President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered journalists' questions on his return flight from Sochi, Russia, where he went for a one-day working visit at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation.
President Erdoğan stated that during their meetings with President Putin of Russia, they discussed bilateral relations between Türkiye and Russia, regional and global developments in great detail, and exchanged perspectives on the upcoming period.
President Erdoğan expressed their willingness to maintain the growth of the trade volume, which currently stands at 69 billion dollars, and stated that their goal is to reach 100 billion dollars through joint efforts.
President Erdoğan said that they discussed all aspects of economic relations in this direction, both during the meeting between the delegations and the bilateral dinner meeting, and continued as follows:
"We have witnessed the benefits of inter-institutional dialogue based on mutual respect, both in our bilateral relations and at the regional and global levels. The best example of this is the Black Sea Initiative, which significantly contributes to the fight against the global food crisis. Reviving this initiative is a priority for the entire world. We are in close contact with the United Nations regarding this matter. As you are aware, we have the United Nations General Assembly this month. There, we will meet with Mr Guterres again and discuss these issues. I want to emphasise how much we appreciate and support Secretary-General Guterres' efforts."
"I believe that we will achieve a satisfactory outcome that meets expectations"
Stating that the United Nations (UN) has prepared a new package that will pave the way for the revival of the Black Sea Initiative as a result of Türkiye's contributions, President Erdoğan explained that during Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan's visit to Moscow, Fidan discussed the technical aspect of this new package of proposals when he met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Stating that he also discussed the issue in detail with Putin, President Erdoğan said, "I believe that we will achieve a satisfactory outcome that meets expectations in a short time."
Russia-Ukraine war
Recalling that Türkiye's stance on the ongoing war in Ukraine is clear, President Erdoğan noted:
"From the first day, we have advocated for peace, dialogue, and diplomacy. We have worked hard to avoid more bloodshed. Instead of exacerbating the problem and adding fuel to the fire, we attempted to bring both sides together on common ground. Unfortunately, the war that has lasted 1.5 years is still ongoing. Neither is there any hopeful prospect of peace on the horizon. As Türkiye, today, as before, we have reaffirmed that we are prepared to contribute when the parties want us to since there is neither a winner in war nor a loser in peace. Likewise, we will continue to act as a facilitator in cases like the prisoner exchange and the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. We are hoping that this war, which has harmed our two neighbours and our region, will end with a fair and long-lasting peace based on international law."
Noting that they also discussed recent events in Syria, the South Caucasus, Libya, and Africa during their meeting in Sochi, President Erdoğan wished that the meetings there would be beneficial for the area, particularly for Türkiye and Russia.
Conflict between Arab tribes and PKK/YPG terrorists in Deir ez-Zor
When reminded that Arab tribes and members of the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation have been clashing in Deir ez-Zor, Syria for quite some time and asked whether this issue was discussed during his meeting with Putin, President Erdoğan responded, "To be honest, Mr. Putin did not bring up the issue. I brought it up briefly and said that following these developments in Syria, Arab tribes have now united against the PKK/YPG. In fact, the increased participation has resulted in a strengthening of the Arab tribes. Mr. Putin also said that it is important for the Arab tribes, as the owners of the region, to come together and fight against the terrorist organisation."
Underlining that what was happening in Deir ez-Zor right now was the move and step of the Arab tribes to claim their own lands in unity and solidarity, President Erdoğan said, "In this regard, I find what is happening in Deir ez-Zor important. Arab tribes are the legitimate owners of the land. Not these terrorist organisations. Neither the PKK nor the YPG own these locations; they are just terrorists. The united tribes' stance against the PKK/YPG is an honourable struggle for dignity. It is both national and local."
"We have made the necessary warnings to the addressee countries, and we continue to do so"
Pointing out once again how great a danger the terrorist organisation pose for the people of the region, President Erdoğan added:
"Hopefully now they are aware that it is not possible to destroy a terrorist organisation with another one. The countries supporting these organisations must realise that the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation denies the locals of the region the right to live with its terrorist activities. We regularly brief the United States and Russia on the terrorist activities of the PKK/YPG and its activities that threaten our country.
