Erdoğan slams US stance on Gaza, hails ties
Despite improving ties, the president expressed Ankara’s discontent with the U.S. approach to the Palestine-Israel conflict that has hindered peace talks, while highlighting Türkiye’s ongoing efforts
SPEAKING to journalists on his way home from Egypt, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the peace process in the Palestine-Israel conflict has failed to bear fruit due to the negative approach of the United States. The president, nevertheless, lauded improving ties with the U.S., pointing out a “positive momentum.”
In remarks published yesterday, Erdoğan said that attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 reflect Israel’s “usual lack of conscience” and underlined that the security of the people in the region “cannot be compromised.”
“The world cannot ignore that the solution lies in an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem based on 1967 borders,” the Turkish president said. “Is forcing civilians to a supposedly safe area before bombing it in line with humanitarian values, laws of war, international law, human rights?” he questioned.
Türkiye advocates a two-state solution to the issue and is engaged in diplomatic efforts to stop the Israeli aggression that has claimed the lives of thousands in the Gaza Strip. Erdoğan said the stance of Türkiye, its “friends” and other countries in the United Nations General Assembly further isolated Israel but the bloodshed continues.
“Israel still continues its cruel attacks,” he highlighted. Erdoğan reiterated criticism of Western countries’ stance on the issue that either involved openly supporting Israel or ignoring its siege of Gaza. The president, however, acknowledged that: “Some officials in some Western countries finally started voicing what we have voiced since (the conflict) began. We see how some countries, which sided with Israel in the beginning, now regret it.” “Calls for peace, unfortunately, remain fruitless due to the negative approach of the United States,” he said. The United States is the chief supporter of Israel, though lately Washington and Tel Aviv fell out on the latter’s approach to the conflict.
“The United States sent some high-ranking officials to the region, supposedly to resolve the issue, but they failed to achieve results,” Erdoğan added. He was referring to intense diplomatic efforts by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who visited the region, including Tel Aviv, Ramallah and other regional countries.
SPEAKING to journalists on his way home from Egypt, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the peace process in the Palestine-Israel conflict has failed to bear fruit due to the negative approach of the United States. The president, nevertheless, lauded improving ties with the U.S., pointing out a “positive momentum.”
In remarks published yesterday, Erdoğan said that attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 reflect Israel’s “usual lack of conscience” and underlined that the security of the people in the region “cannot be compromised.”
“The world cannot ignore that the solution lies in an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem based on 1967 borders,” the Turkish president said. “Is forcing civilians to a supposedly safe area before bombing it in line with humanitarian values, laws of war, international law, human rights?” he questioned.
Türkiye advocates a two-state solution to the issue and is engaged in diplomatic efforts to stop the Israeli aggression that has claimed the lives of thousands in the Gaza Strip. Erdoğan said the stance of Türkiye, its “friends” and other countries in the United Nations General Assembly further isolated Israel but the bloodshed continues.
“Israel still continues its cruel attacks,” he highlighted.
Erdoğan reiterated criticism of Western countries’ stance on the issue that either involved openly supporting Israel or ignoring its siege of Gaza. The president, however, acknowledged that: “Some officials in some Western countries finally started voicing what we voiced since (the conflict) began. We see how some countries, which sided with Israel in the beginning, now regret it.”
“Calls for peace, unfortunately, remain fruitless due to the negative approach of the United States,” he said. The United States is the chief supporter of Israel, though lately Washington and Tel Aviv fell out on the latter’s approach to the conflict.
“The United States sent some high-ranking officials to the region, supposedly to resolve the issue, but they failed to achieve results,” Erdoğan added. He was referring to intense diplomatic efforts by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who visited the region, from Tel Aviv to Ramallah and the regional countries.
“Still, we will work to ensure a cease-fire and peace because there is no other way,” the Turkish president stated.
The situation in Gaza was the main topic in Erdoğan’s discussions in Egypt. Egypt is a leading actor in resolving the PalestineIsrael conflict and hosted talks with Hamas the day Erdoğan visited Cairo. It is also the only country with a safe border crossing for Gazans and delivery of humanitarian relief.
