President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements about regional developments in a special interview for the "Al Muqabala" program to be broadcast on Al Jazeera Arabic on Sunday evening.
Referring to the defense agreement signed in Mecca, Erdoğan said that the agreement, which stipulates that the three countries will act together in case one of the parties is attacked externally, sends an important message to the world.
Erdoğan stated that the pact could be expanded in the future and that Egypt's participation was among the options.
AN ATTACK ON ONE COUNTRY WILL BE CONSIDERED AS AN ATTACK ON THREE
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was signed in Mecca by President Erdogan, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on August 7.
According to the agreement, an armed attack against one of the parties will be considered as an attack on all three countries. In this respect, the agreement is likened to NATO's Article 5, which regulates collective defense.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had previously stated that the agreement was technically similar to the mutual defense mechanism in NATO's Article 5, but emphasized that it was not created against any country, including Iran.
Fidan also said that Egypt could join the pact at a later stage, but that there were some technical issues ahead of this.
STRAIT OF HORmuz MESSAGE
Erdoğan also touched upon the tension in the Strait of Hormuz in the interview.
Stating that reopening the Bosphorus is a priority for Ankara, Erdoğan stated that it is not in the interest of any party to remain closed.
Erdoğan also stated that Qatar played an important role in mediation initiatives to end conflicts in the region.
“WE WILL NOT LEAVE SYRIA ALONE”
Speaking about the developments in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon, Erdogan said that Türkiye will not leave its neighbors in the region alone with the crises.
Stating that Ankara will do its best to ensure stability in Syria, Erdoğan announced that he plans to visit the country.
Erdogan said that the Kurds in Syria will also "get their share of peace and stability." He stated that Türkiye will continue to strengthen its relations with Kurdish communities in the region and protect their rights.
“WE CANNOT LEAVE GAZA ALONE”
Stating that Türkiye will continue to support the Gaza issue, Erdoğan said, "We cannot leave Gaza alone." he said.
Stating that Hamas fulfilled its obligations in good faith, Erdoğan stated that Israel continued the war.
Stating that Israeli attacks on Lebanon are a serious concern for Ankara, Erdoğan said that US President Donald Trump brought up the issue of ending the war in Lebanon during his visit to Türkiye last month.
Erdoğan stated that Washington has an important role in stopping the conflicts.
SUDAN AND LIBYA STATEMENT
Stating that Türkiye's support to Sudan will continue, Erdoğan stated that he has good relations with the President of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdulfettah al-Burhan.
Stating that relations with Libya are stable, Erdoğan said that Türkiye will not leave Libya alone.
EU MEMBERSHIP: NO LONGER OUR PRIORITY
Evaluating the relations with the European Union, Erdoğan said that the EU does not seem willing to accept Türkiye into the union.
Stating that Türkiye's EU membership is no longer a priority for Ankara, Erdogan said that "the loser will be Europe" in this situation.
“I RECEIVED F-35 PROMISE FROM TRUMP”
Erdoğan said that he received a promise from US President Trump regarding Türkiye's return to the F-35 fighter jet program.
Erdoğan stated that he expects this promise to be fulfilled.
Türkiye was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing the S-400 air defense system from Russia, and Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on Ankara in December 2020.
During his meeting with Erdogan during the NATO Summit held in Ankara on July 7, Trump announced that he would lift the sanctions against Türkiye and gave a positive message about the F-35 sale.
However, objections in the US Congress regarding the F-35 and legal obstacles regarding the S-400s continue. US law prevents the transfer of F-35s to Ankara as long as Türkiye has the S-400 system.
