President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used the occasion of World Humanitarian Day on Tuesday to call for stronger international solidarity in the face of global crises, urging nations to embrace “compassion beyond borders” in an article published in Spain’s El Pais.
In the piece, titled “Compassion Beyond Borders: The Alliance of Civilizations and Humanitarian Diplomacy,” Erdoğan argued that peace, security and prosperity can only be achieved through cooperation built on justice and respect.
He underscored the long-standing friendship between Türkiye and Spain, describing the two nations as “standing at the two poles of the Mediterranean” and sharing common goals in trade, energy, defense and diplomacy.
“Spain stands among our most reliable allies within NATO,” Erdoğan wrote, citing Madrid’s deployment of a Patriot air defense system in Türkiye’s southern Adana province.
He also thanked Spain for supporting Türkiye’s European Union accession bid and recalled the solidarity shown after the Feb. 6, 2023, earthquakes, when Spanish rescue teams and medical staff provided emergency aid.
Framing Türkiye as one of the world’s most generous nations relative to its economic size, Erdoğan highlighted Ankara’s humanitarian diplomacy, which he said reaches across regions from Gaza to Sudan, Somalia to Bangladesh and as far as Latin America. He noted Türkiye’s hosting of the first-ever U.N. World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in 2016 as a milestone in shaping the global aid agenda.
According to Erdoğan, Turkish aid agencies, such as the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the Red Crescent and religious foundations, provide assistance not only during emergencies but also through long-term development projects.
He pointed to Türkiye’s “Goodness Trains,” which supply food and medicine to Afghanistan, field hospitals serving Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, agricultural projects in Sudan and widespread COVID-19 vaccine donations to more than 160 countries.
“Humanitarian aid is the most advanced form of diplomacy,” Erdoğan said, adding that Türkiye’s outreach aims to safeguard human dignity and offer “a voice to the conscience of humanity.”
The president also condemned the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, citing what he described as Israel’s “inhumane” blockade and military operations. He said Türkiye has provided more than 101,000 tons of aid to Palestinians and will continue supporting international relief efforts.
Erdoğan emphasized the symbolic importance of publishing his article in El Pais, noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Alliance of Civilizations, a joint Turkish-Spanish initiative launched under the U.N. framework to foster intercultural dialogue.
He argued that the shared humanitarian traditions of Türkiye and Spain offer hope in an era of war, famine, forced migration and climate disasters. “The spirit of solidarity unites the two peoples in a profound bond that transcends geographical boundaries,” he wrote.
Despite global geopolitical tensions, Erdoğan pledged that Türkiye will persist in humanitarian outreach. “For humanitarian aid transcends political considerations,” he concluded, “it is fundamentally a matter of conscience.”
