President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan returned home yesterday evening from Azerbaijan, where he attended the 6th anniversary celebrations of the Karabakh victory.
President Erdoğan answered journalists' questions about the agenda on his way back to Türkiye. The President's statements were conveyed by Osman Terkan, who was following the trip on behalf of NTV.
He asked Erdoğan, "There have been various speculations for a while. But you have always given good messages about the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey. Today, you declared the strongest of those messages from Shusha. Despite all these focuses of discord, how do you evaluate Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations?" The question was asked.
President Erdoğan said, "As we always say, at the commemoration in Karabakh, there was the solidarity of two powerful states that direct their relations with the understanding of "one nation, two states". My brother Ilham Aliyev and I hugged sincerely and reconciled our longings." He said that those who seek separation between Türkiye and Azerbaijan are in a futile effort.
"There is complete solidarity, common destiny and the law of brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan." Giving his message, Erdoğan continued his words as follows:
"We will raise the strong voice of Turks in our region and in the world together with our other brothers and build a prosperous future together. Those who try to put distance between us do not take into account the love, historical ties and unshakable will of our nations. Turkey and Azerbaijan will hopefully continue to walk shoulder to shoulder for the peace, stability and prosperity of their region from now on."
The President's statements on the plane continued with the following questions:
What should be done against the traps of those who want to destroy this brotherhood? What is the message you want to give to the Turkish World and the Azerbaijani people on this issue? I want to ask this.
"It is known that this unity, first of all, disturbs some people. It is enough to look at history to see what steps Turkey, Azerbaijan and other Turkish states can take when they act together. We are different states. With all these, we have different institutional structures. But at the same time, we are tightly connected to each other with the mortar of brotherhood. This mortar is the most important element that keeps us alive and strong. This brotherhood is one of the strongest guarantees of our common history, our common culture and the great legacy we will leave to future generations. Without wearing it down, we are bound to each other. Those who understand that they cannot destroy us may try to damage our unity and solidarity. We must be especially careful and vigilant against such games. We must not rely on disinformation and operate direct, sincere and open communication channels on every issue. At the Organization of Turkic States Summit in Ankara, he said, "There is no room for separation, discord and conflict in the family picture of the Turkish world. We are all one, we are together. I particularly emphasized by saying, "I hope we are brothers from eternity to eternity. Because unity and togetherness suit us, not separation."
Tensions have risen again between the USA and Iran. It was claimed that Qeshm Island was targeted. There is an expectation in the region that the war will accelerate again. You also discussed these issues with US President Mr. Trump. How would you evaluate this high blood pressure in the region?
"Friends, we do not want a new wave of attacks against Iran to be launched and our region to be dragged into further instability. We express at every opportunity that it is possible to solve the problems through dialogue and diplomacy. Unfortunately, we can talk about a negative movement again. We are doing our best to prevent this. I discussed these issues with the American President, Mr. "More conflicts mean nothing but more losses for our region. Unfortunately, the conflicting parties are not the only ones paying the price of the war. A very wide geography, from Türkiye to the Gulf countries, from Iraq to Syria, from Europe to Asia, is affected by all these developments."
Representatives of the United States, Ukraine and Russia are expected to meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11. I wonder if you will have a meeting or contact with Mr. Putin before this critical meeting. Also, what outcome do you expect from the negotiations in Abu Dhabi? Because you also met with Zelenskiy recently. Can we move to a new stage in ending the Russia-Ukraine War?
"We are making intense efforts to end this war. We also follow and support Mr. Trump's efforts with appreciation. Turkey has shown its stance in favor of a solution and peace since the beginning of this war, despite all kinds of reactions. Remember the reactions from Europe in the past to our maintaining our relations and contacts with two warring states. We have faced many criticisms in the meantime, from statements accusing us of violating sanctions to accusing us of non-compliance. We said, "We are in favor of a just peace on this issue." We are on the side." The accuracy of our fair stance is more visible today. Today, we say "this bloodshed must stop". Turkey has proven many times that it has taken responsibility. We have talked about these issues with Mr. Putin many times, but we will talk again. We talked with Mr. Zelenskiy last week, and we talked again. We are in contact with Mr. Trump and European leaders, with all sides of the issue. The negotiation ground we established in Istanbul, our grain corridor initiative and the role we took in prisoner exchanges are unique in terms of showing Türkiye's key position for peace. "It is an example. As Türkiye, we are ready to make Istanbul the center of negotiations again when necessary and to use people-oriented diplomacy with all its instruments. We are hopeful. We are much more hopeful for peace."
