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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said foreign-imposed security arrangements have historically deepened instability in the Middle East, defending Türkiye's role in the newly formed Mecca Defense Agreement as he wrapped up a four-day visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
"We have all seen that those who come from outside to write security prescriptions for our region usually leave behind more instability," Erdogan told reporters Wednesday at the Turkish House in New York, dismissing pressure the pact has faced, including on Saudi Arabia.
He said the defense agreement was "a strong step taken in the right direction" and that Türkiye would not be provoked or drawn into traps as the arrangement's institutional structure takes shape.
Erdogan's remarks came at the close of a New York trip built around the General Assembly's 81st session, held this year under the theme "Rebuilding Trust, Reviving Transformation" and attended by representatives of more than 130 countries at the head of state or government level.
Erdogan addressed the assembly on the gathering's second day, delivering his 16th General Assembly speech, and also joined a meeting of the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council countries at the invitation of President Donald Trump.
Erdogan said lasting peace will not come to the Middle East until the bloodshed in Gaza stops, the ceasefire is made permanent and Palestinians secure a dignified future on their own land.
He said Hamas and nearly all other parties have taken positive steps under the current peace framework, but accused Israel of continuing aggression that undermines it.
"The international community, first and foremost the United States, must teach Israel that it has to comply with this plan," Erdogan said. He added that halting the fighting alone is not enough, mechanisms are needed to prevent the war's resumption, reconstruction of Gaza must be accelerated, and the political future of Palestinians must be secured.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has previously made similar remarks about the international community's responsibility to enforce compliance with the Gaza framework.
Erdogan said the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza persists even as world attention drifts elsewhere, describing people still struggling to survive amid the rubble after what he said has now stretched on for years.
Erdogan said Türkiye opposes any closure of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic, describing the sharp decline in vessel transits through the waterway as evidence the standoff has become a global energy and trade issue rather than a matter solely between Iran and the United States.
"Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be preserved," Erdogan said, adding that tension there affects Europe, Asia, energy markets, transport networks and the daily lives of millions of people. He called for a return to negotiations, saying what the region needs is "not new fronts, but new channels of diplomacy."
Erdogan also addressed renewed fighting in the Black Sea between Russia and Ukraine, saying attacks on commercial vessels there have increased and left grain ships waiting in port.
He said Türkiye is intensifying diplomatic efforts to reestablish a grain corridor similar to the Black Sea Grain Initiative it previously helped broker, and that he has again raised the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, receiving what he described as a positive response.
Erdogan said Türkiye's relationship with the Trump administration has given new momentum to U.S.-Türkiye relations, contrasting the current pace of cooperation with the previous U.S. administration under President Joe Biden.
"Our bilateral relationship with Mr. Trump has also given momentum to Türkiye-United States relations," Erdogan said. "Cooperation between the two countries has advanced considerably compared with the previous administration."
On Türkiye's long-stalled bid to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program, Erdogan said he and Trump discussed the matter at a NATO meeting and that Trump expressed a positive intention toward Türkiye's return, though months have passed without concrete movement.
"We are waiting for that intention to now turn into concrete steps," Erdogan said, adding that contacts on the issue are ongoing. He said Türkiye continues to prioritize its domestic defense industry, including the KAAN fighter jet program, and noted continuing talks with the United Kingdom on the Eurofighter program.
Erdogan said next year marks the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the United States and that he hopes to make 2027 a reference point for the relationship.
Erdogan said Türkiye's push to end decades of conflict with the PKK, referred to domestically as the "Terror-Free Türkiye" process, is advancing step by step under a legal framework adopted by parliament, though full implementation requires the group to disarm and complete its dissolution.
"There is no problem reflected back to us," Erdogan said, adding that Türkiye would not give "stakeholders of the terror industry" the opportunity they are waiting for.
On relations with Iraq, Erdogan said ties have gained positive momentum following a visit to Ankara by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zeydi, including discussions on transferring security control of the Sinjar region from the PKK to Iraqi government authority, the handover of Bashiqa, and expansion of the Development Road transport and energy project.
Asked about tension with Greece ahead of elections there, Erdogan said Türkiye does not concern itself with its neighbors' domestic politics and does not want bilateral relations used as campaign material, adding that Türkiye is not Greece's enemy but its neighbor and NATO ally.
On preparations to host the U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP31, in Antalya from Nov. 9-20, Erdogan said Türkiye expects around 100,000 participants and will use the summit to press developed nations on climate financing for developing countries.
Erdogan also addressed an ongoing investigation into what has become known in Türkiye as the "fund crisis," which directly affects roughly 455,000 investors and has led to detentions and arrests. He said the problem was confined to a limited number of investment funds and posed no risk to the broader financial system or the Turkish economy, adding that anyone found responsible would be held accountable under the law.
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