While answering journalists' questions on his return from his Africa trip, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan remarked, "If you advise us to 'give up on Ukraine,' we will not be able to do so since our country's interests in the country are very strong. If you say 'give up on Russia', we cannot do so either since our relations with it are so advanced right now."
President Erdoğan commented on the recent developments and answered journalists' questions on his return flight from Africa.
President Erdoğan stated that his African tour, which started on Sunday, February 20, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was completed, but that his trip to Guinea-Bissau had to be postponed owing to the critical developments in Ukraine.
Noting that while they have been closely following the incidents related to Ukraine over the last two days, they have made important contacts that will strengthen Türkiye-Senegal relations, President Erdoğan stated that the Türkiye-Senegal Business Forum, which he attended with President Macky Sall of Senegal, was particularly fruitful.
"In bilateral and inter-delegation meetings, we discussed all of the issues on our agenda. We reaffirmed our commitment to increasing our foreign trade volume from $540 million in 2021 to $1 billion in 2022." President Erdoğan said.
Noting that five new agreements had been signed with Senegal in the fields of security, maritime, youth, protocol, media and communication, President Erdoğan added:
"We are determined to deepen our collaboration in all fields, including education, tourism, defence, and culture, in addition to trade. President Macky Sall praised Turkish companies for their honesty and hard work. Our newly opened Embassy buildings in Dakar and the Senegal Stadium are only two examples of our businesspeople's successful projects. Thus, we have provided a service building befitting our state with its location, architecture, and outbuildings for our Embassy in Dakar, one of the first diplomatic missions to operate on the continent in 1962. The Senegal Stadium, with a seating capacity of 50,000, was a project that we could be proud of and that set a good example for Turkish contractors. The fact that this Stadium was inaugurated shortly after Senegal won the African Cup of Nations added a unique atmosphere to the ceremony."
Noting that he also met with President Adama Barrow of the Gambia, President of Liberia and a former Chelsea football player George Manneh Weah, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, who were in Senegal on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the Stadium, President Erdoğan said the following regarding the meetings:
"In our bilateral meeting with President Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, we emphasised our support for the people's will as well as for him. We also reaffirmed that Türkiye would always support Guinea-Bissau's fight for democracy and development. During our meeting with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, we addressed bilateral and regional issues on our agenda. We had the opportunity, in particular, to assess the current situation in Ukraine and the steps that may be taken. Regarding the process ahead, we decided to act in cooperation and coordination with Mr. Steinmeier."
"We cannot give up on either of them"
When asked what side Türkiye will take in the Ukraine-Russia crisis, President Erdoğan said, "If you advise us to 'give up on Ukraine,' we will not be able to do so since our country's interests in the country are very strong. If you say 'give up on Russia, ' we cannot do so since our relations with it are so advanced right now. Our concern is that we take such a step that we are able to address the problem without giving up on any of them. To achieve this, we will hold meetings with our team and delegation. That is why I place a high value on the NATO Leaders' Summit. This is where we will learn what all of the leaders think. Then we'll work with our friends internally."
President Erdoğan underlined that Türkiye have political, military and economic relations with Russia, and in response to a question on whether he would meet with President Putin of Russia before or after the NATO Summit, he said, "The NATO Leaders' Summit would be well-timed in this regard. It would be more beneficial if we had the meeting after that."
In response to a question about his meeting with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany and its content, President Erdoğan said, "We had a phone conversation with Mr. Steinmeier a few months ago regarding the bilateral relations between Germany and Türkiye, but we were unable to meet in person for a long time, actually for three years.”
President Erdoğan continued,
"Following the phone conversation, this visit provided an opportunity to meet in person. During our meeting, we discussed a wide range of issues concerning Türkiye-Germany relations, from the defence industry to our economic relations. We also had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Steinmeier about the refugee issue. As you know, Germany is one of the leading countries in Europe when it comes to refugees. Aside from that, the Russia-Ukraine issue was mainly on our agenda. We made a mutual commitment to meet more frequently in the future. Insallah, Germany-Türkiye relations will enter a new period.
Of course, during the meeting with Mr.Steinmeier, we discussed Israeli President Herzog’s visit to Türkiye. Mr. Herzog's visit to Türkiye will mark the start of a new era between the two countries. Additionally, Mr. Steinmeier expressed his satisfaction and stated that it was a well-timed step. We also addressed the developments in the Gulf, most notably our visit to the United Arab Emirates. We discussed how this visit could reintroduce new excitement to the Gulf.”
“Everyone needs to act in a constructive manner to make the most of this historic opportunity.”
When the journalists recalled the normalisation steps between Türkiye and Armenia and asked, “What are your expectations from the talks on this issue? This is something we would like to know. And, perhaps most crucially, where does Azerbaijan stand in this equation?” President Erdoğan said that this issue was also addressed during his meeting with Mr. Steinmeier.