Türkiye is on the verge of hosting an international summit again. After a very successful NATO Summit, preparations for COP31 in Antalya have been completed and are starting. What do you expect from this summit as Türkiye? What will we, as Türkiye, tell the world?
"I believe that COP31 will be a platform where Türkiye's vision on this issue will be better understood by the masses. We do not approach any issue "as if". If we focus on a problem, we produce concrete, sustainable solutions for it and put forward our road map. The climate problem is both today's and tomorrow's problem in a more severe form if measures are not taken. Let's not forget that the world is our home and we have no right to pollute it. In Antalya, we will talk about the most concrete steps that will secure the common future of humanity. "At COP31, we do not just bring leaders together and make speeches and publish declarations. Our goal is to make this summit a platform where concrete results are produced and countries turn their commitments into practice. We attach importance to the issue we call climate justice. Many topics, from raising awareness in every field to green industrialization, from resilient cities to climate practices, will be on our agenda."
You have made both messages and calls regarding the recognition and support of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, both at the Organization of Turkish States Summit and on many international grounds. In this context, what are Türkiye's recent expectations? What steps might be taken in this regard in the new period?
"Friends, we will never leave the Turkish Cypriot people alone and helpless. The whole world should know and memorize this. The Cyprus issue is not just a foreign policy issue for us. We do not see deadlock in Cyprus as a solution and we stand behind the two-state solution. Our stance on Cyprus is also extremely clear. The fact that there are two separate peoples, two separate states on the island must now be accepted. It has been tried many times and failed each time with various tricks." Models are a waste of time and energy. I invite all states, especially our friends and brothers, to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and establish political, diplomatic and economic relations with them in order to support permanent peace on the Island of Cyprus. As I said from the podium of the United Nations, the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people must be registered, and the inhumane isolation they are subjected to must come to an end. We continue to take steps within the framework of this call and stand by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in international platforms in the new period. "The steps and projects that will increase the visibility of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will continue. The Cyprus issue is a national cause that we will follow until justice is served. Everyone should know this."
I would like to ask a question regarding the stage we have reached in the Terror-Free Türkiye, Terror-Free Zone process. Of course, after detection and confirmation, a National Security Council decision is on the road map of the process. At what stage are we at today? When do you think the National Security Council decision will reach the stage where it can mature and be shared with the public?
"First of all, no one should hesitate on this issue. No one should worry. As both the People's Alliance and the state, we have put not only our hands but also our bodies into the Terror-Free Turkey process. Our nation and state have made their decision, determined the road map and taken action to solve the terrorism issue, which has cost half a century. There will be no turning back from this. The organization must complete the dissolution process with all its elements, hand over the weapons in its possession in full, and this situation must be concretely determined and confirmed by the relevant institutions of our state." öncelikli konumuz. Saha boş değildir. Her adım, her hamle devletimizin ilgili kurumlarınca ve hükümetimizce yakından takip edilmektedir. Mağaralar belli bir plan dahilinde boşaltılıyor. Bu aynen devam edecek. İzleme Komisyonunun da inşallah kısa sürede kurulacağına inanıyorum. Cumhurbaşkanı Yardımcımız Cevdet Bey'in başkanlığındaki komisyon da çalışmalarını sürdürüyor. Alt komisyon da yakında çalışmaya başlayacak. Birileri aslında sürecin buraya kadar sorunsuz geleceğini düşünmüyordu. Ama biz bu konuda çok kararlı bir tutum içinde olduk. Kesin bir tarih vermekten ziyade sürecin sağlıklı, eksiksiz ve geri dönüşü olmayacak şekilde "We are focused on its completion. There is a saying in Latin, 'Festina lente', which means 'hurry up slowly'. We act carefully but quickly, God forbid, we do not want to cause a road accident. Our hope is to complete the confirmation and detection phases and reach the National Security Council decision stage in the not too distant future."
