President Erdoğan addresses journalists’ questions on return flight from Azerbaijan
President Erdoğan: “The shipment of urgently needed supplies to Gaza is crucial for us. This issue is not just about aid but a matter of humanity. We are closely monitoring this.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed journalists aboard the plane and answered their questions as he returned to Türkiye from Azerbaijan, where he attended the “November 8, Victory Day” ceremony.
President Erdoğan expressed his heartfelt congratulations to Azerbaijan on its November 8 Victory Day, commemorating the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for their homeland and extending his gratitude to the veterans.
He recalled how five years ago, during the 44-day war of liberation, Türkiye showed its strongest support to Azerbaijan, and how on December 10, 2020, he and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan watched the victory parade held at Azadliq Square. He emphasised that the signing of the Shusha Declaration in 2021 strengthened relations, which had reached an alliance level, through tangible projects in every area.
During this visit, President Erdoğan mentioned that he had the chance to discuss bilateral relations with President Aliyev, and ministers and representatives from various countries, alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, participated in the celebrations. He stated:
“You will remember that, as the three leaders, we met in Lachin on May 28, Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, and held the second meeting of our trilateral summit. Today, we also held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In addition to discussing our relations, we specifically focused on measures to prevent the recent military escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. As you are aware, in collaboration with Qatar, we are engaged in mediation efforts to put an end to the conflict environment between these two brotherly nations. Our goal is to implement measures and mechanisms that will make the ceasefire sustainable and to end terrorist activities in the region permanently."
"Azerbaijan will emerge as the architect of peace in the region”
President Erdoğan stressed that he has been following with appreciation the reconstruction and rehabilitation activities ongoing in Nagorno-Karabakh and that Türkiye continues to support these efforts.
Underlining that they welcome the steps taken in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, President Erdoğan said that they have repeatedly expressed their pleasure at the memorandum of understanding signed between the parties in Washington on August 8. After more than 30 years of instability in the South Caucasus, President Erdoğan drew attention to a window of opportunity opening for lasting peace and calm and noted:
“With the swift conclusion of the peace process, Azerbaijan, the victor of the war, will also emerge as the architect of peace in the region. With these thoughts, once again, I congratulate all our Azerbaijani brothers on Victory Day and send my most heartfelt A new atmosphere of peace is emerging after the victory, and we, as Türkiye, are pleased with this. greetings on behalf of my country and nation. I also congratulate Azerbaijan in advance on the forthcoming State Flag Day. I extend my gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, who, as always, received us with his warm hospitality, and to the brotherly people of Azerbaijan who embraced us."
"A new atmosphere of peace is emerging after the victory"
In response to a journalist’s question, “In the fifth year of the Karabakh War, what was Türkiye's most significant form of support, and in your view, what marked the turning point? Will this support set a precedent for the member states of the Organisation of Turkic States?" President Erdoğan stated that the Karabakh victory is not solely Azerbaijan’s but a triumph for the entire Turkic world.
Emphasising that with the spirit of “two states, one nation”, they will maintain a mindset that sustains this solidarity, President Erdoğan said, “We said to friend and foe alike, ‘Türkiye stands with Azerbaijan to the end. Even before we took the first step, we declared that we were with Azerbaijan. Turkish UAVs and the systems developed through the dedication of our engineers have become symbols of Turkish intellect, Turkish will, and Turkish bravery. "A new atmosphere of peace is emerging after the victory, and we, as Türkiye, are pleased with this. We are also conducting the normalisation process with Armenia, synchronised with Azerbaijan."
Stressing that they have told their counterparts that they will never allow Azerbaijan's rights to be compromised, President Erdoğan expressed the following regarding Karabakh:
"Currently, under the leadership of my brother Ilham Aliyev, there is a massive development initiative in Karabakh. Roads, tunnels, agricultural projects, and houses are rising all over Karabakh one after another. We are making the necessary contributions to Azerbaijan in this process. Especially in terms of infrastructure and superstructure, Azerbaijan is experiencing a process of change and transformation. As a political leader who has closely followed this place both during the late Heydar Aliyev's era and after Mr. Ilham took over, I know very well what happened, when, and where. It is absolutely impossible to overlook Mr. Ilham's success. I congratulate him and his team on that."
"We are making great efforts to deliver what we are entrusted by our nation to our Palestinian brothers and sisters"
"There are still some difficulties regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Our hope is for a resolution as soon as possible. Winter is coming, there is a massive accommodation problem. There are campaigns by non-governmental organisations. In response to a question, "Will there be a large-scale, country-wide aid campaign initiated by our state?", President Erdoğan stated that Türkiye continues to provide aid to Gaza at the highest level.
Underlining that the Turkish nation is very sensitive to this issue, President Erdoğan noted that the 17th Kindness Ship has reached El-Arish; however, the aid corridors have been intentionally blocked, hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region. President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows:
“Permission was to be granted for the daily entry of 600 trucks of humanitarian aid, but even this promise that they have undertaken is not being fulfilled. We are making great efforts to deliver what we are entrusted by our nation to our Palestinian brothers and sisters. In our contacts with our friends, brothers and sisters, we are discussing and developing plans regarding this issue. The shipment of urgently needed supplies to Gaza is crucial for us. This issue is not just about aid but a matter of humanity. We are closely monitoring this. Specifically, food, medicine, accommodation materials, health equipment, clothing, and hygiene products have been dispatched so far, and our efforts to provide such items continue. We will also carry out their dispatch in the following process"
President Erdoğan, who noted that the construction of houses has started and is going on in northern Syria, stated that as Syria reinforces its unity, solidarity, peace, and stability, the return of refugees scattered across various countries of the world is also being expedited.
