Erdogan reiterates intention to mend relations with Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he plans to extend an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad to initiate a new process with Syria.

Speaking to reporters on the plane on his way back from the Kazakhstan's capital Astana, where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Erdogan said that years of destruction in the Syrian war proved that establishing a mechanism for a permanent solution is necessary.

The Turkish president said that the recent calm achieved on the ground could open the door to peace through wise policies and approaches that are free of prejudice and focused on solutions.

“The instability in the region, which provides a space for terrorist organisations, particularly the PKK/PYD/YPG, is a problem,” he said.

“Eradicating these terrorist structures without discrimination is crucial for the construction of Syria's future.”

Underlining the importance of maintaining Syria's territorial integrity, President Erdogan said that Türkiye has always extended and would continue to extend a hand of friendship to our neighbour, Syria.

“We will always stand by a prosperous, unified, and whole Syria that embraces a new social contract based on justice, dignity and inclusivity,” he said.

Ending the war in Ukraine

Türkiye defends the territorial integrity of Ukraine, opposing the Russian illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula and other parts. But Ankara also believes punishing Russia harshly might not help address the conflict.

As a NATO member, Türkiye is uniquely placed to play the role of peacemaker and has been making efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

On the sidelines of the SCO summit, President Erdogan met his Russian counterpart Putin.

“In my meeting with Mr. Putin, we discussed the issue of mediation,” the Turkish president said.

Erdogan said he asked Putin how they could approach the idea of starting a new process and creating a corridor through Türkiye to deliver grain to Africa and other regions vulnerable to food security.

He said the Russian president maintained the target of the Istanbul Grain Initiative.

After the opening of the Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which oversaw the shipment through the Black Sea, hundreds of ships sailed carrying more than 600,000 tonnes of grain needed to ease food shortages worldwide. However, the deal ended in February 2024.

“It is beneficial to develop this further, because Putin has a certain stance against Europe. Since Europe has targeted Russia in this process, Russia views Europe and the West negatively,” Erdogan said.

Regarding Africa, Erdogan said that Putin would mobilise all of "Russia's resources because they are impoverished", which would not be the case with Europe, with Putin having stated, "My resources will not benefit them."

“With the results we achieve in this regard, I believe we will make the Black Sea Grain Corridor operational again,” Erdogan said.

“This war benefits neither Russia nor Ukraine. The only winners of the war are the merchants of blood and death,” he said.

“I want to believe that tensions will be reduced and a ground for peace can be built. As we have done so far, we are ready to do our part to create and maintain that ground.”

Relations with NATO

President Erdogan also spoke about his country’s relations with NATO, as the second largest army in the security alliance.

“We express Türkiye’s expectations from NATO at every opportunity. It is important to strengthen the unity and cohesion of the alliance to preserve and enrich the spirit of solidarity,” Erdogan said.

“Particularly while facing global issues such as terrorism, NATO countries should act in a manner that serves their security and interests,” he said.

However, he criticised NATO for failing to give support to Türkiye in its fight against terrorism.

“It is disappointing that contrary to NATO's spirit of unity, our allies have left us alone in this struggle, and even displayed attitudes that encourage terrorist organisations,” Erdogan said.

“We will continue to share our views on these matters with Mr. Rutte (newly-elected secretary-general of NATO),” he said.

“We will explain to our allies, not only to the Secretary-General but also at all platforms, especially the NATO Summit, what we think, propose, and do regarding all the challenges we face.”

Battle cries for WW3

World leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, and even US presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, have been sounding the alarm over the risk of a Third World War.

Responding to a question from a reporter, President Erdogan said that he acknowledged such calls, saying, “Unfortunately, there are countries and groups in the West that are provoking this issue.”

“They have an approach that could lead to World War III. Arms dealers need a market, and the West is their market,” Erdogan said.

Citing Russian President Putin, Erdogan said that there is no set time for peace, but the main issue is the weight that mediators like you (Türkiye) can bring to bear.

“We are now trying to exert our influence,” Erdogan said.

“We hope that this war between Russia and Ukraine will come to an end soon. We are continuing and following up on the situation.”