President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has informed that he conveyed his concerns over the resumption of the U.S.-Iran war in his recent conversations with U.S. President Donald Trump, stressing Ankara’s continued engagement with both sides to prevent escalation in the region.
“We do not want a new wave of attacks launched against Iran and our region to be dragged into further instability. We express at every opportunity that a resolution to the problems is possible through dialogue and diplomacy,” Erdoğan told reporters on his return flight from Azerbaijan on Nov. 9.
Referring to his three phone conversations with Trump in last 10 days, Erdoğan said, “I discussed these matters with U.S. President Trump and explained our concerns. We have conveyed to both sides that we are ready to step in to open the door to peace and diplomacy.”
Erdoğan said Türkiye is making every effort to prevent a renewed conflict, amid growing reports that attacks against Iran could soon resume.
“We hope that common sense will prevail and that our region will pull back from the brink of the abyss. More conflict means nothing but further losses for our region,” the president added.
The price of the war is not paid merely by the warring sides, Erdoğan stressed. “Unfortunately, a vast geography stretching from Türkiye to the Gulf countries, from Iraq to Syria, and from Europe to Asia is affected by all of these developments,” he added.
Türkiye also takes part in ending Ukraine war
On a question about intensified efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as the parties will meet in Abu Dhabi, Erdoğan reiterated that Türkiye is also exerting great efforts to this end while commending Trump’s personal engagement on the matter.
Türkiye has always been active in efforts to end the war since the conflict begun in 2022, Erdoğan said. “Türkiye has proven that it is ready to assume responsibility. We have discussed this matter with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin many times but we’ll speak with him again,” he said.
Türkiye is in constant dialogue with all sides, Erdoğan said, adding, “As Türkiye, we are ready to make Istanbul the center of negotiations once again when necessary, and to utilize human-centered diplomacy with all its instruments. We are hopeful. We are far more optimistic about peace.”
Two-state solution for Cyprus
On a question, Erdoğan reiterated how Ankara formulates a viable solution to the five-decades-old Cyprus problem.
“Cyprus issue is not just a foreign policy matter for us,” Erdoğan said, reaffirming Ankara’s view that the problem can be resolved only through the two-state solution.
“Our stance on Cyprus is also very clear. It must now be accepted as a fact that there are two distinct peoples and two separate states on the island. Models that have been tried repeatedly and thwarted every time by various ploys are nothing but a waste of time and energy.”
Erdoğan also called on all friendly nations to recognize the Turkish Cypriot state and establish economic, political and cultural ties with it. He also added that Türkiye will continue to take steps for making Turkish Cyprus more visible in the international arena.