Erdoğan said there were positive developments for humanitarian aid flow and that he discussed the issues with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. “They told us that they would push Israel on this issue. Our foreign minister is also holding talks (to ensure aid delivery). We will continue talks with Mr. El-Sissi and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. U.S. officials say they will press Israel on this issue. The number of aid trucks reaching Gaza has increased up to 250, but this is not enough. This number should be up at 500 or 600 and only then, we can talk about a solution to this issue,” he said.
Erdoğan said he also talked with el-Sissi about Israel’s attacks in Rafah and reiterated Türkiye’s opposition to the violation of the safety of people there.
Although he was critical of the U.S. stance on Israel, Erdoğan said the two countries had more things they see eye to eye on, citing “positive developments” after Türkiye’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership and subsequent steps by the U.S. to approve the F-16 jet sale to Türkiye.
“The atmosphere is positive in U.S. Congress, U.S. Senate. We don’t have a negative process with the U.S. As a matter of fact, we see a positive momentum,” he said.
TURKISH-EGYPTIAN TIES
Erdoğan, who visited Egypt for the first time in more than a decade, said el-Sissi will likely visit Türkiye in April or May. “Türkiye and Egypt are two important countries of the region. We came together (with el-Sissi) during the World Cup thanks to the Qatari emir and launched a normalization process. My visit was the result of Mr. el-Sissi’s persistent invitation. In return, I suggested holding a high-level strategic committee meeting and they accepted. Our foreign ministers will continue talks,” he said.
The president highlighted cultural and historical bonds with Egypt and how the two countries also shared “the same sea, which gained importance in the global equation.”
“Foreign policy is based on mutual interests. Synchronized steps of the two countries undoubtedly are in the interest of both. The new era in our relations is based on solid ground. We have critical challenges ahead, and global challenges are unpredictable. Thus, we have to be together to maintain peace in our region and the world. We have fields of cooperation that will develop both countries, and we will take necessary steps to ensure it.”
PKK AND IRAQ
Erdoğan also answered reporters’ questions about his meeting with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Dubai, before he headed to Egypt, and recent visits of the Turkish foreign minister, intelligence agency director and defense minister to Iraq amid the fight against the PKK, whose leaders hide out in the mountainous northern part of Türkiye’s southeastern neighbor.
The president said Türkiye has been friendly to the countries with positive approaches and the visits of Turkish officials “softened the mood” after “negative developments in Iraq,” referring to PKK attacks that killed more than a dozen soldiers in northern Iraq.
“We see good developments in terms of steps both by the central administration in Baghdad and northern Iraq,” he said. Türkiye repeatedly called on Baghdad to recognize the PKK as a terrorist group and criticized the PKK’s gaining footing in the KRG-run city of Sulaymaniyah.
“We are ready to take joint steps with our neighbors as long as they do not tolerate the establishment of a ‘terroristan’ on our border,” he said.
He affirmed Türkiye’s respect for the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria, in which PKK is also active, in response to statements by officials in two countries that Türkiye’s cross-border operations harmed sovereignty.
The president criticized Sulaymaniyah was still harboring PKK members despite their repeated warnings to the city’s administration and in his meeting with Barzani, he repeated this warning. “This cannot be tolerated. We took steps and will take more steps. We can tolerate some things but we cannot tolerate violation of our national security,” he stated.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT
Answering a question on his comment about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks in an interview with Tucker Carlson that then British premier Boris Johnson caused the collapse of a peace deal with Ukraine and Türkiye’s role in peace talks, Erdoğan hailed Putin for his “sincerity.”
“We took sincere steps on this matter. Our ministers held talks with the Russian side. We focused on getting results but somehow, peace could not be accomplished. But we will not give up. Before Johnson abandoned peace talks, we worked together to achieve peace. Recently (U.K. Foreign Secretary) David Cameron visited us and we discussed this matter. If Mr. Putin or Russian ministers directly exchange views with us, we continue this process. It is Türkiye that achieved concrete results serving peace in the UkraineRussia conflict, from prisoner exchanges to the grain corridor. We arranged a meeting of two sides several times in Türkiye. We can do it again and open the door to peace with a process management based on solution. We are pursuing this in our talks with Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy. Since the beginning of the conflict, we advocate that a fair peace is better than war,” he stated.