President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he plans to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump and take necessary steps.
Speaking in a joint news conference with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Erdoğan said Trump had previously expressed his intentions to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
"We will address this in my discussions with Mr. Trump and take steps accordingly," the president said, as he noted that it is important for them to maintain the same level of friendship they had in the first term.
Erdoğan also said international restrictions on Syria must be lifted to launch reconstruction efforts.
Regarding the recent cease-fire deal, Erdoğan said all stages of the agreement should be fully implemented and uninterrupted humanitarian aid must be delivered to the enclave.
Regarding the three-phase truce, the first phase of which took effect a day earlier, Erdoğan said the international community must ensure that Israel fulfills its responsibilities.
Hamas released three Israeli hostages, while Israel set free 90 Palestinians on Sunday.
Türkiye is committed to the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state, based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, Erdoğan added.
He said he also stressed the importance of lifting international restrictions on Syria to start the reconstruction work.
For his part, Fico expressed hope that Türkiye's full EU membership aspirations be realized as soon as possible, affirming his country's full support.