President Erdoğan said, “As you know, I previously stated that we would respond in the same manner to Armenia’s constructive moves.” and added,
“The region needs peace, stability and prosperity. Keeping this in mind, we have made a sincere attempt to initiate a normalisation process between our country and Armenia. My brother, President İlham (Aliyev) of Azerbaijan, finds it beneficial as well. We are also pleased with Armenia’s willingness to engage in a normalisation process with us. We mutually appointed Special Representatives to handle this process, and they held their first meeting on January 14 in Moscow. They will meet again on February 24 in Vienna. Additionally, we know that Armenia has some specific expectations, including the opening of borders and the establishment of diplomatic ties.
If Armenia is now determined to continue the process initiated by the Special Representatives, we would not keep the doors closed. In order to strengthen relations between our peoples, we have also decided to resume direct flights between us. Non-scheduled flights between Istanbul and Yerevan began earlier this month. We anticipate that Armenia will maintain its positive attitude. We stated that we would solve the problems between Türkiye and Armenia by establishing a six-way platform. We support the opening of this platform. Of course, none of this occurs in a vacuum.
In this sense, the Azerbaijan-Armenia relations and the Türkiye-Armenia normalisation process can progress by helping each other. Similarly, our vision of regional cooperation will supplement and feed on these bilateral processes. Everyone needs to act in a constructive manner to make the most of this historic opportunity. We will continue to carry out all of these processes in close collaboration with Azerbaijan, as we have done in the past.”
“We can see that efforts are being made to create polemics about S-400s”
When asked about Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli's criticism of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's meeting with German Food and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, President Erdoğan said, "Of course, I wish him Allah’s blessing for his attitude, as he is a key member of the People's Alliance. I am hopeful that the People's Alliance will achieve much better results in 2023."
When President Erdoğan was asked about Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s statement that "I don't know why the S-400s have been purchased; it has also not been announced against whom we will use them," he said, "In a region where uncertainty and threats never decrease, we can see that efforts are being made to create polemics about S-400s, which were supplied within the scope of the need for the Enhanced Long-Range Area Air and Missile Defence System.”
President Erdoğan continued as follows:
“First and foremost, the most important thing that should not be forgotten, but fully understood is that the problem of defence and security is an issue that should be kept out of daily politics and that affects all 84 million people, namely the existence of our nation. Particularly the current Russia-Ukraine crisis demonstrates the need for these weapons. ‘Why was the S-400 purchased?’ It was explained numerous times and the public was informed of the causes, outcomes, and the process. Nevertheless, adopting such statements is a result of a lack of understanding about what is going on in our region and around the world. Due to the region we are in, the need for a system capable of intercepting tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, helicopters and drones is a necessity. It has been repeatedly emphasized at every level that the S-400 is a defence weapon system and that the procurement of this weapon system is not a choice but a necessity. As our Minister of National Defence has also openly and transparently told everyone, 'It is a system that harms nobody unless there is an attack or a threat. Our priority is the safety of our country, of 84 million people. It is a system that we obtained from Russia because our allies failed to supply it.'"
President Erdoğan also commented on the procurement process and reiterated that they were unable to supply these systems from NATO member states despite many attempts to meet Türkiye's need for the Long-Range Regional Air and Missile Defence System.
President Erdoğan made the following remarks on the subject:
“Not only was the system procured but also investment, technology transfer, and joint development were discussed throughout the procurement process in line with the notion of ‘we are not a market, but a partner’ and all aspects, including cost and delivery time, were taken into account. This system will be used only by Turkish personnel on a stand-alone basis, without being integrated into NATO Command and Control systems and NATO-integrated national systems. Russian personnel will not be involved in the system. The answer to the question 'Where will it be used?' is quite clear; it will be used on whoever attacks our country with a missile. Also, some say that 'S-400s are waiting in the hangar'. The S-400s are stationed where they are needed. Of course, these are confidential matters. We know that all preparations are being made to use this system if needed and that the process is progressing as it should. Necessary explanations were also provided in this regard. As a result, I invite everyone to be more careful, to be impartial and to address the issue within the context of national interests in matters concerning the survival of our country."
Answering the question about the latest developments in the ongoing F-35 and F-16 negotiations with the USA, President Erdoğan shared the following information:
"That process is currently ongoing. Minister of National Defense, senior military officers, senior executives continue their talks with their American counterparts. So far, the negotiations are moving on the right path. Inshallah, we will do what needs to be done as soon as it is over. Our framework here is, 'Either give us these planes or let's make a settlement and move on by completing maintenance and repair of the F-16s we have and providing the higher segment F-16s.'"