President Erdoğan: "We are monitoring the steps being taken regarding the fight against disinformation in a resolute and timely manner, and we will also take the necessary steps."
On his return flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he was on an official visit, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made an assessment regarding the agenda on the plane. Stating that the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources was preparing formulations regarding the electricity bills, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "We will discuss it in detail at the Cabinet Meeting, and then we will make our detailed statement about it."
President Erdoğan stated that the visit was a success, emphasising that they had highly productive talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the first day. President Erdoğan said, "We talked about how we can work together to further enhance Türkiye-United Arab Emirates relations. We were pleased to see that the will to maintain and advance the momentum achieved in our cooperation was mutual."
Emphasising that they also exchanged views on regional and international issues during their talks, President Erdoğan said: "At this point, we reiterated our support for the security and stability of the United Arab Emirates. We emphasised that we make no distinction between the security of the Gulf region and our own."
Stating that they signed 13 memorandums of understanding and protocols in various fields during the visit, President Erdoğan said:
"With the letter of intent signed in the field of the defence industry, we have reached a consensus to coordinate the joint steps to be taken in the coming period. With the memorandum of understanding signed in the fields of land and sea transportation, logistics costs were reduced. We agreed to begin negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement without delay. In addition, we signed important cooperation agreements in the fields of health and medical sciences, industry and advanced technologies, combating climate change, agriculture, culture, youth, communication, archive, meteorology, disaster and emergency management. All of these agreements, which will further strengthen the contractual basis of our relations with the friendly and brotherly United Arab Emirates, I hope will yield auspicious results for our countries and our region."
Talks in Dubai
President Erdoğan stated that during their meeting with prominent business people, they observed the substantial level of interest shown in Türkiye by investors, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, as well as their keen interest in Türkiye's technology businesses and rapidly emerging dynamic business environment. President Erdoğan noted, “In the coming period, they want to contribute to large scale projects, our traditional companies, as well as our startup companies, incubation centres, and technoparks as investors. We expressed our readiness to provide them with any assistance they may require during this process.”
President Erdoğan stated that he also met with the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Dubai Emir Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and held a comprehensive meeting in Dubai where they exchanged ideas on the possible steps they could take to ensure that Turkish entrepreneurs increasingly continue to contribute to Dubai's economic and commercial development.
President Erdoğan stated that they attended the Türkiye’s National Day events at Dubai Expo 2020 exhibition area and that they had a high-energy dialogue full of optimism and enthusiasm at the meeting with the youth, one of his most significant talks.
President Erdoğan went on to say that he afterwards had the chance to visit the Azerbaijan aisle and listen to some of Azerbaijan's well-known artists, and added:
“I believe that my visit is a critical step in propelling our cooperation with the United Arab Emirates to new heights with strong momentum. On the basis of mutual respect and trust, we are resolved to continue this endeavour for our common interests and the future of our region. I would like to especially emphasise how much affinity and warmth I felt from our brothers and sisters in the United Arab Emirates throughout our stay. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them once more for their gracious hospitality to me and my delegation.”
"We are also maintaining positive dialogue with Saudi Arabia"
Citing the earlier news that a new era in relations with the UAE has begun and that a similar rapprochement with Saudi Arabia would take place within the same framework, upon the question “Is there going to be a trip to Riyadh soon? How are the talks proceeding there? The Israeli President is going to visit Türkiye in early March. What do you hope to get out of this visit?” President Erdoğan opined:
"We also maintain a cordial relationship with Saudi Arabia. It is our intention to take concrete steps forward in the future. We want to move this process with Saudi Arabia forward in a positive way. We have also had several positive phone conversations with Israeli President Herzog on various occasions. He is scheduled to visit our country in March. This is, of course, a very welcome visit. It is hoped that taking such a step after such a long time will be beneficial to Turkish-Israeli relations."
"Such an action would be detrimental to the region's well-being"
When a reporter reminded President Erdoğan that the US and Europe are constantly attempting to maintain an increase in tension in terms of invasion as to the recent crisis between Ukraine and Russia, and asked him, "How do you interpret the West's position? You had a meeting with Zelensky. Will you meet with Putin and make assessments? How would a potential invasion affect Türkiye?" President Erdoğan responded to this question as follows:
"During our meeting with Zelensky, he stated that a meeting of the trio as 'Putin, Zelensky, and Erdoğan' would be welcome." We hope to meet in Istanbul or Ankara if Putin's response is similar. In the meantime, I will ask Putin about his approach to this via phone diplomacy. We would try to follow up on the situation based on his response because the outbreak of war is not a good omen. Such an action would be detrimental to the region's well-being."
"We will continue to keep that on the agenda"
It was recalled that, in response to the issue of Greece arming the Aegean Sea islands, Türkiye stated, "If Greece does not give up on this, the sovereignty of these islands will be discussed," while Athens stated, "We reject these accusations," and asked, "To clarify, what is our objection? What actions can Türkiye take against Athens if the armament continues?" President Erdoğan responded to the question as follows:
"We cannot remain silent about military activities carried out in violation of agreements on islands with a demilitarised status. In fact, we brought this issue to the UN's attention. We will keep it on the agenda in the future as well. Our Minister also warned them about this issue. However, if Greece continues to act in the same manner, we will issue this warning at the highest level, if necessary. Because, as you know, the issue of islands is always contentious. They may compel us to bring these contentious issues to the forefront. As a result, my Minister warned them on a low level, saying, 'They should not force us to discuss these issues.' That was a good thing to do."
