Addressing the 16th Ambassadors’ Conference, President Erdoğan said: “Türkiye has no option but to be strong economically, militarily, and diplomatically, both to adequately protect its own rights and interests and to extend a helping hand to its friends, cognates, and brothers. In the face of this time-tested reality, we are formulating our strategies, planning our steps, and moving forward on a solid ground without leaving anything to chance.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the 16th Ambassadors’ Conference in Ankara.
“The current system has produced instabilities, crises and injustices for decades”
“The current system, which backs the mighty even if they are wrong and oppresses the victim even if they are right, has produced instabilities, crises and injustices for decades. We have all stood witnessed to this painful fact. In our neighbor Syria, over 600 thousand Syrians have been martyred in attacks conducted by the Syrian Baath regime and terrorist organizations. Hundreds of thousands were tortured in torture centers like Sednaya. Millions were displaced from their home country. As atrocities continued and barrel bombs rained down on civilians for 13.5 years, except a handful of countries with conscience, all those pseudo-warriors of democracy and human rights kept silent. We didn’t forget the inhumane images witnessed at borders. We didn’t forget the dinghies that were punctured with skewers and pushed towards our country. We didn’t forget thousands of children that went missing in European capital cities. We didn’t forget racist attacks provoked by media and populist politicians,” President Erdoğan said.
“We are implementing a carefully-crafted multidimensional policy to make this century the Century of Türkiye”
“Likewise, our over 70 thousand brothers and sisters were killed in Gaza, with over 170 thousand others wounded. No one knows how many dead bodies are still under debris. Right now, many mothers, many children are searching for their mothers, their fathers, their spouses; waiting in expectation to learn about their fate and whereabouts. Tens of thousands of children, who lost not only their mothers, fathers and siblings but also their schools and homes, are struggling to survive among rubble in Gaza as the firsthand witnesses of the genocide,” President Erdoğan stated. “They razed Gaza to the ground using bombs 14 times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima. How can we talk about a functioning international system capable of preventing justice? How can we trust the current global security and governance architecture? When we look at the whole picture, what we see is that most of the international institutions are indifferent, nonfunctional, insensitive and inactive just like a corpse waiting for burial. Türkiye has no option but to be strong economically, militarily, and diplomatically, both to adequately protect its own rights and interests and to extend a helping hand to its friends, cognates, and brothers. In the face of this time-tested reality, we are formulating our strategies, planning our steps and moving forward on a solid ground without leaving anything to chance. We are implementing, step by step, a carefully-crafted multidimensional policy to make this century the Century of Türkiye. In this endeavor, a great responsibility rests with our foreign ministry, which plays a central role in the execution of our country’s foreign relations.”
“Permanence of the ceasefire and unhindered access to humanitarian aid are our top priorities”
President Erdoğan continued: “I would like to underline that any shift of axis, any change of direction, or any rupture with our roots is out of the question in our foreign policy. With a perspective that draws inspiration from the double-headed Seljuk Eagle, we are endeavoring to cultivate economic, commercial, diplomatic and political cooperations and forge relationships based on mutual respect with every corner of the world. We are working to build a belt of peace and stability that will benefit everyone in our region, which has been increasingly equated with crises and conflicts in recent years. Whatever we do, we do it to achieve this. The process that kicked off with the meeting we held with U.S. President Mr. Trump in New York resulted in a ceasefire deal on October 10. Despite Israel’s aggravating violations, the ceasefire holds to a large extent thanks to Hamas’ calm stance. Humanitarian aid is also going on step by step despite various restrictions. We stand out on this issue with our humanitarian aid in excess of 103 thousand tons. At this stage, the permanence of the ceasefire and unhindered access to humanitarian aid are our top priorities. Gaza’s reconstruction must start immediately, as well. We continue our intensive engagements in this regard. We are in a similar struggle in Syria, too.”
President Erdoğan went on: “With the overthrow of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, a historic window of opportunity opened before Syria. A significant distance has been covered in a short space of time for Syria’s reintegration into the international community under the leadership of President Ahmad Al-Sharaa. The number of refugees returning to Syria from our country alone has reached 580 thousand. As the peaceful environment in Syria takes hold, Syrian refugees’ voluntary, safe and dignified return will of course speed up. Yet apparently, this will take a little longer. Israel’s harassments of Syria are the greatest obstacle before lasting security and stability in this country. Another problematic area is the presence of DAESH and other terrorist organizations. We provide the Syrian government with every sort of support as the only NATO ally to have engaged in close combat with the scourge of DAESH. We are urging the implementation of the March 10 agreement, which risks turning into a crisis if resisted. It is obvious who will benefit if Syria disintegrates or if its national unity and solidarity weakens. Only through a vision of shared history and a common future can all the constituent segments of Syria look to the future with confidence.”
“Targeting commercial vessels and civilian ships will benefit no one”
“As regards the Russia-Ukraine war, we brought together the two countries, with both of which we have special relations, in Istanbul three times this year. The gains achieved in the humanitarian area through the Istanbul Process represent a remarkable achievement of Turkish diplomacy. Besides the Istanbul Process, we have obtained tangible outcomes in the humanitarian area by pioneering numerous initiatives such as prisoner/hostage exchange and Black Sea grain initiative. We have prevented the war from spilling over to the Black Sea by meticulously executing the Montreux Convention. However, recent reciprocal attacks significantly threaten the navigational safety in the Black Sea. Targeting commercial vessels and civilian ships will benefit no one. We are conveying our clear warnings to both sides on this issue,” President Erdoğan said, adding: “The South Caucasus, where peace has been missing for years, is going through a period of historic importance today. Azerbaijan and Armenia are closer than ever to signing a peace agreement. Concurrently with the process, we, in dialogue with Azerbaijan, are advancing our own normalization process with Armenia. Hopefully, we will be taking some symbolic steps starting from the beginning of next year.”
