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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Türkiye does not want a new wave of attacks on Iran or further destabilization of the region, adding that he had conveyed Ankara’s concerns to U.S. President Donald Trump and offered to help open the door to diplomacy.
"We do not want a new wave of attacks on Iran to be launched and our region to be dragged into further instability. We say at every opportunity that it is possible to resolve problems through dialogue and diplomacy," the Turkish president told journalists on his flight back from Azerbaijan.
"Unfortunately, we can speak of a negative movement again. We are doing our best to prevent this. I discussed these issues with U.S. President Mr. Trump and explained our reservations," President Erdogan said.
"We conveyed to the parties that we are ready to step in to open the door to peace and diplomacy," he added.
"We hope common sense prevails and that we, as a region, step back from the edge of the cliff. More conflict means nothing but more losses for our region," President Erdogan said.
"The bill of war is not paid only by the warring parties. A very wide geography, from Türkiye to the Gulf countries, from Iraq to Syria, from Europe to Asia, is unfortunately affected by all these developments," he added.
"We are making intense efforts to end this war. We follow and support Mr. Trump’s efforts with appreciation," Erdogan said of the Russia-Ukraine war.
He said Türkiye had stood for a solution and peace since the war began despite criticism from Europe over its contacts with both sides, "from rhetoric accusing us of breaching sanctions to accusations of non-alignment."
"We said, ‘We are on the side of a just peace in this matter.’ The correctness of our fair stance is more visible today. Today, we again say, ‘This bloodshed must stop now,’" he noted.
"We have spoken with Mr. Putin about these issues many times, and we will speak again. As you know, we spoke with Mr. Zelenskyy last week, and we will speak again. We are in contact with Mr. Trump, European leaders and all parties," the Turkish president said.
"The negotiation ground we established in Istanbul, our grain corridor initiative and the role we played in prisoner swaps are an unprecedented example of Türkiye’s key position for peace. As Türkiye, we are ready, when necessary, to once again make Istanbul the center of negotiations and to use human-centered diplomacy with all its instruments. We are hopeful. We are much more hopeful for peace," he stated.
"Those seeking separation between Türkiye and Azerbaijan are engaged in a futile effort. There is full solidarity, a shared destiny and a bond of brotherhood between Türkiye and Azerbaijan," the Turkish president stated, adding that he "warmly embraced" Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during the Victory Day visit.
"Those trying to put distance between us do not take into account our nations’ affection for each other, historic ties and unshakable will," he said.
"Those who realize they cannot destroy us without wearing down this bond may try to damage our unity and togetherness. We must be especially careful and alert against such games. We must not give credence to disinformation and must keep direct, sincere and open channels of communication on every issue," President Erdogan noted.
President Erdogan recalled telling the Organization of Turkic States summit (OTS) in Ankara that "in the family photo of the Turkic world, there is no place for separation, otherness or dispute."
He said Türkiye and Azerbaijan have crowned cooperation with mega projects in energy, transport and infrastructure "despite sources of sedition," and that a school in Karabakh with 40 classrooms, two laboratories and a library is set to open next year.
He congratulated Azerbaijan on Victory Day and on State Flag Day on Nov. 9.
"We will never leave the Turkish Cypriot people alone and helpless. The whole world should know and memorize this," the Turkish president said.
"Our position on Cyprus is absolutely clear. It is time to accept the reality that there are two separate peoples and two separate states on the island," he added.
"I invite all states, especially our friends and brothers, to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and establish political, diplomatic and economic relations with it to support lasting peace on the island," he said, calling for the sovereign equality and equal international status of Turkish Cypriots to be registered and their "inhumane isolation" to end.
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite U.N. diplomatic efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was founded in 1983 as a result.
The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom.
The Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a U.N. plan to end the dispute.
"Let no one hesitate on this. Let no one worry. Both as the People’s Alliance and as the state, we have put not only our hand but our whole body into the terror-free Türkiye process," President Erdogan said.
"Our nation and state have decided to resolve the terror problem that has cost half a century, set the roadmap and taken action. There will be no turning back," he added.
He said the priority is for the PKK terrorist organization to complete its dissolution with all its elements and fully hand over its weapons, with this verified by state institutions.
"The field is not empty. Every step, every move is being closely followed by the relevant institutions of our state and our government. The caves are being emptied according to a certain plan. This will continue," he said.
President Erdogan said he expects a monitoring commission to be set up soon and that a subcommittee will begin work, while a commission chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz continues its efforts. Rather than setting a date, Ankara is focused on completing the process "in a healthy, complete and irreversible way," he said, citing the Latin phrase "festina lente," or "make haste slowly."
"Our hope is that the verification and detection stages will be completed in the not-too-distant future and the National Security Council decision stage will be reached," he concluded.
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