especially on the north-south axis. This will be much more of a priority for us in the days and years to come. In the meanwhile, we continue with our planning and feasibility research. The issue that the world is currently focusing on the most is environmentalism. We will give an exemplary lesson to the world in environmentalism with Canal Istanbul. In the first place, there is a serious environmental threat in the Bosphorus. Anything can happen at any moment. We will never forget the Independenta fire in Sarayburnu, in front of Selimiye. We do not forget the ships crashing into the mansions on the Bosphorus coasts every once in a while. But now, we will have eliminated all these problems with our Canal Istanbul. Today, you will notice an accumulation of ships in the hold at Bakırköy and Samatya offshore. There are also accumulations in the Black Sea. They will increase even more in the future. Ship sizes have increased significantly as well. 30% of them transport dangerous materials. The dimensions of the risk have increased even more. Three ships from 10 years ago are now equal to one ship. The number has decreased somewhat, but the risk has grown even more. The number of ships has decreased, but the amount of cargo carried has increased by 40 per cent in the last ten years."