President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed questions from journalists and made statements during his flight from a visit to Germany, where he watched a quarter-final match of the 2024 European Football Championship, which featured Türkiye and the Netherlands.
President Erdoğan expressed his congratulations to the Turkish Football Federation, the technical staff, and all those who have contributed to the organisation of the championship. Stating that the Türkiye-Netherlands match was overshadowed by the unfair decision hastily taken by UEFA regarding Merih Demiral, President Erdoğan went on to say:
"To put it bluntly, the two-match UEFA ban for Merih has cast a serious shadow over the championship. It defies explanation; it is purely a political decision. This decision has clouded consciences, but praise be to Allah, it has not dampened the morale and motivation of our nationals. Despite all the drawbacks, our national football team almost upset a football powerhouse like the Netherlands. We watched a thrilling and fierce game. We scored the opening goal rather early and maintained control of the game for a long period of time. Especially in the last ten minutes of the match, we failed to take advantage of several crucial goal opportunities. Actually, I am not a referee, but when it came to the Dutch player who nearly embraced the football, we were expecting a penalty, but the referee chose not to award it despite being close to the position."
Stating that despite all the efforts of the national team, unfortunately, they were unable to secure a spot among the top four teams to qualify for the semi-finals, President Erdoğan said, "Well, it was not meant to be. I extend my sincerest congratulations to our national players, who demonstrated unwavering dedication until the last second and left us filled with immense excitement and pride. Furthermore, both our expatriates and nationals who travelled from our nation to watch this game poured their hearts and souls into it and contributed to this outstanding struggle."
President Erdoğan noted that he was deeply touched by the expatriate citizens in the stands after the Austria match, stating that the win had altered their perspective on life.
Underscoring that the expatriates who occupied the 80,000-seat Berlin Olympic Stadium contributed to the enthusiasm, they were proud and honoured as they chanted "Türkiye", President Erdoğan made the following remarks:
"It would have been a completely different outcome if we could have crowned it with a victory. However, we left the stadium with a sense of pride, as if we had emerged victorious. At the end of the match, we had the opportunity to meet with our coach, Vincenzo Montella, his team, all our players and the President of the Turkish Football Federation in the locker room. We embraced them one by one. We have made it clear that from now on, we will set our goals high as we march to the world championship and the next UEFA championship. Our national team is comprised of young players. I suppose the average age would probably be 26–27 then. We will prepare for this period with a far more trained and well-organised national team. In addition to our boys, I would also like to extend my congratulations to our coach, Mr Montella, and his team, who prepared our players for the tournament in the best way possible, as well as all of the national team's workers."
"We were equally proud of our citizens taking to those streets"
President Erdoğan stated that they could not forget the national team supporters who deserve special recognition, emphasising that Berlin streets were adorned with Turkish flags and reverberated with enthusiastic cheers. President Erdoğan said:
"We were equally proud of our citizens taking to those streets. We witnessed a climate of brotherhood that filled us with pride and moved us to tears. In my capacity as the President of the Republic, I would like to thank all my brothers and sisters who travelled from all over Türkiye, Germany, and Europe and transformed Berlin and then the Olympic Stadium, where the match was played, into a joyous celebration. They supported our team with their prayers in front of their screens, even though they were unable to be physically present. Our national team responded to the injustice by playing excellent football on the pitch. Not only our players but also the supporters who backed our national team demonstrated once more to the world that Türkiye is a dignified country and that the Turkish people are honourable. May Allah be pleased with them all. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Dutch National Team on their success. The Dutch fans also behaved gentlemanly before and during the match, which was held in a stunning and exciting setting. I especially want to congratulate and thank them here. President Erdoğan stated, "Now we have the World Cup in 2026 and the European Championship in 2028." In response to the question, "What exactly was the decision about Merih Demiral intended to punish? Why are we seeing double standards here again?" Erdoğan stated that the West's mentality towards Türkiye has not changed at all.
President Erdoğan emphasised that the West's mindset remained the same and that the decision to punish Merih Demiral was almost predetermined from the outset.
"I also said this in our interview on the flight back from Kazakhstan." If the idea is to punish the grey wolf sign; Germans have eagles; do you punish the eagle? No. The French have roosters. Do you punish the French by saying 'Why are you swaggering like a rooster?' No. However, in Türkiye, amid the thrill of that goal and the back-to-back goals, Merih made the grey wolf gesture, which is part of our legends; therefore, this penalty is not against Merih. In truth, it is a punishment against Türkiye's national framework. The finest answer would have been for us to win the match. I already believe that all of our football players entered the pitch with this passion and excitement. They would have taught them a valuable lesson on the pitch, but if the situations they had in the last 3-5 minutes had resulted in goals, the Dutch players would have come back wailing. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Unfortunately, the spirit of your question mirrored our expectations, but this did not occur. We now have the World Cup in 2026 and the European Championship in 2028. Now we have the opportunity to prepare for them as completely as possible, and maybe, as Montella mentioned, take a rematch there. Hopefully, the team is well-prepared."
