President Erdoğan answers journalists’ questions on his return from visits to Albania and Serbia
President Erdoğan said, "We will continue to use law and diplomacy to hold Israel accountable for the genocide it has committed. We are using all channels of communication. We, particularly the Head of Communications, will continue to use communication channels actively."
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements to journalists and answered questions on his return flight after his official visits to Albania and Serbia.
Emphasising that the two-day visit was highly productive and successful, President Erdoğan stated that they sought ways to further strengthen their already good relations with his counterparts.
President Erdoğan stated that they exchanged views on the latest developments in the Balkans and global issues, particularly the occupied Palestinian territories and the Israeli atrocities in Gaza, and said:
"We conveyed the greetings of their kin in Türkiye and our august nation to our brothers and sisters in Albania, the first stop of our visit. We had extensive consultations with my dear friend, Prime Minister Edi Rama, during the second meeting of our High-Level Cooperation Council. In addition to the joint declaration, we reaffirmed the unshakeable nature of the Türkiye-Albania friendship through the documents we signed in the fields of higher education, agriculture, public relations, and media. During our talks, we also reiterated our resolve to jointly fight against terrorist organisations, particularly FETO. During my visit, we discussed our political and military relations with President Bajram Begaj of Albania. Following these meetings, we inaugurated the Namazgâh Mosque, the largest mosque in the Balkans, built by our Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Diyanet Foundation, in Tirana, alongside my dear friend, Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania."
"We touched upon the special status of the Sandzak region"
Stating that the Namazgah Mosque will provide additional opportunities for Muslims in the country to perform their prayers while also functioning as a cultural centre, President Erdoğan said, "I would like to thank everyone and all our institutions who contributed to the opening of our mosque, which is a symbolic work in every aspect due to its architecture, location, capacity of 8 thousand people, and other outbuildings."
President Erdoğan said, "On this occasion, we had the opportunity to discuss the issues related to the defence industry in detail with Prime Minister Edi Rama in Albania," and stated that they had the opportunity to take a step in the defence industry between Türkiye and Albania.
Stating that they held the fourth High-Level Cooperation Council in Belgrade on the second leg of the visit at the invitation of President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia, President Erdoğan went on to say:
"On this occasion, we reaffirmed our commitment to further developing our current cooperation with Serbia in all areas. We signed 11 agreements that will advance our relations further. We discussed the actions that can be taken to achieve our common goal of 5 billion dollars in bilateral trade volume. It is a source of pride for us that Turkish businesspeople have made significant investments in Serbia, particularly in the contracting sector. I expressed my appreciation to my dear friend, President Vucic of Serbia, for the support that Serbia has provided to our companies. It is also pleasing that the relations between our peoples are strengthening day by day. While more than 200 thousand of our citizens visited Serbia last year, we are pleased that nearly 400 thousand Serbian citizens preferred our country. We aim to further increase the number of reciprocal tourists by allowing travel with identity cards, which we are currently working on."
Stating that they also touched upon the special status of the Sandzak region in the relations between the two countries during their meeting with President Vucic, President Erdoğan said: "On this occasion, we once again emphasised our support for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process. I expressed our readiness to do our part in ensuring permanent stability and peace in the Balkans. In this regard, I also reaffirmed the importance we place on the trilateral consultation mechanism involving Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia."
President Erdoğan wished that the meetings they held and the decisions they took during his visit to Albania and Serbia would be auspicious.
"The government does not stand idly by against these"
In response to the question, "In parallel to Israel's attacks on Gaza, there are also attacks on social fault lines in Türkiye. Street protests are intended to be triggered by dirty campaigns. Do our intelligence units have any findings on this issue? Are there any efforts regarding countermeasures?" President Erdoğan stated, "This aggression of Israel cannot be ignored. Currently, we are, of course, keeping under control all kinds of steps that Israel has taken or may take against Türkiye, from A to Z, through our intelligence organisation."
President Erdoğan said:
"Israel is not only targeting the stability of Palestine and Lebanon, which it is attacking. It is also attempting to ensure that the conflict there has a regional impact. We cannot possibly ignore this. We are aware of it. And we are not sitting on our hands. Of course, our government has efforts to identify and eliminate all kinds of risks that threaten society. Those who pursue provocations and those who act with an appetite for chaos have always found and will always find us in their faces. The way to eliminate falsehood is to persistently tell the truth without tiring of it. Unfortunately, some politicians may also be involved in these perception management operations for certain political interests. Whichever way they resort to, they will always find us, our government, particularly our intelligence organisation, against them. The government does not stand idly by against these. My nation must know this very well. Our citizens must be extremely cautious of organised lies across various media platforms, particularly on social media. They must not believe everything they hear and should stick to official statements."
Emphasising the importance of keeping the internal front intact, President Erdoğan said: "It is extremely important that we defend our unity against the structures that attack our internal front and can put on any mask. As long as our nation stands firm against these, we will indeed manage to fight against them all. I once again warn those who attempt to incite unrest in the streets not to make such a mistake; they will pay a heavy price."
"The more people we can reach, the better"
In response to the question, "You shared a video on the occasion of the anniversary of the genocide in Gaza and drew attention to the guilt and shame of those who failed to stand on the right side of history in the name of humanity. You also gave an important message about the correct use of communication tools. World-famous musician Roger Waters shared that video. What kind of feedback did you receive?" President Erdoğan said, "The more people we can reach in order to stop those who massacre humanity and mobilise the consciences of societies, the better."