"Look where we have come now? Have the sanctions on Syria been lifted? They have. What happened? What was going to happen? In politics, the issue is a matter of vision... If you have vision, you solve problems, but if you don't, you can't deal with anything," said President Erdoğan, emphasising that the number of people returning to Syria since 2016 has reached 1 million 290 thousand and that this number is increasing every day. President Erdoğan expressed that these are pleasing and good results for them, saying, "You mentioned the earthquake region. Our preparations are underway, particularly for the dispatch of containers used in this region to Gaza. Our friends are continuing to work on this. These containers will hopefully be the highest-level provision for the region. In the process of building the new Gaza where Palestinians will continue to live, we will hopefully give these containers to our brothers."
"What is taking place wrenches the conscience of humanity."
"Sudan has been writhing in a civil war for nearly two years. Responding to a question on Türkiye's approach to the developments in Sudan, President Erdoğan pointed out that it is not possible to act without a plan, saying, "First the plan, then the project. We will do these. Moreover, Sudan is a country that is constantly waiting for Türkiye to extend a helping hand. Every pain, every massacre, every drama experienced there tears our hearts apart. They also have expectations from us. In response to these expectations, we are making our assessments with our colleagues and continuing our efforts to determine what kind of support we can provide."
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that over the past two years, thousands of people have lost their lives in Sudan, millions have been displaced or forced into exile, and children are struggling with hunger and disease. Emphasising their wish for the resolution of the conflict in Sudan and an end to the bloodshed between brothers, President Erdoğan said: "What is taking place wrenches the conscience of humanity. We believe that this conflict must come to an end as soon as possible and that a solution must be found through dialogue. We are well aware of the weight of our responsibility in this regard. "Türkiye cannot remain a mere observer of the events unfolding here. We will continue our diplomatic efforts to ensure peace and security in Sudan. The people of Sudan should rest assured that Türkiye stands with them.”
“We hope to gain strong capabilities through the F-35s”
In response to the question, “I would like to ask about the F-16 and F-35 agenda. The agreement concerning the Eurofighter aircraft has recently been finalised. Türkiye is gradually strengthening its air inventory, there have been significant developments. During your latest visit to Washington, the issue of the F-16s and F-35s was also raised. Has there been any progress following that visit?”, President Erdoğan stated that progress with the Eurofighter programme is proceeding positively. He noted that Türkiye has been taking constructive steps regarding the Eurofighters with both the United Kingdom and Germany, and that discussions are also underway with Qatar and Oman.
“It may be possible for us to purchase some of the Eurofighter aircraft currently in their possession. Should these agreements be finalised, it would mark a positive development for our country. Together with the advances we are making in our national defence industry, Türkiye will attain significant new capabilities. The technical-level negotiations and progress to be achieved are of great importance. In our recent meetings with U.S. President Mr. Trump regarding the F-35 issue, we have taken promising steps. I sincerely hope that the commitments made will be fulfilled, and that we will, Inshallah, gain strong capabilities through the F-35s.”
“A nation with strong family values grows stronger”
In response to the question, “You previously stated, during the Year of the Family opening programme and on other occasions, that our population growth rate has been declining, and that the institution of the family is being undermined through LGBT-related influences. Over the course of the year, more than 10,000 activities were conducted across all 81 provinces. Last Friday, even the Friday sermon focused on the family. In addition, significant measures were taken to encourage marriage and childbearing. As we approach the end of the Year of the Family, what is the current situation regarding threats to the family institution?” President Erdoğan said:
"The family is the cornerstone of Türkiye’s civilisation and the bearer of its core values. The family is the foundation of our civilisation, the carrier of our values, and the most sacred institution that defines who we are. The family issue is of vital importance to us. Just as we develop our defence industry and take measures for cybersecurity to ensure the security of our country, we must also protect our families against new-generation threats. The main goal of the Year of the Family initiative has been to preserve the role and function of the family in Türkiye. In this context, we will never allow perversions such as those promoted under the guise of LGBT to undermine our social fabric. A nation with strong family structures will always grow stronger.” President Erdoğan further noted that the family institution in Türkiye remains robust, adding:
“Therefore, we will proceed into the future with even stronger steps. There can be no deviation from this path, nor can we allow one. At present, our population growth rate stands at 1.7 — this is a critical issue that must be addressed. Such a population growth rate is unacceptable for Türkiye. That is why we consistently emphasise having at least three children — indeed, why not four or five? We must accelerate this process so that, with a rising population growth rate, Türkiye will advance into the future with even greater strength.”
In response to the question, “In the context of the tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Türkiye assumed a mediating role. You met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Was this issue raised during your meeting?” President Erdoğan said, “Indeed, this matter was discussed. Our engagement in the process is progressing in a positive direction. Hopefully, the outcome will be auspicious. Inshallah, within this week, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defence, Yaşar Güler, and Director of the National Intelligence Organisation, İbrahim Kalın, will pay a joint visit to Pakistan. They will discuss these issues there and work to bring the process that began in Doha to a successful conclusion in Ankara. We hope for the establishment of a lasting ceasefire and peace, and we continue to urge all parties to exercise restraint.”
