President Erdoğan: We cannot accept the threat posed by terrorist organizations against our country

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a press conference at Esenboğa Airport before departing for Serbia.

Noting that the 140th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Turkey and Serbia will be marked with celebrations as part of the visit, President Erdoğan said the relations between Turkey and Serbia will be talked through during his bilateral meeting with President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia.

Asked about the statement made by the White House following his phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump last evening, President Erdoğan stated that the withdrawal from the region has already started, with works by relevant units underway. Noting that the withdrawal is not a new issue but rather has a long past, President Erdoğan drew attention to the delay in the withdrawal despite Mr. Trump’s instruction to pull out. Stressing that the talks, which are already in progress, will be continued with determination in the period ahead, President Erdoğan underlined that it is impossible for Turkey to accept the threat posed by terrorist organizations.

“F35S ARE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOPICS IN OUR BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH THE U.S.”

In response to a question about his planned visit to the U.S. next month, President Erdoğan said the relations between Turkey and the U.S. and the developments in the region will be on the agenda during the visit.

Answering a question as to whether the F35s and Patriots will be brought up during the talks to be held in the U.S., President Erdoğan described the F35s as one of the most important topics in the bilateral relations and underlined that Turkey continues to fulfill its responsibilities both about the supply of parts for the F35s and the execution of relevant payments. 

President Erdoğan left Turkey for Serbia following the press conference.