President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday that Türkiye will not be drawn into the ongoing tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States, stressing that Ankara is taking all necessary measures to protect its airspace while prioritizing keeping the country away from the widening conflict.
Speaking at an iftar, Erdoğan said Türkiye remains vigilant against any threats, noting that authorities responded swiftly after an Iranian ballistic missile fired toward Türkiye was intercepted.
He said the country continues to take preventive steps to safeguard its airspace, emphasizing that similar measures were implemented the previous night.
“Our main priority is to keep our country away from this pit of fire,” Erdoğan said, underlining Ankara’s cautious approach amid escalating regional tensions.
The Turkish president added that Türkiye is proceeding with “great caution in the face of plots, traps and provocations aimed at dragging our country into war.”
Erdoğan also criticized the global hypocrisy toward humanitarian crises, saying some countries have turned a blind eye to oppression and genocide while others openly support actors responsible for such crimes, including Israel.
He argued that the suffering of children in conflict zones often fails to receive the attention it deserves.
“The suffering of orphaned children in Gaza and Syria has drawn less attention than a lone penguin,” Erdoğan said, describing what he called the “fake conscience” of the virtual world.
Despite the global crisis of conscience, Erdoğan said Türkiye remains committed to acting responsibly and upholding humanitarian values.
“In a world experiencing a crisis of conscience, we are united in our struggle to ensure that Türkiye serves as the conscience of humanity,” he said.
