On his return to Türkiye from his official visit to Iran, while providing remarks to the journalists on the plane, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "The United States must withdraw from the east of the Euphrates immediately. This is the conclusion that emerged from the Astana process. They say, 'The United States should withdraw its troops from the east of the Euphrates’. As a result of this, Türkiye expects a certain outcome.”
Stating that they successfully completed their visit to Tehran upon the invitation of President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran, President Erdoğan said that during the first part of the visit, he and Raisi had fruitful meetings and that they chaired the seventh meeting of the Türkiye-Iran High-Level Cooperation Council, and their discussions included political, military, economic, commercial, and cultural issues as well as how to move forward in the process.
Recalling that they set a target of 30 billion dollars in the economic field during the office term of Ahmadinejad, President Erdoğan said, "We have reached a total of $7.5 billion. However, the upward trend will continue in the upcoming period. We have seen once again that we have a common will to develop our cooperation in areas such as trade, transportation, customs, energy, tourism, industry, youth and sports."
Stating that they exchanged views on regional and international issues and that the ministers in the delegation discussed the issues of cooperation in various fields with their counterparts, President Erdoğan said that they signed a total of eight agreements that will further improve the legal infrastructure of the relations between the two countries.
Saying that the two leaders discussed issues such as the joint fight against terrorist organisations and border security in detail and that they exchanged comprehensive views on the developments in the region on this occasion, President Erdoğan stated, "I also had a meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The President was also present at this meeting. There were some of our colleagues as well. We held this meeting together."
"We confirmed the agreement to resolve the conflict in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254"
Recognising the Trilateral Summit in Astana format with the participation of Ebrahim Raisi and President Vladimir Putin of Russia in the second part of the visit, President Erdoğan said that they discussed Syria's current situation and that, as Astana guarantors, they confirmed the agreement to resolve the conflict in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254. President Erdoğan noted:
"We have reaffirmed our expectation for an effective continuation of the political process with our partners. We reiterated our stance on combatting terrorism, the uninterrupted continuation of humanitarian aid, and the safe and voluntary return of Syrians to their countries. We have reached an understanding to work in cooperation with our Astana partners on these issues. We also had a comprehensive and productive bilateral meeting with President Putin of the Russian Federation.
It is my hope that the meetings we held in Iran, both bilateral and in the Astana format, will be auspicious. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all my Iranian brothers and sisters in the person of President Raisi for their sincere hospitality."
"There is definitely unity in the combat against terrorism"
Upon being asked by a journalist, "Do you find Iran or Russia closer to Türkiye's position regarding its concerns in Syria? After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, did you have any thoughts on whether Russia's Syria policy and position had shifted?" President Erdoğan responded:
"When we began the Astana process with Iran and Russia, I observed Putin making the same evaluations today as we did at the same time. On the Iranian side, Hasan Rouhani was previously in office and is currently being replaced by Ebrahim Raisi. Even if we say that there are some changes unavoidably, a state like Iran will not change such thoughts in the short term. Similarly, Putin was in office back then, and he's still in office. President Erdoğan was in charge of the Republic of Türkiye and still is. As you may have noticed during our joint press conference following the Trilateral Summit, our views did not always align. It was crystal clear that our points of view differed. Even though there are differences in some parts, there is definitely unity in the combat against terrorism. We inevitably unite against the PKK, PYD and YPG terrorist organisations on the issue of terrorism. Furthermore, this is the problem causing the most harm to this regime. Currently, the terrorist organisation is sucking out and selling oil wells east of the Euphrates to the regime for a profit.
America has shipped thousands of trucks full of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to terrorist organisations in the Middle East during the previous US governments as well. This is still ongoing. Even coalition forces continue their support in the same way. In our meetings, we also told Biden. We pointed out that they are the ones sending a slew of trucks there. Terrorist organisations there are getting help because of them. Then they say, ‘We are all in this together, in the combat against terrorism and NATO.’ How? We have to imprint these all the time."
"They commit a terrorist act against Turkish soldiers there"
Asked about the latest situation in the possible operation in northern Syria and on the question, "You spoke to both of the leaders. Were they able to bring their attitudes to the table? We finally noticed, after a lengthy wait, that the regime's flag was flying above the location where the terrorists in the region were holed up. How would you evaluate that?" President Erdoğan emphasised that a new operation will continue to be on the agenda so long as Türkiye's national security concerns are not addressed. President Erdoğan continued:
"Terrorist organisations members are being trained by personnel of the United States there. They also fly the flag of the regime there during this training. Why? They think they can fool us... As if they can… They commit a terrorist act against Turkish soldiers there. Here, too, they wonder if they are fooling the Turkish army by waving the regime's flag there. We are not buying it. We maintain our sensitivity to all developments east of the Euphrates, Idlib, and Afrin. Our goal from the beginning was for Russia and Iran to join us in our combat against terrorist organisations 30 kilometres south of the border. They should assist us on that front. To both Putin and Raisi, we reaffirmed this. In their statements, both of them have referred to these issues. I don't believe that we have differing views on PKK/YPG/PYD issues. After that, though, we must continue to imprint that."
