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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that it is too early to draw firm conclusions about the impact of the U.S. midterm elections on Türkiye-U.S. relations and Washington’s Middle East policy, pledging that Ankara will keep close dialogue with the U.S. administration, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
"I wish the election results to be beneficial for the American people. I also hope their reflections on our region and world politics will be positive. It would probably be a bit early to make firm statements already," the Turkish president told journalists on his flight back from South Korea.
"Turkish-American relations are deep-rooted and based on solid foundations. We are two countries that are NATO allies and have strategic relations dating back many years," he said.
"As you know, our region has been going through a very turbulent process for a long time. Wars, conflicts and oppression unfortunately continue all around us. We want our region to find peace as soon as possible," President Erdogan stated.
"Our greatest wish is that the election results contribute to lasting peace and stability in our geography. To this end, we will continue to be in close dialogue with both the American administration and the House of Representatives and the Senate," he added.
Democrats had won 240 House seats to Republicans’ 147 as of 09:00 a.m. GMT Thursday, with 218 needed for a majority and some races uncalled, according to U.S. media projections.
Democrats were also projected to win control of the Senate.
The Turkish president said he discussed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call for diplomacy, including a possible leaders’ summit in Türkiye, during their meeting and working dinner in Istanbul on Saturday.
"We told Mr. Zelenskyy that it is very important to take steps through diplomacy in terms of negotiations to end this war between Russia and Ukraine. As Türkiye, we are doing everything we can to open the way to peace and will continue to do so," he noted.
"After this meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy, we now want to address the Russian leg of the matter by holding a talk with Mr. Putin. Meanwhile, my colleagues, especially my foreign minister, will talk to their counterparts and hopefully prepare the Russian side for this meeting," Erdogan said.
President Erdogan completed a visit to Seoul at the invitation of President Lee Jae Myung, recalling ties forged by Turkish soldiers' sacrifices in the Korean War 76 years ago that made the two nations "blood brothers." Relations were elevated to a strategic partnership in 2012, and the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties falls in 2027.
"We want to raise our trade volume, which exceeds $11 billion, to $15 billion with a ‘win-win’ approach," he said, adding that institutions are in contact on updating the free trade agreement.
He said he briefed global Korean companies on investment opportunities in Türkiye.
"We have had talks with Korea in the past on cooperation in nuclear energy. In this visit, we put forward a new will in this area. Talks will continue, especially on financing," the Turkish president noted.
The sides discussed defense cooperation building on successful projects such as the Altay tank and Firtina howitzers, as well as automotive, advanced technologies and artificial intelligence. The sides signed five documents on energy, mining, scientific cooperation, project finance and investment.
Asked about drone cooperation, President Erdogan said defense ties with Korea are not about "putting one or two weapons on the table" but a collective defense industry technology spanning "from the Altay tank to Firtina howitzers, to UAVs, armed UAVs, air defense systems, the latest developments at sea and submarines."
"Our Ministry of National Defense discusses these with its counterpart, and we take our steps accordingly," he said, adding that he hoped the visit’s decisions would benefit Türkiye-Korea relations, while Ankara watches how the U.S. midterm elections reshape Washington.
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