President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held an interview with media representatives who cover his visit to Azerbaijan.
In his interview with journalists, President Erdoğan first evaluated his visit to Azerbaijan. Stating that they have paid a historic visit to Azerbaijan, President Erdoğan noted the following:
“The Karabakh victory is a milestone in the history of Turkey-Azerbaijan relations. The principle of ‘one nation, two states’ is the basic philosophy of our solidarity with Azerbaijan. This unity and solidarity have been almost crowned with the liberation of Karabakh.
During the 44-day struggle that brought the Karabakh Victory, we have been in solidarity with Azerbaijan all the time. I, personally have followed the process incessantly. My friends, especially my Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, and Head of the National Intelligence Organization kept the relations constantly alive. In addition, we followed the process closely with the departures and arrivals of our other teams. We kept our phone diplomacy alive with my brother Ilham Aliyev. Our friends also constantly struggled on the ground and at the table. I am sure that the backstage of these 44 days will be written. Time will be a very substantial witness to this.
With the Karabakh Victory, a new page has been opened in the history of the Caucasus. I believe that from now on, the history of the region will be shaped in a new direction. The six-party platform we are working on is an initiative that will provide everyone with win-win opportunities. If Armenia also participates in this process and takes positive steps, a new page could be opened in Turkey-Armenia relations as well. If new possibilities arise, Armenia’s earnings will undoubtedly increase substantially in this regard. Armenia will gain the most from this.
During our visit to Azerbaijan, we also discussed our bilateral relations and signed five agreements. We will continue to develop our relations in every field from now on. We signed ‘The Protocol of Understanding between BMC AZ Company and the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency’, ‘The Protocol of Understanding between BMC Automotive Industry and Trade Company and Baku Transport Agency’, ‘The Memorandum of Understanding between the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of Azerbaijan and the Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey’ and ‘The Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey in the Field of Media’. In addition, ‘The Protocol between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Turkey on Amendments to the Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption signed on February 25, 2020, in Baku’ was signed. In other words, departures and arrivals will be carried out with an identity card, not a passport, in this process. We will be almost performing the same procedures in departures and arrivals from and into Northern Cyprus in this regard.
Apart from these agreements, we will intensify our work in the fields of trade and tourism especially, to increase mutual investments. As Turkey, we will play an important role in reconstructing Karabakh. There will be steps we will take for both the infrastructure and the superstructure. God willing, we have reached a decision with my dear brother Ilham Aliyev to take steps to reshape the Karabakh region in a year.”
AYSUN TORUN ORHAN: You have talked about a six-party platform. It was the suggestion of Mr. Aliyev. You also delivered messages that support it. You also have a call for Armenia. What is Russia's approach to this issue? Have you talked to Mr. Putin?
Mr. Putin approaches this issue positively. During the phone call between us, he asked what my opinion would be. I said, “If Mr. Ilham Aliyev approaches this issue positively, it is important for me to approach the same way”. Georgia as well came to the fore at this point and we said, “Let’s develop this work”. As I expressed to them at the press conference here, we said, “If Armenia develops this process in a positive direction, we will open our closed doors to Armenia. Because our only concern is to support regional peace especially between peoples. If we think about regional peace even here, if we deal with it, and if this six-party platform will bring this, our duty is to open these doors. Turkey is rational enough to do this. This already exists in our understanding of politics”. Mr. Putin was also very pleased with this. Our brother Ilham Aliyev said, “I will follow whatever you say”. This is how we agreed.
AYSUN TORUN ORHAN: There had been an occupation in Nagorno-Karabakh for nearly 30 years. As soon as this occupation ended, the French Parliament made a “decision to recognize the so-called administration in Nagorno-Karabakh”. How would you interpret the attitude of France? What does France want in the region?
I will speak very clearly and briefly; unfortunately, Macron, who is the term president of the Minsk Group, did not make a positive contribution to this process. Here, unfortunately, as the President of France, he has acted inexpertly. Due to the clumsy steps, he has taken, now he has turned everything upside down here.
It occurs to me that Macron attempts to obtain or reap something from every situation. You look and see everywhere in Lebanon is burnt and demolished, Macron gives instructions to Lebanon from there and tries to gain an advantage. In other words, he is always in an effort to take it upon himself. What happened? People nearly cast him out of Lebanon. He did the same in Libya when he sided with the putschist Haftar. A Berlin Conference took place. The United Nations does not recognize the putschist Haftar, but you stand by him! Are you for democracy or coups? On the other hand, there is Sarraj holding legitimacy. You have to stand next to Sarraj. But he didn’t. There he started to quarrel with us by way of taking charge of the situation. There he went on to attack a civilian vessel of ours and charge a crime on this civilian vessel. However, it is irrelevant. But he mapped out how to denigrate Turkey from there. Everything was laid out and clarified but despite this, he contacted various countries and tried to denigrate us from there. Of course, it was useless. I mean, that is how Macron is.
Therefore, his steps regarding Azerbaijan also went wrong here. In particular, Mr. Aliyev ruined Macron’s plans with his stance here. Who will this harm? It will harm France. Why? Perhaps France will end Azerbaijan-France relations, apart from the steps taken so far, for example, various agreements, etc. This is the political novicehood. This is novicehood in politics. Macron is also a political novice. He was blown up by his own bomb in all public opinion polls.