"The death by freezing of 19 people is a hard pill to swallow"
Upon the questions, "Will there be any visits to EU countries in the near future? Will the talks continue within the framework of the initiated refugee process? Is the EU making a new commitment to assist Türkiye in this regard? How do you consider the fact that the refugees whose clothes were confiscated and deported froze to death at the Greek border?" President Erdoğan stated:
"The death by freezing of 19 people, particularly near the Greek border, is a hard pill to swallow. In any case, we inform Europeans of this. Of course, we also mention what we do to help migrants. We will continue to make announcements about it from now on. On the other hand, there are European heads of state who say, 'Let's meet.' We will keep holding video conference calls with them, possibly this week or next. By the way, for example, our Minister of Treasury and Finance (Nureddin Nebati) recently returned from a trip to the United Kingdom, where he had very productive meetings. In addition to our visits to Ukraine and the UAE, Israel's upcoming visits to Türkiye, as well as our future visits to Senegal and Congo, will be the most important activities in the next period. We hope to continue making these visits in a timely and efficient manner. Our relevant ministers will continue to pay their visits. For example, we have the Munich Conference coming up. Our Foreign Minister will attend the Munich Conference, where they will hold some meetings. Apart from that, our Presidential Spokesperson, İbrahim Kalın and our Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal will pay a visit to Israel. They will talk about the preparations for Mr Herzog's planned visit to our country. This is how we keep the traffic moving."
When he was reminded of Russian President Vladimir Putin's attitude towards French President Emmanuel Macron, and asked, "I am curious to hear your thoughts on this. Is this really a confirmation of your claim that 'there is no leader in Europe who can solve this crisis'?" President Erdoğan stated that he did not need to elaborate on the significance of the image of the Putin-Macron meeting.
Emphasising that he is sincerely attempting to fulfil his responsibility to resolve the crisis between Ukraine and Russia through diplomatic and peaceful means, President Erdoğan said, "We have a close dialogue and cooperation with both Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky. This, I believe, is a crucial opportunity that may be used to de-escalate the tension."
In response to the questions "What will be Türkiye's next steps? Today, we learned that the United Arab Emirates had retreated its policies in Libya, which are in some ways opposed to Türkiye's. Is the next process going to be easier or more difficult?" regarding the latest developments in Libya, President Erdoğan emphasised that Türkiye would not be holding back in Libya.
Expressing that all forms of support have been provided to Libya from the beginning and will continue to be provided in the future, President Erdoğan added:
"Is it all about following the process in Libya as leaders; or about assisting in an election that will ensure the Libyan people a prosperous and peaceful future? The second option is our preference. We want that the election should be held in such a way that the Libyan people can have the form of government that they truly desire. This is something we are looking for right now.
The attempt on Mr Dbeibeh is terrible. Fathi Bashagha, on the other hand, announced his candidacy. Our relations with Fathi Bashagha are good. On the other hand, we also have good relations with Mr Dbeibeh. We have good relations with Khalid al-Mishri as well. The entire issue revolves around the Libyan people's decision on which side they will support and how they will do it. Inshallah, a positive outcome will be achieved as soon as possible. However, there is an interim government. According to the framework of the interim government, it is said that 'a 1.5-year government should be constituted.' Such an approach, in my opinion, is inappropriate for Libya. At this moment, a decent election should be made so that Libya may take a long-term step with a solid management team."
Electricity tariffs will also be discussed at the Cabinet Meeting
When asked if work on electricity bills is underway, President Erdoğan replied that the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is making preparations, and said, "We will discuss it in detail at the Cabinet Meeting, and then we will make our detailed statement about it."
"The work on social media law has come to an end"
When asked about the current state of the social media law, President Erdoğan replied that while social media provides a significant opportunity, they cannot remain silent when it is used to disseminate disinformation and fake news, threatening personal rights, public peace, and national security.
Pointing out that new legal regulations are needed to fight against disinformation more effectively, President Erdoğan said that the Presidency's Directorate of Communications completed its technical works, after which the AK Party Group in the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye worked on them for improvements and explained that meetings on the final text were held under the chairmanship of Vice President Fuat Oktay.
President Erdoğan added, "The working meetings were also attended by our Minister of the Interior, Minister of Justice, Director of Communications, and executives from our relevant institutions and organisations. Inshallah, the final meeting will be held on Monday. We can conclude that the work is almost finished."
Noting that the process will be completed at the Parliament, President Erdoğan said:
"This work has three primary components. First of all, we are talking about a regulation that will prohibit the systematic dissemination of disinformation and fake news. Second, there will be new regulations and responsibilities for social network providers, social media companies, and users in the fight against disinformation, mostly on social media. Third, some responsibilities will be conferred to internet news sites to prevent disinformation. We are monitoring the steps being taken regarding the fight against disinformation in a resolute and timely manner, and we will also take the necessary steps."