There is no massacre or terrorist act that this group would not commit in order to gain control of the oil in Deir ez-Zor. We have made the necessary warnings to the proper countries in this regard, and we will continue to do so. It became clear that the ammunition and weapons aid the US provided to this terrorist organisation did not contribute to regional peace. Every weapon provided to the terrorist organisation contributes to the continuation of bloodshed in the region and the disruption of Iraq and Syria's territorial integrity."
"Syria is not taking a positive approach"
When asked, "Within the scope of normalisation steps with Syria, ministerial and bureaucratic-level meetings were held. There were also statements that Russia supported the normalisation process. Has this issue been brought up with Mr. Putin? Is there an acceleration of normalisation steps?" President Erdoğan replied:
"First of all, let me say that Assad is, unfortunately, observing the normalisation steps taken in the Turkish-Russian-Iranian-Syrian format from a distance, from the stands. So he is not involved in any way. We opened our doors to these efforts in the hope that Syria would also take part, and we said, 'We are in.' However, the Syrian side is still not taking a positive approach. We hope that they will also take their place at the table for the continuation of the process."
Emphasising that the fight against terrorism, the political process, and the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of refugees were comprehensively addressed at the Quartet Foreign Ministers Meeting, President Erdoğan said, "If progress is made on these issues, normalisation of relations with the Syrian regime is also possible."
"It is not possible to change our approach, which prioritises our security"
Noting that they stated that the quadrilateral process with the Syrian regime should be conducted without preconditions from the beginning, President Erdoğan added:
"As I indicated, we believed that this process should proceed gradually and without preconditions. In order for this to happen, it is very important for the Syrian regime to act in accordance with the realities on the ground and to avoid approaches that could harm the process. As you are aware, our main expectation from this process is to take concrete steps in the fight against terrorism. In addition, we also expect the necessary conditions for voluntary and safe returns to be built and the political process under the auspices of the UN to be revived.
Making progress in these areas will help move the process forward. However, as I have stated before, unless the terrorist elements that threaten our citizens and borders and the risks associated with population mobility are eliminated, it is out of the question for us to change our approach, which prioritises our security.
Stating that Türkiye was in favour of the territorial integrity of its neighbours, President Erdoğan recalled that since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, they indicated that the biggest threat to the territorial integrity of this country was the terrorist organisations based in it.
President Erdoğan said: "Our fight against terrorist organisations that threaten our country will continue until the last terrorist is neutralised. We are present in the north of Syria to clear that region of terrorist organisations that threaten Türkiye."
"Russia has two special requests"
When asked about the UN's proposal on the Grain Corridor, President Erdoğan said:
"Russia has two special requests. One is the inclusion of the Russian agricultural bank in the SWIFT system. Currently, Russian banks are out of the SWIFT system due to sanctions. As you know, this country exports 120–130 million tonnes of grain annually. Mr. Putin also said at the press conference they have been in this business for 62 years. There are two requirements for the continuation of the sales. Firstly, it has to receive the money upon the sale, and secondly, the ships used for transportation need to be insured.
Ships must be insured in order to transport goods to Europe or other ports. Due to the sanctions, the British-based insurance company does not insure the ships. Due to the exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT system, money transfers are not possible; the Russians require both of these to be possible. Now, from a position that was initially a little behind, the United Nations has brought the process to a point with Türkiye's unwavering support. In a letter dated August 28, UN Secretary-General Guterres proposed an intermediary mechanism that would result from a SWIFT transaction, as opposed to direct SWIFT access as desired by the Russians. They reported that they were also addressing the insurance issue."
