President Erdoğan performs Friday prayer in Istanbul
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered reporters’ questions after performing the Friday prayer at Hz. Ali Mosque in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district.
In answer to a question about his phone call today with his Russian counterpart, President Erdoğan said that he congratulated Mr. Putin on his 70th birthday and that Mr. Putin thanked Türkiye for mediating between Russia and Ukraine.
Asked about some Greek media outlets’ allegations that he and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had an altercation during the European Political Community dinner in Prague, President Erdoğan said: “Do I look like that kind of person? First of all, he doesn’t know protocol rules. I was one of the keynote speakers. I made my speech and proceeded to my table. However, even though he was not supposed to deliver a speech, he attempted to respond to me. I don’t know from whom he obtained the permission to do so. Am I to respond to his response? Does the President of the Republic of Türkiye ever go down to such a level?”
In answer to a question as to whether there are any ongoing talks regarding Türkiye’s procurement of Eurofighters in lieu of F-16s, President Erdoğan noted that he never mentioned Eurofighters as an alternative, and went onto say: “What did I say? There are alternatives in the world. We bought S-400s when our need for Patriots was not met and likewise there are many other countries that will fulfill our need regarding the F-16 issue if the U.S. does not meet our need.”