"America should withdraw its troops from the east of the Euphrates"
Upon the question, "While the United States and Tehran and Moscow have troubled relations, how will this be reflected in operation in Syria after this summit? Do you think there will be any changes?" President Erdoğan said, "If we measure if there has been any change, then the Astana process is meaningless. Why does the Astana process exist?"
Expressing that Türkiye does not have any concerns regarding the territorial integrity of Syria, President Erdoğan said, "We do not have such a concern. However, there is a particular issue we have mentioned for the area 30 kilometres from the border because our borders are attacked from there. Our soldiers were martyred there, and our people were murdered. Not only Turkish citizens but also civilians were killed in Idlib and other regions. We need to share all these with the world and let people know about them."
President Erdoğan said, "The USA should withdraw its troops from the east of the Euphrates. This is the conclusion that emerged from the Astana process. They say, 'The United States should withdraw its troops from the east of the Euphrates’. As a result of this, Türkiye expects a certain outcome. Because it is the United States that funds terrorist organisations there. Since the United States provides support to these terrorist organisations and we fight against them, our mission will be simplified if the United States withdraws from the region or ceases to fund them."
"If we build 250 thousand houses there, we will, inshallah, increase the voluntarily return rate to more than 1 million"
When asked, "Do you think Iran provides Türkiye with sufficient support in the fight against human trafficking? In the research by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on migration and integration, there were statements that the Iranian security forces support human smugglers. Has this issue ever come up in your conversations?" Erdoğan stated that the issue has come to the fore.
Pointing out that Iran has a serious problem regarding refugees from Afghanistan, President Erdoğan said, "Mr Raisi explained these points in detail. Of course, it is not easy. When we check if they have made any preparations for the camp, we see that they have not. We are building briquette houses in the north of Syria. Our goal with these briquette houses is to restore at least one million Syrian refugees to their homelands."
Pointing out that the number of houses is increasing day by day, President Erdoğan said, "But I say this on purpose; we do this without any slightest support from the European Union, here or there, but instead with our own non-governmental organisations. We continue this under the coordination of AFAD. Our goal is that if we build 250 thousand houses there, we will increase the voluntarily return rate, not by force, to more than 1 million. And I hope we will not witness parents and children living in poor conditions in those bizarre tents amid the rain and mud."
"Biden did not impose a Greece condition on us"
In response to the question, "A decision has been taken to condition the sale of F-16s by the United States to Greece. How do you evaluate the current situation?" President Erdoğan said, "When we discussed these issues with Mr Biden, he did not impose a Greece condition on us. On the contrary, during our lengthy conversation, we agreed that as NATO members, we should definitely respect each other's laws."
Explaining that US President Joe Biden said "I will do my best" regarding the F-16s, President Erdoğan stated:
"Unfortunately, there are now some opponents, albeit a little, in the House of Representatives. Given the current developments, I do not believe such a condition is binding for us. As long as they say 'yes' to our offer regarding F16s, they provide us with brand new F16s. We are already able to do the maintenance and repair of what we have. We don't have any problems with that. But of course, we have some demands on spare parts. They have decided to do this as well. There are also midterm elections in the US in November. They are also important. We will see the outcomes of the midterm elections in November. There are predictions that the Republicans will dominate the Senate and the House of Representatives."
"Mr Putin expresses his gratitude"
In reply to the question, "In what context were Türkiye's mediation attempts on the Ukraine war discussed in your meeting with Russian President Putin. Now, especially during this period, is there a request from you, and what are Moscow's expectations of Ankara on this issue?" President Erdoğan stated:
"As of now, Mr Putin has a favourable opinion of our efforts. He even expresses his gratitude for this reason. He presented us with many quite distinct proposals. We continue, and I hope we will continue our solidarity on natural gas, Akkuyu issue and other issues."
Stating that they want to put the agreement regarding the establishment of a grain corridor in the Black Sea into a written text this week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "We hope that the plan will be implemented in the coming days."
When asked by a journalist about the level of Russian support and encouragement regarding Azerbaijan's demands in the region, particularly over the Zangezur corridor, and when these demands will be met in this regard, President Erdoğan said, "I think Mr Putin met with Mr Ilham Aliyev the other day. He even said, 'I bring greetings from Ilham Aliyev.' During his meeting with Aliyev, when he said, ‘I will also meet with Erdoğan,’ Aliyev responded, ‘Give my regards, as well’".
