It is difficult for Türkiye to establish a common future with countries that secretly or openly support the terrorist groups that Türkiye is fighting, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday.
Ankara has the potential to play a key role in resolving the issues that Europe faces, Erdoğan said, adding, but, first of all, Europe needs to change its approach towards Türkiye in all matters in line with the spirit of alliance and partnership.
"It is clear that it is difficult for us to dream of a common future with a Europe that protects the terrorists, takes sides against us in every issue and secretly and openly supports the terrorist groups which Türkiye is fighting against. Not to mention the implicit embargoes imposed on us," Erdoğan told the TRT World Forum 2022 in Istanbul.
"We are a country that preferred to walk with Europe after World War II. Despite all the sacrifices we have made, we will never forget that we were left alone in our fight against terrorist groups that threaten our unity. Thousands of trucks of weapons and ammunition were sent to terrorist groups in northern Syria. The country that sent it is a NATO ally."
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the United States, Türkiye and the European Union and Washington's support for its Syrian affiliate, the YPG, has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara. The U.S. primarily partnered with YPG terrorists in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the PKK/YPG's presence in northern Syria.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to the PKK/YPG, despite its NATO ally's security concerns. Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to defeat another, Türkiye has conducted its counterterrorism operations throughout, removing a significant number of terrorists from the region.
Türkiye did not tolerate those who supported Greece in the Aegean and Mediterranean and encouraged their provocative actions, Erdoğan also said.
"We are together in NATO, but you are arming the Greek islands with weapons and aircraft, and we still have not worked out the F-16 (fighter jets) issue with you," he added.
Erdoğan said Türkiye will not give up on dialogue so that the Cyprus issue can be resolved on a fair basis with new and concrete steps.
Türkiye and Greece are at odds over several issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.
Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, has complained of repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region in recent months, including arming islands near Turkish shores that are demilitarized under treaties, saying that such moves frustrate its good faith efforts for peace.
"No one can any longer afford to turn a blind eye to the problems in any part of the world, withhold their support or postpone their contributions to the solution. All must share the burden for the welfare of humanity’s common future. In this spirit, we work to sincerely fulfil our responsibilities regarding regional and global issues," Erdoğan also said.
Ukraine war
Türkiye continues its efforts to solve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Erdoğan also said, adding that toward this end he will soon hold talks with his counterparts on both sides of the conflict.
"In order to resolve this crisis, I will have talks with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin on Sunday. Likewise, there will be one with (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy," Erdoğan told the TRT World Forum.
Erdoğan said Türkiye wants to further strengthen the grain corridor deal Türkiye helped forge this summer, "and in Putin's words, to send (food) through this grain corridor to underdeveloped countries."
On July 22, Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed a landmark agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which had been paused in February due to Russia's war on Ukraine. Days before its scheduled expiration, the landmark grain deal was extended for another 120 days, beginning Nov. 19.
"Although the Istanbul process seems to have been interrupted by developments in the field, it still remains the ideal negotiation ground for lasting peace," the Turkish leader said.
From the very beginning of the crisis, Erdoğan said Türkiye carried out intense diplomacy guided by the principle that there are no winners in war, adding that Türkiye has pioneered peaceful diplomacy that will set an example for the world.
"While strongly defending Ukraine's territorial integrity, we opposed fueling tension in the region with irrational policies toward Russia," Erdoğan added.