President Erdoğan stated that these experiences will be mirrored in 2032, adding, "Solidarity with Italians is crucial in the next championships. The infrastructure and facilities had some influence on partnering with the Italians. Our work would certainly be made easier if Montella works."
"Montella has a strong track record"
"Greater pressure must be exerted on Israel"
In response to questions, "Do you think there will be a cease-fire in Gaza? How do you view Türkiye's role in this process? The tensions between Israel and Hezbollah are unnerving; may a new conflict break out? What are your opinions on Türkiye's potential diplomatic efforts with neighbouring nations in light of this recent development? Erdoğan stated, "There have been some positive developments in Gaza over the last two or three days. Mossad Chief met with Hamas officials in Doha. There have been some promising measures towards establishing a lasting ceasefire. They believe that a cease-fire is 'near.' There is a chance of receiving positive news from there at any moment. But it's all about Netanyahu's actions."
President Erdoğan emphasised that Israel's harshness and brutality cannot continue, adding:
"Israel must stop these ongoing massacres and put an end to these inhumane attacks. The international community, particularly Western countries, must exert greater pressure on Israel. Israel has been the one responsible for the ongoing attacks and continued massacres. It is Israel that violates human rights and international law. Currently, they are threatening Lebanon to escalate conflicts in the surrounding region and find solace. Israel must abandon its plan to extend the conflict across the region. Western countries, particularly the United States, should give up their support for Israel. Türkiye has consistently advocated for peace since the beginning. Türkiye has been a strong advocate for ending these conflicts and achieving lasting peace through a two-state solution within the borders of 1967."
"Türkiye-Iran relations will improve"
"Masoud Pezeshkian, the winner of the presidential election in Iran, has Turkish background. When asked, "Do you think this will have an impact on Türkiye-Iran relations?" President Erdoğan emphasised that Pezeshkiyan is a Turk of Azeri background.
Stating that Pezeshkian can speak Turkish in Tabriz, and Kurdish when he goes to Kurdish regions and has a good command of Persian, President Erdoğan said, "I will contact him when we return and congratulate him. In the coming period, Türkiye-Iran relations will hopefully improve. Furthermore, Türkiye is the country having the best connections with Iran in the region."
Highlighting the significance of Iran as a neighbouring country with deep historical and cultural connections to Türkiye, President Erdoğan expressed optimism for the future of Türkiye-Iran bilateral relations, expecting them to flourish and progress in a favourable manner in the coming period.
"We will further strengthen our ties with the UK"
When asked, "In the UK election, the ruling Conservative Party suffered a major defeat. Rishi Sunak faced a significant defeat despite his strict immigration policy. How will our relations with the UK be in this new era? How do view Sunak's loss?", President Erdoğan said, "In my opinion, the most crucial reason for Rishi Sunak's loss was the policies they have adopted thus far, as well as the economic challenges that Britain has been undergoing."
President Erdoğan highlighted the Labour Party for winning 411 MPs in the UK election, an outcome it did not achieve in 14 years. He also emphasised that the party had not achieved such a high figure during Tony Blair's tenure.
President Erdoğan stated that the Labour Party has gained power in the UK for the second time with this number of MPs and went on to say:
"I haven't reached out to Labour Leader Keir Starmer to offer my congratulations yet. One of the first things I will do as soon as we get back is to call him. He states that, as a country that has left the European Union, he has no plans to return. We will also discuss 'where can we take Türkiye-UK relations from now on' in our discussion. Bilateral relations between Türkiye and the UK are well rooted. We have worked with both Labor and Conservative prime ministers during our tenure. The most important thing is to work in accordance with both countries' common interests. In the next period, we will continue to strengthen our relations with our ally, the United Kingdom, in all areas. We have crucial matters to address. We intend to address these issues and further strengthen our relationship."
Upon being reminded of the incidents in Kayseri, President Erdoğan said, "There seems to be some interference involved. It is inevitable for political interference to show up in such incidents. No matter how hard they attempted to stir things up, we, as a powerful state, swiftly put an end to their actions. We will continue to do so in the future."
Reminding that there are currently over 3 million refugees from Syria residing in Türkiye, President Erdoğan said:
"Now we have reached a stage where, if Bashar al-Assad makes a move to improve relations with Türkiye, we will reciprocate with a similar approach." We were not adversaries of Syria yesterday; instead, we were meeting with Assad and our families. We will extend our invitation. We hope that this invitation will restore Turkish-Syrian relations to their previous level. We can extend an invitation at any moment. Regarding a meeting in Türkiye, Mr. Putin has a plan. The Prime Minister of Iraq has plans for this issue. We discuss mediation everywhere; why not with our neighbour, with the one on our border?