Stating that he has just addressed the developments there with Ilham Aliyev, President Erdoğan said, "During our talk, Mr İlham stated, ‘It is moving on the right path.’ As you know, he had a tripartite meeting with the President of the European Council, Michel and Pashinyan. According to Mr İlham, that meeting was likewise 'positive.' After that meeting, we had another meeting with Mr İlham. According to the information I have received, progress is being made in the right direction, and hopefully, the airport that will serve that region will be open soon."
"The West has neither the power nor the right to discuss this right now"
In response to the question "In what situations is the freezing process likely to occur?" recalling his words that "If Sweden and Finland do not take the necessary steps to meet the NATO membership requirements, the process will be frozen", President Erdoğan said:
"We have clearly communicated our conditions to Finland and Sweden at the table where the NATO Secretary General was also present. There is nothing hidden or secret. We demand that these countries put an end to terrorist organisations' activities and demonstrations and extradite the terrorist in their custody. As you are aware, we have listed the PKK/PYD/YPG and FETO as terrorist organisations. We said you would deport them to us. Instead, this terrorist organisation is funded by even their parliaments, just like an incubator. It is just that. We can only take a dim view of this process unless they keep their promise to us.
On the other hand, thanks(!) to our opposition, it is already stealing all of our roles. 'We will not let this happen anyway,' they said. Yet again, you have cleared the way for Greece to rejoin NATO. They were out, but you brought them back in. We must explain these to our people, particularly our youth. Unfortunately, practically all of the Scandinavian countries are breeding grounds for terrorism. So is Norway. Unfortunately, that is true, even though Mr Secretary General is from that country. Germany is the most advanced one, but it is still the same. So are France, the Netherlands, Scandinavian countries, England, and Italy. This is true for all of them. The West has neither the power nor the right to discuss this right now."
"The process will be managed from an Istanbul-based coordination centre"
When a journalist asked, "Under your leadership, a quadripartite food summit was convened in Istanbul. The United Nations firmly supports Türkiye’s role there. The signing process was supposed to begin this week. When will the signatures be put, and how will the process and system function? What will Türkiye’s role be in this system?" recalling Türkiye's post-Ukraine war peace diplomacy, President Erdoğan stated that their role in this matter is to play host.
President Erdoğan emphasised that as the host, they have to act as a mediator and added:
"We have been working hard for a long time to transport Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. I have discussed it with Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky several times. Our Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defense also had talks with their counterparts. As a result, the outlines of the process within the scope of the UN plan were agreed upon at a technical meeting last week in Istanbul. This week, we would like to put this agreement in writing. And we hope to see the agreement put into action in the next few days. The process will be managed from an Istanbul-based coordination centre. Officials from Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations will be present there, in addition to our officials. Our country, in which all key parties have faith, will coordinate the process through an inter-institutional approach to ensure that it is managed in a robust manner. We will continue to work hard to complete this delicate process, which is important to global food security."
When asked by a journalist about his view of the opposition's consistent defiance of the state's policies in all special processes, President Erdoğan stated, "That is their duty. Is it possible for them to agree with what we say? Their mission is to say the opposite. Türkiye's misfortune is that it does not have an opposition that is a prerequisite for democracy. There is no such opposition in our county. Some of the opposition in Western countries is similar to ours, but the majority of them come to support their rulers. But we do not have anything like that. The political mindset is founded on deception."
“Mr Putin and I also discussed amphibious aircraft"
In response to a question, President Erdoğan stated: "Mr Putin and I also discussed amphibious aircraft. He said, ‘Let our colleagues hold their talks, and then we step into this business again whether with the ones we have or the ones we will produce’. Thankfully, our Ministry of Forestry is strong in terms of fire extinguishing planes, helicopters and water trucks. Our Gendarmerie is also involved in this process."
President Erdoğan pointed out that the fires were not limited to Türkiye, saying that 3,500 hectares of land in Spain and 950 hectares in Portugal were also burnt down.
Emphasising how hot it is everywhere, President Erdoğan remarked: "Despite this, we will exercise prudence. Although we have helicopters in this country, surrounded by water on three sides, we will also increase the number of our amphibious aircraft. Hopefully, we will manage these issues and take the necessary precautions. For instance, the longest period of extinguishment and cooling lasted 4-5 days. It indicates that once we take necessary measures, we managed to survive the difficulties by working extremely well, thanks to our personnel, firefighters, and foresters. May Allah bless them".