- The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has reacted to the latest developments in the Middle East, expressing deep concern over the escalating tensions between the United States of America, Israel, and Iran.
In a public statement, Erdoğan emphasized that Ankara is working to ensure an environment of peace, calm, and stability in the region and across the Islamic world during these blessed days.
He said he was saddened and concerned by the American-Israeli attacks on Iran, which, according to him, began following what he described as “Netanyahu’s provocations.”
The Turkish president announced that he held telephone conversations with former U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
According to him, other countries in the region have also made efforts to reduce tensions, but the desired outcome has not been achieved due to a lack of trust between the parties and Israel’s continued attempts to “poison the process.”
Erdoğan condemned the violation of Iran’s sovereignty, as well as the morning attacks which, he said, undermine the peace of the Iranian people.
At the same time, he described as unacceptable the missile and drone attacks carried out by Iran against “brotherly” countries in the Persian Gulf.
“Without opening the path to diplomacy, our region risks being engulfed in a ring of fire,” he warned, stressing that the situation must not be allowed to escalate further.
The Turkish president called for urgent action from all actors, especially from the Islamic world, to prevent the expansion of the war and avoid further bloodshed.
He added that Turkey will continue its diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire and bring the parties back to the negotiating table. According to him, the Foreign Minister and the head of Turkey’s intelligence service are in intensive contact with their counterparts.
In conclusion, Erdoğan assured that there are no issues regarding the security of Turkey’s borders and airspace, emphasizing that the military, gendarmerie, police, and intelligence services are taking all necessary measures at the highest level.
“As a state and as a nation, we will continue to stand by all our brotherly peoples in the region until we overcome these difficult days,” he concluded.