On his return flight to Türkiye following his visit to Azerbaijan, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered journalists' questions and commented on recent developments.
Indicating that he closely observed Azerbaijan's restoration and development work on the liberated lands, as well as operations aimed at revitalising the region's economic capabilities, reviving transportation lines and constructing new ones, President Erdoğan said, "We are equally pleased as our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters with Azerbaijan's achievements. As Türkiye, we are proud to be a part of these projects."
President Erdoğan expressed that, as part of his visit, he and President Aliyev of Azerbaijan inaugurated Fuzuli International Airport, which was completed in a record-breaking time of eight months, drawing attention to the fact that a key air transportation route was thus established.
Pointing out that the airport had the potential to provide added value in terms of transportation, not just for Azerbaijan, but for the Caucasus as a whole, President Erdoğan went on to say, "I extend my congratulations to everyone who contributed to the successful commissioning of this critical transportation hub, which is the manifestation of Azerbaijan's will to prioritise regional development, and was constructed in record time."
Explaining that he also examined the works on the construction of highways, which are of great importance for transportation in the region, and that he attended the ground-breaking ceremony, President Erdoğan stated that they received information from the officials and the personnel about the highway construction works carried out in the region. President Erdoğan reminded that Türkiye always emphasised the importance of transportation lines in establishing regional peace and stability.
Expressing that he also visited Zangilan as part of the smart-agriculture projects initiated for the re-development of the region and that they laid the foundation of the Smart-Agriculture Campus there together with President Aliyev, President Erdoğan stated as follows:
"We care about the resumption of agricultural production with modern and sustainable methods in the regions liberated from the occupation, in terms of healing the wounds of the destruction caused by the occupation that lasted for almost 30 years. I sincerely believe that the liberated Azerbaijani lands will become an exemplary production and welfare centre in the region in the near future. In all these fields, our relevant institutions, organisations and companies work shoulder to shoulder with their Azerbaijani brothers and sisters."
"Turkish companies have a strong potential in Azerbaijan's infrastructure and superstructure"
Upon the question "How this great change will affect the region, Türkiye and relations with other countries", President Erdoğan reminded that Turkish companies had strong potential in infrastructure and superstructure in Azerbaijan and that they had undertaken significant works in infrastructure construction.
President Erdoğan stated that 12 Turkish companies collaborated with their Azerbaijani brothers and completed the construction of Fuzuli International Airport in eight months and that two more airports were currently under construction and were expected to be completed within a year.
"Countries should not and cannot exert influence over each other's decision-making mechanisms"
To the question, " Iran recently threatened Azerbaijan, claiming that 'you brought Israel here,' while also attempting to undermine your and President Aliyev's efforts by seeking new cooperation with Armenia. What are your thoughts on this?" President Erdoğan replied as follows:
"Mr. İlham and I also discussed this matter. He has a firm stance and is not willing to budge on it in any way. He said, 'We have made no concessions to Israel. We are free to engage in any type of commercial interaction with Israel. Our relations with Israel are similar to those with other countries, and they will continue to be so in the future, as they are with other countries. Countries should not and cannot exercise influence over each other's decision-making mechanisms when it comes to these matters. It is our expectation that if Iran also behaves rationally in this regard, there would be no tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan'."
"We have reminded them of Article 41 of the Vienna Convention"
Upon the question regarding the ten ambassadors' call for the release of imprisoned Osman Kavala and Türkiye's response afterwards, "Actually, your outburst was described as being similar to the 'one minute' in Davos. What happened in this process? How will the United States' decision to take a step back affect the process leading up to the meeting with Biden? How should the procedure be carried out from now on?" President Erdoğan replied as follows:
"The step we have taken is not a show of strength to anyone; it simply means that the ambassadors working in Türkiye should not interfere in Türkiye's internal affairs. No ambassador has the authority to meddle in the internal affairs of the country for which they are serving. They should know Article 41 of the Vienna Convention better than I do. Because ambassadors must execute and follow such conventions about themselves in a step-by-step manner. You are, after all, working in Türkiye; an ambassador working in Türkiye should be aware that Türkiye is not a tribal state. An ambassador working in a country with such a long history as Türkiye must be well aware of the consequences. If they do not know this, we have reminded them of Article 41 of the Vienna Convention. It's that simple. Of course, since America's ambassador was also involved, Biden most likely showed courtesy, and the first statement was issued as a result. In fact, when the United States made a statement, it was binding on the other nine, so this matter was closed."
"I'm on the offensive. There is no stepping back in my book"
When asked about his evaluations of headlines such as "Erdoğan escaped from the crisis, he took a step back" in US newspapers, President Erdoğan said, "How did I take a step back? I'm on the offensive. There is no stepping back in my book."
Upon the question, "If Osman Kavala is not released by this date, the opinion of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will probably be decisive in this regard. What are your expectations?", after being reminded that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe may initiate a process regarding Türkiye at the end of November, President Erdoğan answered as follows:
"I don't have any expectations other than one: we will do things in our own way. The Council of Europe is free to do things in its own way. We will listen and see what they do. We will listen to the ECHR and the Council. After listening, we will do what is necessary. We will do whatever it takes. As the President of the Republic of Türkiye, I will do my duty perfectly as long as I am in this office. I don't even bother to think about what people will say about me. This is my upbringing and background. I will continue in this way until I die, and I'll keep going."
Upon the question recalling his meetings with world leaders in Rome and Glasgow, particularly with US President Joe Biden, President Erdoğan pointed out that agendas of Rome and Glasgow seem to have changed at the time. President Erdoğan noted:
"We will most likely meet in Glasgow rather than in Rome. Obviously, the most important topic on the agenda for this meeting is, as you are aware, the F-35 issue. For the F-35s, we have paid 1 billion 400 million dollars. Of course, we will need to discuss with them the refund plan for this payment. We will find out what this dialogue yields after meeting with him. We have received some low-level information. Information about the procurement of F-16s… According to the information we have received, the refund will be made with these. We will learn from them whether this is true or not. Naturally, it would be appropriate for me to discuss this with Mr Biden at the highest level. If this is the case, we will reach an agreement accordingly."