President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on his way from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Senegal, answered journalists' questions on the plane and made assessments on the agenda. Reminding that the provocative statements of the United States of America (USA) regarding the tension between Russia and Ukraine and the attempts of the European leaders to reduce the tension could not yield any results and said, “Turkey has a process that you started. At what stage is it? Does diplomacy still stand a chance from here?" Upon being asked the question, Erdoğan said: “As of now, it is not clear where the USA statements and especially all the oddities in the Munich Conference worked for, where they are working. In my opinion, the Munich Conference was nothing more than just a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit. We have made a sincere effort to lower the tension in this crisis from the very beginning. We have clearly put forward our messages regarding the resolution of the crisis. In the statement made by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the latest developments, it was stated that the Russia's so-called decision to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk republics was contrary to the Minsk agreements. It was emphasized that this decision constitutes a clear violation of Ukraine's political unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We consider this decision of Russia unacceptable. We reiterate our call for common sense and compliance with international law.”
“AT A TIME, WE CAME TO THE POINT OF TAKING THESE STEPS…”
Asked about his expectations regarding the region, Palestine and Turkey-Israel relations from Israeli President Herzog's visit in March, President Erdoğan made the following assessment: “We really care about this visit of Mr. Herzog. The step taken in Turkey-Israel relations with this visit can be seen in other dimensions from now on. In the Palestinian issue, especially in the steps taken regarding these constructions, solution points may come to the fore. It is our hope that; With this visit, let's take steps to make this business stronger. Another important issue here is, it is taking steps from natural gas to many other issues in Turkey-Israel relations. We came to the point of taking these steps for a while, but with the negative view of the Israeli prime minister at that time, we could not continue that process. But right now, there may be much different developments. It is our hope that; Taking this step between Turkey and Israel can strengthen our relations and thus transform the region into a future-oriented peace basin,” he added.
“WE CANNOT LET THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF BEING A BLACK SEA COUNTRY BE AWAY”
“If a war breaks out in Ukraine, we can somehow see it as the destabilization of the Black Sea. Like the Eastern Mediterranean… The West will concentrate more on the Black Sea. Are we worried about a new type of threat to Turkey? What kind of new threats does the intensification of crises in the Black Sea pose for us?” On the question, Erdogan said, “We are also a Black Sea country. Since we are a Black Sea country, many precautionary packages must be created. We are already taking our measures, we have taken them. This is how we continue and will continue to work. We cannot leave aside the responsibilities of being a Black Sea country. We will continue on our way with this understanding.”