President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is in New York to attend the 80th United Nations General Assembly meetings, gave an interview to the American channel Fox News, making significant statements regarding international politics.
President Erdoğan appeared on Bret Baier's programme, where he assessed Türkiye's policies, particularly regarding the genocide in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Responding to the host's question, "Would you consider what is going on in Gaza genocide?", President Erdoğan replied, "I do not think we can explain it in any other way. This is completely a genocide. And this genocide is caused by Netanyahu."
"Netanyahu, mercilessly, has unfortunately killed tens of thousands with this genocide. "As Türkiye, we stand firmly against this genocide," he said, adding that more than 125,000 people were wounded in Gaza and that a significant number of them were taken to Türkiye for medical care.
Responding to Baier’s question on the “release of hostages held by Hamas”, President Erdoğan stated that it would be wrong to place the burden solely on Hamas, asking in return, "How can we set aside what Netanyahu has been doing on the other side?"
President Erdoğan noted that he had shown numerous photographs illustrating the situation on the ground in Gaza during his speeches, stating, "Can we say that Hamas is stronger than Israel in terms of armaments? It is not possible. Israel is using these weapons mercilessly, indiscriminately targeting everyone from seven to seventy—women, children, and the elderly alike.
Responding to a question about ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, President Erdoğan said, "As you might remember, President Trump made a statement. He said, 'I will end the Russia-Ukraine war.' Did it end? No, it still goes on. Similarly, he said, 'I will end the war in Gaza.' Did it end? No."
In response to a question, President Erdoğan stated that he did not see Hamas as a terrorist organisation, adding, "On the contrary, I see it as a resistance group."
The meeting with Trump at the White House
President Erdoğan also responded to the question about how Türkiye's F-35 process will be discussed in the meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday.
President Erdoğan recalled that Türkiye was previously a partner and one of the manufacturers of the F-35 programme, stating that they had paid $ 1.4 billion for the purchase of F-35s, but the aircraft were not delivered.
President Erdoğan evaluated the nondelivery of planes for which Türkiye had made payments as "inconsistent with strategic partnership" and "a wrong step".
In response to a question about whether he expects the F-35s to be delivered to Türkiye following his meeting with Trump, he stated, "We will discuss these issues again," and added that they will discuss the current status of both the F-35s and the F-16s during this meeting.
Regarding the growth of trade between the two nations, President Erdoğan stated, "I think it will reach a much better position, especially in the defence industry. In addition, relations between Türkiye and the U.S. in the fields of industry and technology will grow."
"We would have never wished for a Russia-Ukraine war"
President Erdoğan acknowledged Türkiye's well-established relations with Russia and Ukraine, saying, "We have important relations with both Russia and Ukraine. We have never taken an approach that sets us apart from these countries. We would have never wished for such a war to take place."
President Erdoğan stated that the war has resulted in significant losses for both Russia and Ukraine and that he does not expect it to end soon.
President Erdoğan suggested that NATO could adopt a "model" similar to the approach pursued by Türkiye, allowing for a more peaceful engagement with both Russia and Ukraine.
President Erdoğan stated that it is difficult for Ukraine to sustain this war financially and that Europe cannot continue to provide economic aid indefinitely, adding that it is not clear how much the US will support Kyiv.
President Erdoğan emphasised that Türkiye, a strong NATO member, has been denied EU membership for over half a century, calling this an unfair stance.