President Erdoğan answers journalists’ questions on his return from visits to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan commented on the recent developments while addressing journalists' questions on the return flight from his visits to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan.

President Erdoğan marked the completion of his visits to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan, which began on February 10, stating, "We deeply appreciate the spectacular reception shown to me and my delegation in these three friendly and brotherly countries, each of which is uniquely significant for us."

"The heartfelt courtesy extended by millions of people living thousands of kilometres away from Türkiye is a clear testament to the deep compassion for our nation," said President Erdoğan, and continued:

"The honorary doctorate bestowed upon me in Malaysia, the joint address we delivered with my esteemed friend Anwar Ibrahim to an audience of some 3,000 people, as well as the people's warm reception of us in Indonesia and Pakistan, which transcended beyond mere official hospitality, have been engraved onto our memories. We had the pleasure of gifting our national electric vehicle, Togg, to our counterparts as a symbol of our cordial relationships with each of the three countries. These visits have also set in motion our will to strengthen our cooperation with the continent as part of the Asia Anew Initiative, which we launched in 2019. We agreed with Mr Anwar Ibrahim to enhance our strategic partnership, which was established in 2022, through a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Malaysia, the first destination of my visits. We have signed eleven agreements in a manifold of fields, particularly in the defence industry and technology. We have adopted a joint declaration that will illuminate the future of our relations."

Noting the goal of $5 billion in trade volume with Malaysia was reached in 2014 during his term as the prime minister, President Erdoğan stated that the next milestone they aim for is $10 billion.

President Erdoğan conveyed their expectation for the size of Indonesia's economy, which has reached $1.5 trillion, to become one of the largest in the world within the next decade, and added, "We want to help alleviate Indonesia's infrastructural needs and enhance our partnerships, including co-production in industries such as defence. We reaffirmed our shared commitment to reach our trade volume of $10 billion with my esteemed brother President Prabowo. Moreover, we assessed the steps that can be taken to increase our trade volume with these two countries in a balanced and sustainable manner."

"We aim to enhance our institutional relationships with ASEAN"

Conveying their aim of fostering institutional relationships with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), President Erdoğan stated, "Our ultimate goal is to become a dialogue partner to ASEAN, to which we have been a sectoral dialogue partner since 2017. In this context, we outlined our expectations from ASEAN to its host country Indonesia, and the term-president Malaysia. I believe that both Malaysia and Indonesia will show the necessary support to our country."

Pointing out the twelve memoranda of understanding that were signed during the first Meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council with Indonesia, President Erdoğan added that they agreed upon the establishment of a Joint Committee on Industrial Cooperation.

President Erdoğan stated that the seventh Meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council convened during his visit to Pakistan, where 24 agreements were signed in various fields, from mining to energy transitions and military cooperations to the defence industry.

President Erdoğan noted:

"We adopted a comprehensive joint declaration befitting the spirit of our special ties. We have decided to establish an additional joint standing committee to further reinforce the council mechanism, especially in the fields of defence, security, and intelligence. We discussed the steps necessary to reach our bilateral trade target of $5 billion with Pakistan during my meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. We reaffirmed our commitment to advance our projects in Pakistan, including supply, sales, and co-production. During all of my meetings with my counterparts, we discussed international matters in detail, focusing primarily on Gaza and Syria. We especially overviewed our collective actions within the United Nations, G8, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

I have observed that we are fully committed to upholding our steadfast support for our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We will maintain our collective endeavours toward the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital and territorial integrity based on the 1967 borders. I would like to express my gratitude once more to my esteemed brother Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, President Prabowo Subianto, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for their most sincere hospitality."

Journalists' interview

President Erdoğan answered journalists' questions after discussing his assessments.

In response to the question highlighting the reception of Türkiye as a reliable partner and ally during the visits, asking, "How would you assess Türkiye's perspective of Asia in this era of diminishing Western dominance?" President Erdoğan stated, "My brother Anwar Ibrahim, Prabowo Subianto, as well as our counterparts in Pakistan, they all mention one thing, the Ottoman Empire. They say, 'You are the successor to the Ottoman Empire. This is how we see you.' Their words have so much sentimental value for us. They know us well, but unfortunately, we cannot understand ourselves as much. This is the issue."