"The West has a very different view of Russia"
President Erdoğan recalled that prior to the Sochi meeting, the US Department of State stated, "The United States and the United Nations are grateful to Türkiye for its efforts in mediating the life-saving grain initiative." President Erdoğan continued as follows:
"But the West has a very different view of Russia, both on SWIFT and on insurance. Due to his divergent viewpoint, Mr. Putin now says, 'They are not fulfilling their commitments to me, and this is why I will not collaborate with them on this issue.' Also, 44 per cent of the grain goes to Europe. Only 14 per cent goes to Africa. Mr. Putin says, 'Europe is already hostile to me. I will not act on this matter until Europe fulfils its commitments.' However, he stated that he was considering sending one million tonnes of grain to six countries. 'Let's discuss this with Qatar,' he said."
Upon the question, "Should they be considered an awakening against colonialism, or disruption of democracy?" regarding the coups that took place in some countries in Africa, President Erdoğan said:
"African countries have a certain attitude. On the other hand, some countries are taking steps to silence and stop the resurgent, resisting countries. For instance, consider the British attitude... We know how the UK's relations with Russia are, completely the opposite. On the other hand, they are attempting to trip us up in Cyprus. We also talked about it with Mr. Putin. Russia's stance on the opening of an office in Cyprus, the developments in Cyprus, and the current developments in the grain corridor all highlight Türkiye's weight in the region."
"Activities that would disrupt Kirkuk's structure should be avoided"
In response to the question, "Can a new process be established with the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in the fight against the PKK?" regarding the incidents in Kirkuk in Iraq and the attitude of the Iraqi central government, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
"With regard to the Kirkuk issue, both my Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and our intelligence units are keeping a close eye on it. There is currently a relatively calm atmosphere in Kirkuk as a result of the close monitoring of the situation, both in meetings with the Prime Minister Sudani of Iraq, and meetings with his counterparts there. I also instructed Hakan Fidan, my Foreign Minister, and İbrahim Kalın, the head of the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), to closely monitor the situation.
There were discussions with the Barzani family as well as Sudani. As a result of my Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan's, statements in Iran yesterday, the atmosphere appears to be calm today. We are monitoring the situation. Activities that would disrupt Kirkuk's structure should be avoided for the sake of the peace and tranquility of the region. Any action that undermines Kirkuk's structure undermines Iraq's integrity. Kirkuk, the Turkmen homeland, has been a location where different cultures have coexisted peacefully for hundreds of years. We will not allow the peace and integrity of this geography to be disrupted."
"We will make our country an important natural gas hub for the region"
In response to a question about the current status of the project to transfer Russian gas to Europe via Türkiye, President Erdoğan stated that he and President Vladimir Putin of Russia discussed the energy sector under separate headings during their meeting.
President Erdoğan stated that they would implement a variety of projects to deliver energy products to Europe and the world via Türkiye, and continued:
"The establishment of a natural gas hub in Türkiye will enhance both energy transportation and pricing. We said that we would transform our country into an energy hub, and we are providing the necessary infrastructure and physical facilities for this. With our investments in recent years, we will make our country an important natural gas hub for the region. Step by step, we are approaching our goal of making Türkiye the central energy hub of its region and then the world. With our achievements in energy diplomacy, we have proven that no step can be taken in the Eastern Mediterranean without Türkiye. Now, we are turning our country into an energy hub with agreements in the field of natural gas. We are determined to maintain the win-win energy relationship between Türkiye and Russia for the benefit of both countries.
As Türkiye, we offer a different plan on this issue. We have a plan to establish a centre for natural gas, similar to our Finance Centre in Istanbul and the centres established in London and Hamburg for specific industries. We will discuss this plan with Russia. We intend to make our country a hub beyond the lines in Thrace. We are planning for this centre to focus on not only natural gas, but also energy and mining. We want to establish a centre with large-scale goals. We want individuals interested in matters such as energy, natural gas, and mining to come to this centre. We can establish this centre in a block of our Finance Centre in Ataşehir. We can organise it in the hub of finance and money.