President Erdoğan: We are in close contact with Russia and Ukraine with a view to putting an immediate end to the war

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a joint press conference following the Extraordinary Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government in Brussels.

President Erdoğan said: “We are going through a period in which not only the security architecture of Europe but also the global perception of security has been changing. Today, it has been a month since the Ukraine-Russia war began. We as NATO allies have come together at leaders’ level to address both the recent developments and the measures the Alliance has taken in the current security environment.”

“TÜRKİYE’S STRONG SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND SOVEREIGNTY IS KNOWN BY EVERYONE”

President Erdoğan stated: “It is noteworthy that NATO has once again given messages of unity and solidarity after the virtual summit on February 25. Türkiye’s strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty since 2014 is known by everyone. We have stated at every opportunity that we never have and never will recognize Crimea’s annexation, and we continue to do so. On the occasion of the summit, I once again strongly reiterated our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Our stance on Russia’s attack on Ukraine is clear and consistent with this principled policy of ours. The destruction and humanitarian tragedy caused by the war are evident. The war-torn cities, hospitals, schools and houses that have nearly turned into wrecks, and weeping refugees, who packed all their assets in one suitcase, have all reminded us once again of the bitter face of wars.”

“WE CLOSELY FOLLOW AND SUPPORT THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE PARTIES”

Stating that ss the conflicts continued, the destruction of the war, unfortunately, increased as well for both sides, President Erdoğan said: “Both Russia and Ukraine are our neighbors in the Black Sea. We have a strategic partnership with Ukraine in addition to our deep-rooted, multidimensional and close relations. Also, we attach importance to being in a constructive dialogue with Russia, another neighbor of ours, on the basis of mutual trust. Türkiye, as a country which has been carrying the burden of the war in Syria almost alone for the past 11 years, work in order for peace to prevail in the region. We are in close contact with both countries with a view to putting an immediate end to the war. We closely follow and support the negotiations between the parties.

“We have thus far taken many steps to facilitate the negotiation process. Us bringing together the Foreign Ministers in Antalya and the talks our Minister of Foreign Affairs held in Moscow and Lviv were each a turning point. We believe that the final solution should be based on a reliable formula to be accepted by both countries and the international community.”

Underscoring that Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence must be the main priority, President Erdoğan went on to say: “We are cautiously optimistic about the progress made in certain points at the negotiations. Since the beginning of the war we have been using the authority given our country by the Montreux Convention in a manner to ease the tension in the Black Sea.”

“WE HAVE DELIVERED 56 TRUCKLOADS OF HUMANITARIAN AID TO THE REGION”

Touching upon Türkiye’s humanitarian works, President Erdoğan continued as follows: “We have thus far delivered 56 truckloads of humanitarian aid to the region, and continue to send new ones. We have helped more than 63 thousand foreign nationals, including the Ukrainians, leave the zones of conflict. The number of the Ukrainians who have come to Türkiye, on the other hand, has neared 60 thousand. We will continue to send these humanitarian aids to Ukraine and its neighbors from now on as well. Both our governmental institutions, such as AFAD and Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), and non-governmental organizations work selflessly on the ground. I hereby thank all our institutions that represent our nation’s generosity and spirit of solidarity despite all kinds of risks and threats. Also, we have evacuated 142 officials of OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine via Istanbul. We as a country which has been hosting the most refugees in the world, namely nearly 5 million refugees, for the past 8 years perfectly understand the difficult situation our friends are in.”

“What is more, we know from the bitter experiences of the past that the international community has failed to properly protect refugees. We are deeply saddened that desperate people, forced to leave their homes and lands, are discriminated against because of their eye color, language, belief, or culture,” the President stated.

“TÜRKİYE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO NATO’S DETERRENCE AND DEFENSE MEASURES”

“We have exchanged comprehensive views as to how the Alliance can respond to the threats against Euro-Atlantic security,” President Erdoğan further stressed, and said: “NATO must act with a realistic and strategic approach while continuing its political and practical support to Ukraine in the current climate of war. The decisions we have made during the summit wholly consist of steps to strengthen NATO’s structure of deterrence and defense. Thus, we have underlined once again that the Alliance is not in a structuring that may pose a threat to Russia or any other third country. As measures are being taken to effectively protect the allies in the face of possible conflicts and crises, I have especially highlighted the importance of the principle of indivisibility of security. I underscored that the 360-degree security is the fundamental principle. I once again expressed to our allies our national security priorities and concerns, including the fight against terror.

“Türkiye will continue to make the necessary contributions to NATO’s deterrence and defense measures on the basis of the spirit of Alliance. We expect the same solidarity from our allies as well. While the successes of the Turkish defense industry products are plain as day, there can be no reasonable justification for the obstruction we are faced with in this area. The lifting of some of the restrictions placed on our defense industry by some of our allies in particular will be to our mutual benefit. Overt/covert embargos or restrictions should not even be brought up among allies or discussed, let alone implementing them. I clearly shared with leaders our expectations with regard to this matter.”

“TÜRKİYE HAS A SAY IN THE FUTURE OF THE ALLIANCE”

Pointing out that today’s meeting constituted a significant milestone on the path towards the NATO summit to be held in Madrid in June, President Erdoğan stated: “A summit is being planned in Madrid, where decision that will shape the future of the Alliance, and carry NATO to the next decades will be made. Surely, the new Strategic Concept of NATO will stand out in these decisions. Türkiye, with its contributions to this process, has a say in the future of the Alliance as has been the case for NATO’s past and present. You know very well what an intense diplomatic traffic we have conducted since the outbreak of the war. I have held intensive talks with most of the world leaders. I have kept in close contact and exchanged views with many of my counterparts.

“Today, in addition to my usual contacts, I have held bilateral talks with President Emmanuel Macron of France, who also holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, and with other heads of state and government that participated in the Summit. During these talks, we have mainly discussed the developments in Ukraine. Also, we have exchanged views within the framework of our bilateral agendas. I once again shared with the leaders of the European Union our expectations regarding the revitalization of our accession process, the initiation of negotiations to update of the Customs Union, making institutional cooperation mechanisms functional again, providing flexibility in the visa liberalization process, and giving Türkiye the place it deserves in the common defense and security structures developed by the Union.”