Thanking British musician Roger Waters and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, who shared the video and shared their feelings, President Erdoğan continued:
"The genocide in Gaza took place in broad daylight and has taken its place among the list of humanity's historical shames. Those who support the Zionist terrorist organisation known as Israel today will bear the consequences of this shame for generations. Some of the topics from the last address to the nation were immediately picked up by Israeli media outlets. They were very irritated. Israeli newspapers immediately made headlines about me. We do not need their permission, of course. May God's will be done; we did what was necessary. We hear the cries of mothers who have lost their children. But Zionist Israel has no such problem. They will continue the genocide. We will expose the crimes of Zionist Israel to the eyes of the world.
I am proud to say that my nation is well aware of the terrorist state's actions. We will do whatever it takes to make this permanent. We need to develop this understanding in Western countries as well. We will continue to use law and diplomacy to hold Israel accountable for the genocide it has committed. We will not stop, we will pursue this issue. We are using all channels of communication. We, particularly the Head of Communications, will continue to use communication channels actively."
In response to the question regarding Israel's attacks in Lebanon, Beirut and Damascus, "They openly say that after Lebanon, they will occupy Damascus. The occupation of Damascus means the arrival of Israeli troops on the Turkish border and the complete disintegration of Syria's geography. In response to the question, "What can we do against this?" President Erdoğan pointed out that as soon as Israel occupies Damascus, it will have reached the north of Syria.
President Erdoğan said, "Israel may make calculations, but God makes the greatest calculations. God's reckoning is certainly above those calculations, and this will also be manifested. He is the greatest reckoner, as God declares in the verse. They can make their calculations, but they can never match God's reckoning. The dreams of Netanyahu and his gang will turn into nightmares. Palestine will be free, Lebanon will be free. In every piece of land where they reach out their bloody hands, they will meet the just and noble resistance of the valiant people defending their homeland. Victory will surely be for those who are patient."
"We will continue to work for peace and tranquillity in Syria"
Pointing out that Syria has been through great suffering, President Erdoğan continued his speech:
"Humanity must oppose the addition of new sufferings. Since the start of the Syrian civil war, I have expressed our support for the country's territorial integrity. We have used all diplomatic tools to protect Syria's sovereignty. Every step Türkiye has taken has aimed to reduce regional tensions and lay the groundwork for the search for a solution.
Today, too, the effective use of diplomatic channels can prevent the escalation of the conflict. Humanity must confront Israel, which has evolved into a monster that destroys peace and tranquillity. We will continue to work for Syria to restore its unity and to achieve peace and tranquillity. We will step up our efforts to create a just, dignified, permanent, and inclusive climate of peace in Syria. We will advocate for immediate and lasting peace in Syria, as we have done elsewhere, and we will support peace."
"We need to save the region in solidarity"
President Erdoğan said, "Israel is the most concrete threat to regional and global peace. This threat must be stopped, and peace must be preserved by those in charge of ensuring global peace."
Emphasising that they have been carefully monitoring the steps to be taken by Russia since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, President Erdoğan made these comments:
"Because Russia is acting jointly with Syria. On the Iranian issue, Russia, Iran, Syria, all these three mechanisms are acting together. On the other side are the coalition forces of the US, the UK, and Germany. Coalition forces have become the patrons of the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation. It is critical that Russia, Iran, and Syria take stronger measures to address this situation, which poses the greatest threat to Syria's territorial integrity. Iraq is also undergoing similar circumstances. As a result, in light of Israel's efforts to spread the war throughout the region, as well as separatist terrorist organisations and destructive activities, we need to put aside petty interests and save the region in solidarity. Our burden is heavy, we have a lot to do."
"The principle of good neighbourliness is the key to a winning formula for both countries"
President Erdoğan said, "Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsotakis of Greece stated that an opportunity arose to determine maritime jurisdictions and that bold steps should be taken. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs might engage in discussions with their Minister of Foreign Affairs regarding this matter." In response to the question, "How do you assess the current negotiations with Egypt, as well as the possibility of including such a process in Greece?" President Erdoğan reminded that after the 2023 elections, there was an understanding between Greece and Türkiye to solve the current chronic problem through a proper negotiation.
Highlighting that he and Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsotakis of Greece gave political support to this process and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched extensive efforts regarding this issue, President Erdoğan continued:
"Both sides must be willing to define the problems, outline their content, and find solutions. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, will go to Greece and hold meetings regarding these issues. We will discuss all of these issues in the context of our comprehensive approach to the Aegean Sea.
Türkiye and Greece are two neighbouring countries with historical ties. The principle of good neighbourliness is the key to a winning formula for both countries. Based on this principle, I believe that Türkiye and Greece's relations are improving. From the beginning, we have approached the issues on the two countries' agendas with a solution-oriented approach. We are saying that 'two countries can demonstrate their will to find a solution and leave the problems behind.' We have consistently advocated for the determination of maritime and airspace jurisdictions in accordance with international law. Only through dialogue and cooperation can we in the region improve security and stability while lowering the risk of conflict. What we want is equity. We have no interest in anyone else's land, and we are determined to defend our rights to the end."
