Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country is determined to increase the number of its friends and end hostilities in the coming period to turn its region into an “oasis of peace.”
This came in his talk about Turkey’s foreign relations, on Wednesday, during his participation in the seventh general conference of the “Justice and Development Party” in the Ankara Gymnasium in the capital.
Erdogan stressed that the “Justice and Development Party” has managed – since taking power 19 years ago – to strengthen and diversify the tools that Turkey possesses in foreign policy.
He explained that his party has also implemented policies of openness towards several regions such as Africa, Asia and Latin America.
He pointed out that the number of Turkish missions abroad increased from 163 in 2002 to 251 today.
He stressed that Turkey is among the five countries that have the largest network of foreign missions in the world.
He continued, “We believe that we do not have a problem that cannot be solved with any country that respects the national interests of our country.”
He said, “We are determined to increase the number of our friends and end hostilities in the coming period to turn our region into an oasis of peace.”
He pointed out that Turkey opened its borders and its heart to the oppressed Syrians at a time when the whole world abandoned them.
He explained that Turkey has used all its capabilities to bring peace and stability to this ancient region, which was a scene of pain and bloodshed at the hands of terrorist organizations ranging from “ISIS” to “PKK-YBK”, in addition to the injustice practiced by the Assad regime.
Erdogan indicated that the cross-border military operations carried out by Turkey prevented millions of innocent people from being killed at the hands of the Syrian regime and terrorist organizations.
He added, “We have provided sincere and constructive support for the efforts made to ensure the political unity of Syria and its territorial integrity.”
Erdogan said that among Turkey’s openings in foreign policy as well, the agreement it concluded with the legitimate Libyan government regarding areas of maritime jurisdiction in the Mediterranean, in 2019.
He added, “This agreement is within the rights of Turkey and the Libyan people to natural resources in the Mediterranean and we frustrated the schemes that were hatched to exclude our country and Libya from the Mediterranean.”
He pointed out that the support provided by Turkey to the legitimate government in Libya cut the way for the malicious parties that have ambitions in this country.
Erdogan explained that “thanks to the support provided by Turkey to Libya, this country is today able to look to the future with hope and implement democratic processes, and we will continue to stand by the Libyan people in the coming period.”
On the issue of the “Karabakh ” region, Erdogan said that the massacres committed by the Armenian occupation for nearly 30 years afflicted Turkey and its sister Azerbaijan with deep pain.
He stressed that the countries that pledged to solve the crisis under the name of the “Minsk Trio” (Russia, the United States, and France) did not achieve anything but complicate the issue more and more for 30 years.
He mentioned that the Azerbaijani side made efforts during that period to solve the crisis through negotiations and agreement, but despite this, Armenia continued its attacks and caused the blockage of dialogue channels.
He stressed that when the Armenian army resumed the attack, in the last months of last year, Turkey stood with its Azerbaijani brothers in all its capabilities.
“Thanks to the epic struggle that took place with the support of Turkey and the heroism of the Azerbaijani army, the praise of God this dirty occupation ended.”
He pointed out that Ankara will continue to follow the developments that further strengthened the Turkish-Azerbaijani brotherhood until it ends with the agreement that was reached.
Armenia was forced to sign a ceasefire agreement on November 10, 2020, following a victory achieved by Azerbaijan in its military operation that was launched to liberate the “Karabakh” region on September 27 of the same year, after nearly 3 decades of its occupation.
He added, “We will continue to formulate our relations with all countries, from the United States to Russia, the European Union, and the Arab world, in line with the interests of Turkey and the aspirations of our people.”
And Abizaid: “Given that we are in the middle of the three major continents, we cannot ignore the West or the East.”
He said, “Of course, we know that it is not easy to develop balanced, coherent and long-term cooperation at the same time with countries between which there is a competition and even tension, but Turkey has the strength and wisdom necessary to achieve this thanks to its geographical location, economic interests and its comprehensive vision in foreign policy.”
The Turkish President also touched on his saying, “The world is greater than five” (the five permanent members of the Security Council), which he echoes on every occasion.
And he stressed that the instances of imbalance and injustice in global leadership centers, especially the United Nations Security Council, bring with it stalemate and insecurity.
He explained that Turkey proposed preparing a reform that includes all these mechanisms and putting it into practice quickly.
He emphasized that the new global security system must be built to represent the continents, regions, beliefs and common interests instead of the interests of the five permanent members of the Security Council, otherwise it will not be possible for this system to find solutions to problems based on a broad legal basis.
He pointed out that Turkey shared its available capabilities with the world, embodying the message of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi: “There is hope after despair, and many suns after darkness.”
He expressed his hope that the developments that took place during the Corona epidemic would become a turning point to eliminate global vulnerabilities.
He added, “We believe that the global system needs a new social treaty that gains the confidence of all humankind in light of the experiences gained during the period of the epidemic.”
The Turkish president considered that the new and destructive cases of competition, which began to show signs in the political, economic and military fields, will only help transform the damage caused by the epidemic into more serious disasters.
And he added: “Turkey, as a country that wants confidence and stability for itself and the whole world, is prepared with all its strength for -epidemic stage.”