President Erdoğan continued his remarks:

"You have seen the events in Malaysia, especially the ones in Indonesia. Similarly, you have witnessed the events in Pakistan, the last destination of our visits. This compassion for us was not fostered overnight. Quite frankly, the invaluable heritage of our ancestors is our most significant treasure. All the compliments we received were adorned onto us for the Ottoman heritage. Perhaps we would not have received these compliments or been treated in this manner if it were not for this impressive heritage. These compliments stem from the heritage entrusted to us by our ancestors. The interest of both the Eastern and Western countries in us is growing and will continue to grow as Türkiye's influence increases. Have no doubt in this regard. Our brothers and sisters from our kindred geographies are also overjoyed that Türkiye is influential both in its region and around the world. We are building a great bridge of hearts between two distinct worlds and civilisations. Our ancestors brought the culture and knowledge of Asia right into the middle of Europe and made those lands our home. We now inhabit these lands. We cannot abandon their legacy by adopting a narrow perspective."

Stating that they recognise, understand, and bear the marks of both cultures, President Erdoğan commented, "Therefore, to us, East, West, North, and South matter the same. As Mevlana Jalaleddin Rumi eloquently described, the needle leg of our compass is firmly set in Anatolia and Thrace, while we travel around the world with the other leg to bring goodness and beauty."

President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye's relationship with Asia is going through a very different time in terms of historical ties and cultural matters, and added:

"We will continue to live by enriching it. As Western supremacy diminishes and Asia gains geopolitical significance, Türkiye's perspective of Asia is becoming increasingly vital. We aim to enhance our economic, social, and political connections with Muslim nations in Asia by progressively fortifying our relationships. By expanding our collaboration with Muslim Asian countries, we can foster more opportunities for progress and prosperity. We also share a desire to seize these opportunities and transform our countries into global powers. We will never lose this willpower. Meanwhile, we are confident that economic and commercial ties with regional countries will benefit both Türkiye and Asian countries. We demonstrate to the countries in the region that Türkiye is a trustworthy country through the business people who accompany us on these trips. Meetings and bilateral discussions with business people there, of course, yield outcomes. Praise be to Allah, we are successfully bringing these forward."

"Gaza is a lingering ache in our hearts"

Answering the question, "Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's remarks about you, particularly about your leadership, were astonishing. In this context, what would your message be to the Islamic world, especially in regards to Gaza, given the responsibility attributed to you as the leader of the Islamic world?" President Erdoğan stated, "We need to say this clearly. Gaza is a lingering ache in our hearts. Gaza is a wound in our hearts. We work and must work hard to relieve that ache and heal that wound."

President Erdoğan added, "Regretfully, the Islamic world has yet to act uniformly on this matter. We could not accomplish this while we were waiting for our hearts to beat collectively," and went on to say:

"In this sense, we must overcome our flaws, release our obligations, and unload our luggage. We all have witnessed what happened in Gaza. Something caught my eye on the television screens this evening. Qatar is delivering construction equipment to Gaza. They most likely purchased this construction equipment from Egypt. They are transporting the construction equipment to Gaza. They will presumably use construction equipment to clear the excavations. There is no other way. The same is true for Syria. Syria urgently requires construction equipment. This is what we discussed during our meeting with President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria. This is what they also expect from us. When our Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Director of our intelligence agency paid a visit, they both recognised this situation as well. They require heavy construction equipment to remove all of the rubble before the efforts for reconstruction and restoration can begin in Syria and Gaza. As it is widely known, the oppressors there persecute those people without mercy, regardless of religion, language, or race."

President Erdoğan noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent visit to the United States was enlightening and stated, "At the bottom of these events, you realise that the matter of religion once again becomes a significant dividing factor."

President Erdoğan reiterated that they have yet to observe any indication of a ceasefire, despite the declaration of one. He stated, "The fifth step will now be taken. In this fifth phase, what will be the situation? This is what we are monitoring. Our expectation and hope is that this ceasefire will be established on solid ground, at least this time in the fifth phase. This is what we expect from the United Nations. We are eagerly awaiting the results of the one-and-a-half-hour meeting between President Vladimir Putin of Russia and US President Donald Trump that took place last night. If this meeting produces the results that we expect in good faith, the globe will have made a very different step."

"Ignoring the suffering in this region will not serve the interests of the US"

In response to the question, "How do you evaluate US President Donald Trump's statements on Gaza? Can the US administration and Türkiye develop a joint strategy on the Palestine and Gaza issue to have a lasting peace in Gaza and to stop the genocide?" President Erdoğan said, "Unfortunately, the United States is getting our area wrong. No one should adopt an approach that disregards the history, values, and accomplishments of this region."