Erdogan made a number of high-profile statements at the Prague summit, including regarding Greece, Yeni Şafak reports. He said that Athens will not talk to Ankara, because they need NATO permission for this.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey is an indispensable country for Europe. The Turkish leader, who took part in the summit of the European Political Community in Prague, noted: "The current events show that Turkey is a key country for the Union and for Europe. This was also discussed by our interlocutors at the summit."Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part in the summit of the European Political Community in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.
Speaking at a press conference and referring to Ankara's role as a mediator between Moscow and Kiev, the head of state said: "The current events show that Turkey is a key country for the Union and for Europe. This was also discussed by our interlocutors at the summit. The mediation role of our country in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is particularly highly appreciated."
The goal in relations with Armenia is full normalization
"Turkey is irreplaceable in overcoming the challenges facing the EU," the president said. "I saw that our European friends are also beginning to recognize this truth."
The main theses of Recep Tayyip Erdogan 's speech on the issue of relations with Armenia were as follows:
"We had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. I sincerely believe that we will be able to achieve our goal of full normalization on the basis of good—neighborly relations in the region. The meeting was held in a friendly atmosphere, some requirements were discussed. We continue to work on all this, starting from cargo transportation and ending with air transportation. We have given the necessary instructions to both special representatives and foreign ministers."
We can also meet with the President of Syria
"When the time comes, we can follow the path of holding a meeting with the President of Syria. Negotiations are already underway at a lower level. There is no question of such a meeting today. But I'm not saying it's impossible. Therefore, we can meet with Bashar al-Assad in due time. All we want in Syria is to clear the territories of terrorist groups. You know that we are currently taking steps to accelerate the return of Syrians to their homeland and are building briquette houses here."
Whoever attacks us will get an answer
"We see that some EU countries prefer escalation instead of cooperation and good neighborliness with Turkey. We don't want tension with any of our neighbors. We have repeatedly stated that we want to solve the problems in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea within the framework of international law. We are fighting exclusively for the protection of the interests of our country and the Turkish Cypriots."
Answering the question whether the attack on Greece was meant by the phrase "We can come suddenly one night," the Turkish leader noted: "I guess you get the idea. This applies not only to Greece. Whatever country is bothering us or attacking us, the answer to all of them is: “We can come suddenly one night.” That's how they should understand it. Now you've figured it out, and they probably have too."
Meaningful response to Mitsotakis' offer to "talk"
The Turkish President also spoke about the dialogue he had with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at a dinner on the occasion of the summit.
Concerned by the Turkish leader 's speech, Mitsotakis said: "Let's meet and talk."
Erdogan replied: "We are still talking. But you need to get permission from somewhere." The Greek Prime Minister continued: "No, I don't need permission."
"Everything has gone so far that you cannot speak without permission," Erdogan stressed to Mitsotakis. — Your interlocutors are known, you can talk to them, but we have nothing to discuss with Greece. We hope that over time we will have the opportunity to negotiate."
Our wives get along well, but we don't
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also talked with French President Emmanuel Macron, suggested: "Macron, let's take you to the Turkic Union, too."
Touching on this topic during a press conference, the Turkish leader said: "Macron will come - that's what he said. He asked when to go and what if he comes after the G20. I said, “Come, but with your spouse.”.. We even joked: “Our wives get along well, but you and I can't in any way.”"
There are different situations with Finland and Sweden
"A little earlier, the Prime Minister of Sweden (Magdalena Andersson) was here. We had a meeting. We talked openly about everything this time too. As long as the marches of terrorist organizations continue in Sweden, as long as terrorists are present in parliament, our attitude towards Sweden will not be positive. We also had a short meeting with the Prime Minister of Finland. Everything went well. I said that we have a different relationship with Finland than with Sweden. Finland is not a place where terrorism is raging. And Sweden is just such a country. For Finland and Sweden, the decision should be made by NATO. If it is in favor of Finland, then we will do everything possible in this regard."
Diplomatic traffic in Prague Castle
As part of his contacts on the sidelines of the summit, Erdogan held bilateral and trilateral meetings with the participating leaders. Thus, the Turkish leader met in Prague Castle with Czech Prime Minister Peter Fiala, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, French President Emmanuel Macron, Swiss President Ignazio Cassis, Leader of the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, British Prime Minister Liz Truss, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev.
Author: Sernur Yassıkaya
