Speaking at a news conference in Ankara on Tuesday before flying to the Netherlands for a leaders’ summit of NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said they welcomed a cease-fire between Iran and Israel after days of reciprocal attacks. He underlined that diplomacy should be given a chance in the process. “Global actors should take efficient measures to end this craze. Otherwise, the whole world will pay the price for it,” he said.
Erdoğan highlighted that they undertook diplomatic efforts focusing on negotiations between the sides during the process, which began with Israel's attack on Iran. "I had discussions with many leaders and met foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member states in Istanbul. We appreciate every effort on the road to a cease-fire. We certainly welcome the cease-fire agreement and call on the sides to fully comply with it. Our region cannot bear the impact of a conflict whose repercussions may be felt across the world. Diplomacy should be given a chance for the resolution of disagreements," Erdoğan said. The president noted that Türkiye was committed to its stand based on international law.
"Israel's attacks on Iran fueled a greater threat toward our region. Its reckless steps are unacceptable. We will continue to invite everyone to act with common sense and highlight that diplomacy is a solution to all issues," he said. Erdoğan also criticized Israel over its actions in Gaza and called on Tel Aviv to stop "weaponizing hunger" in the Palestinian enclave. "A permanent cease-fire is immediately needed in Gaza. Israel's aggression across our region should stop," he said. His remarks echoed an earlier statement by the head of a U.N. agency, which accused Israel of engaging in a war crime by "shooting at people trying to get food."
The controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began handing out food in Gaza on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into the occupied Palestinian territory for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine.
The U.N. and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
"Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution," said U.N. human rights office spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan. "The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime." Meanwhile, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, slammed GHF as "an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people." "It is a death trap costing more lives than it saves," he told a press conference in Berlin.
Erdoğan also stated that NATO members should unconditionally lift defense trade limitations. "We advocate reinforcing the security of Europe. We are developing our own defense capabilities and at the same time, contributing to the deterrence of the Alliance. So, it is not fair that the allies block the trade of defense products of others while we are working together for a stronger defense and a more efficient army," he said. "Our country should be included in the defense initiatives of the EU and the Alliance," he said. The United States imposed sanctions on Türkiye in 2020 after Ankara acquired the S-400 missile defense system from Russia. The move booted Türkiye out of its F-35 program. Türkiye also sought to acquire Eurofighter Typhoons built by a four-nation consortium of Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy, and reportedly faced opposition from Germany, though reports were not confirmed.
Hours before Erdoğan's press conference, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Türkiye's defense industrial base and said the country's defense industry should be more closely connected with the U.K., Norway and the European Union.
"Türkiye has a very big defense industrial base. Sometimes (we) forget what they have. I visited some of their companies, it's really impressive," Rutte told the NATO Public Forum in The Hague. "We have to make sure that the Turkish defense industrial base is as closely connected as possible to the U.K., Norway and the European Union," he added. Rutte warned against creating internal divisions within the alliance based on defense cooperation frameworks, saying: "Let's not have these fences drawn up within NATO. It won't help."
Leaders of NATO's 32 member states are gathering in The Hague on June 24-25 for the summit dominated by debates over increased defense spending and Ukraine's membership bid.
In the meantime, the European Union is seeking a new direction in defense after President Donald Trump opted to distance the United States from European security. Having lost its most important ally, Brussels has focused on ensuring the security of the continent on its own, both due to pressure from Washington and the ongoing threats from Moscow. The European Commission announced a new strategy, known as the White Paper, on March 19, which includes increasing military expenditures and production, as well as allocating resources to joint defense projects until 2030. The EU, which seeks to share its topics of discussion and planned steps with NATO’s leading countries in defense, has created a platform for the exchange of ideas under the name of "like-minded countries" for the security of the continent. Türkiye, both a candidate country for the EU and a NATO ally, has also joined the platform, boasting defense industry breakthroughs in recent years.
“We are in close consultation with non-EU allies like ourselves regarding this matter. As NATO, we plan to address supporting measures for the European pillar,” Erdoğan said, ahead of the NATO Summit. He added that Türkiye, having contributed the most to NATO’s counterterrorism framework years ago, will also draw attention to what more the alliance should do in that area.
On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Erdoğan said Türkiye was planning new steps for progress in the recent Istanbul talks it hosted between representatives of the two countries. He noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would hold talks with NATO member countries. "We will convey our efforts for diplomacy to end the conflict. We recently had the sides meet in Istanbul and this paved the way for the exchange of prisoners. We have plans for more talks. We did everything for peace between Ukraine and Russia. We earned the trust of both sides and made tangible progress," he said.
Erdoğan said the conflict cannot continue forever. "We will tell our counterparts at the NATO summit our vision and pledge we will not stop until peace is maintained," he said.
