President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday reiterated his criticism of Israel over the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, while he reiterated Türkiye's intention to keep the nation out of the conflict and pursue mediation efforts.
Addressing the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara, Erdoğan said that the war, in its second month, was escalating in terms of threats.
"Our priority is that our country should come out of this stormy period without any incident. We are determined to keep Türkiye out of the fire. We are not falling for the traps of the opposition and manage this process in a cautious, balanced and rational manner," he said.
The opposition adopted a more hawkish tone in the early days of the war and mostly called for siding with Iran while sending mixed signals about the "regime change" in Iran. The government has avoided a firebrand or one-sided approach so far, despite Türkiye seeing four missiles entering its airspace since the war began on Feb. 28. Ankara has never been harsh in its discourse toward Iran, and the missiles were intercepted by NATO's defense systems. Instead, Türkiye has been keen on playing the role of mediator as it did in the other conflicts in the region and beyond.
Erdoğan reminded that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan joined a quadrilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan to discuss steps to stop the war. He said Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın were also exerting efforts to that extent.
Stating that Türkiye's stance is clear and that they consider it their duty to do whatever is necessary without hesitation to ensure peace prevails in the region, Erdoğan said: "If there is even an iota of hope for stopping the bloodshed, ending the tears, silencing the guns and resolving problems through diplomacy, it is our duty of honor to pursue it. Since the beginning of the war, Türkiye's principled stance, attitude and the messages it has given to the world and the region have been the voice of humanity and conscience."
He said that they sincerely desire an immediate end to the suffering of brotherly and friendly countries.
"Among the primary dangers awaiting our region is the risk of the war prolonging and turning into a regional civil conflict. Unfortunately, retaliations targeting energy, transportation and civilian infrastructure increase this possibility. The primary party responsible for this unlawful war, which not only turns our region into a place of fire but also places a very heavy economic burden on the shoulders of all humanity, is the Israeli government, which is addicted to conflict, chaos and crisis. Every development that causes the war to continue by opening new fronts will serve Israel's bloody strategy and cause our region to lose. It must not be forgotten that every drop of blood shed in the war will be the 'water of life' that extends Netanyahu's political lifespan."
Expressing that a war with Iran clearly does not serve the vision of global peace, but instead sabotages and jeopardizes it, Erdoğan said diplomacy, dialogue and compromise were keys to overcoming it.
"Reason, conscience, international law, justice and equity require this. Our hope is for common sense to prevail, thereby opening the path to peace without further bloodshed," he stated.