SEVİL NURİYEVA: There was a concern among the Azerbaijani public about the arrival of the Russian peacekeepers to Karabakh. These concerns were resolved somewhat with Turkey’s involvement. For the next period, can Azerbaijani Turks witness the actual presence of Turkey in a way that they are reassured?
You know that we already have an agreement with Azerbaijan on military training. Finally, this agreement has already been approved before our Assembly. With this cooperation, the agreement on education and training will carry the solidarity between us to a much different platform. As such, we have consolidated the ties between us and Russia in solidarity. We also discussed this with Mr. Putin. Turkey will be able to carry out this training in Azerbaijani territory as Azerbaijani troops were already coming to Turkey and undergoing education and training in our country and will do so again.
All of these will strengthen the solidarity between us. We already have intelligence cooperation among us, and so on. So, I hope Azerbaijan will not be without Turkey, and our cooperation will continue in every field. We will maintain this cooperation with Azerbaijan in every field, including politics, military, economy, culture, and diplomacy. This cooperation will not only take place at the presidential level but also all our ministers and other units will wholeheartedly maintain it.
HALİME KÖKÇE: One of the agreements signed in Azerbaijan was for the establishment of a media platform between the two countries. This may be the first between the two countries. What is Turkey’s expectation of this mechanism?
Actually, this is not the first. We have taken such a step before this, among Turkey-Pakistan-Malaysia. Now, the Directorate of Communications continues its efforts to shape this in a different way.
Now, due to these developments in Azerbaijan, this agreement between the Directorate of Communications and its counterpart in Azerbaijan will enrich the process much more. Because Azerbaijan needs such solidarity, such an alliance profoundly. There is already a need for such solidarity in the region. I hope we will develop this quickly, and surely; we will enrich it. By negotiating with each other, Directors of Communications of both countries will also carry out the work to determine other potential countries that can join this platform for making it stronger. I do not know if it will be Pakistan or another country, but we will hopefully make this agreement more substantial by continuing these works.
NAZLI ÇELİK: Both the US and the European Union are our allies. But in recent years, we have been receiving constant threats of sanctions from both sides. The US plans to implement CAATSA sanctions, and the European Union is considering sanctions. What lies beneath this language of threat?
Actually, you have the answer. Turkey is a NATO member. The US is also a NATO member. Moreover, Turkey is an important member of NATO among the top five countries. So, Turkey is not an ordinary country. During the offices of both Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama, they embraced the proud statement “We have a NATO member like Turkey”. So subjecting Turkey to CAATSA now is an act of disrespect against a very important partner in NATO. This is how I see it.
Currently, I do not know what this will become before Trump leaves office, but I did not have any problematic communication with the US during the 4 years of the Trump administration. On the contrary, I took much more positive steps on many issues.
On the other hand, I worked with Mr. Obama - a Democrat - for 8 years. I am the person he says, “Erdoğan is one of the most important of my top five friends in the world”. Democrats are coming to power right now. So, what happened in the meantime that led them to go for CAATSA sanctions against Turkey? Besides, Biden visited me at my home during my illness. I am a figure who has met him in the US several times. He knows me well. I also know him well, but he made a statement once that I did not even answer. Now, this is not something to be resorted to among politicians in the world. But since I am familiar with some of the things, I assume, after the presidential transition in the US, we will see the flow much better. Therefore, our duty is “to wait patiently”; we will be patient and we will see.
VERDA ÖZER: My other question is about the Paris Agreement. During the negotiations in Paris in 2015, you made some requests on behalf of Turkey and they were promised to be fulfilled but unfortunately, they have not been fulfilled yet. You commented on this issue in the last G20 Summit. Are the negotiations ongoing? Would you consider passing the agreement through Parliament?
Now on this issue, Hollande (the former President of France) unfortunately did not keep his promise. He said, “We will provide the necessary support to you in the status of developing countries”. Neither Merkel nor Hollande kept this promise. When they didn’t keep it, I said in every meeting held about this issue after that, “Look, you didn’t keep your word. I will not sign this because you did not keep your word. But if you keep your promise and provide the necessary support to Turkey, then I will sign it”. Now at the G20 meeting in Saudi Arabia, they again failed to do so. They are always trying to impose on us. “Let it be 20 out of 20. Let’s do this,” they say. I said, “I’m sorry, if you want 20 out of 20, it should be with the approval of 20 out of 20. You do not approve it, but you corner us and say, “Come say yes to this” and “Let them say that the Riyadh G20 meeting ended successfully”. No. So what is going to happen? There at the meeting in Paris, they said, “This and that will happen there, etc.” What happened? This is the outcome with 19, without our signature. Now, this issue will be put before us again at the meeting to be held in London. Of course, we will make our comment in the widest sense there. Because they want to trap us in the status of developed countries. This is the case.
ABDURRAHMAN ŞİMŞEK: Next week is the anniversary of December 17. Can you summarise the point reached in the fight against FETO? Because that judicial and police coup was directly against you. What do you think?
I don’t know if it would be right to comment on being the addressee at the moment, but we are now doing whatever necessary to fight the FETO terrorist organisation in our Gendarmerie, in the police force, in our Armed Forces. You know, the last time, 300 were caught and taken. This will continue. In other words, we cannot be interested in anyone’s complaint about this terrorist organisation and we cannot feel sorry about this. Why? Because whatever the PKK terrorist organisation is to us, the others are the same. At this point, our duty is to intervene immediately and we will intervene. Because this nation suffered a lot in their hands. We will never give them the opportunity.