Hurriyet.com.tr/International News
Created on June 13, 2024 at 14:02
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At a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was closely monitoring the situation in Gaza and “positively evaluates every decision and plan to ensure a fair and lasting peace and stop the Gaza conflict from bringing bloodshed and bringing peace to our region.” “The important thing is that the ceasefire decision is not left on paper. Security Council members should put pressure on Israel,” Erdogan said, reacting harshly to a Spanish journalist’s response after a question about Demirtas, saying, “Don’t shake your head. Head, look, I’m not shaking, I’m continuing to work straight.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Spain within the framework of the 8th Turkish-Spanish Intergovernmental Summit. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed Turkish-Spanish relations and the ongoing aggression in the Gaza Strip. President Erdogan and Mr. Sánchez appeared in front of the cameras after the bilateral and interdelegation meetings.
Sanchez: We share a common opinion about Gaza.
Sanchez, who was the first to speak at the press conference, said, “Turkey and Spain are two exemplary countries. We have set ourselves a target of $20 billion per year and we believe we will exceed this in the coming months. We will continue to maintain cooperation between our two countries. “We will continue to work with a focus on peace and share a common view on the urgent needs regarding Gaza,” he said.
Spain’s decision on Palestine is crucial
In his statement, President Erdogan said:
“I am very pleased to meet my dear friend, Head of the Spanish Government, Mr. Pedro Sánchez, on the occasion of the 8th Turkey-Spain Intergovernmental Summit and I would like to thank them for the hospitality they have shown us,” he said. “During our last summit in Ankara in 2021, I and my delegation established our bilateral relations as a comprehensive partnership. With today’s meeting and the agreements we signed, we have taken an important step towards expanding our relations into new areas. Bilateral trade volume is expected to reach 25 billion euros.
We consider the investments of more than 740 Spanish companies in Turkey to be a sign of confidence in Turkey. As a government, we will monitor the work done at the conference to translate into concrete cooperation. We plan to hold the third meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee in Turkey as soon as possible. We have reviewed in detail advanced military cooperation and defense industrial relations with Spain. Since 2015, Spain has been supporting the collective security of both Turkey and NATO as an ally with the air defense systems stationed in our country.
“Spain is one of our friends who knows Turkey’s contributions to the EU best and has supported the accession process from the very beginning. We discussed with respected government leaders the growing hostility towards Islam in Europe.
Our consultations also focused on developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially the Gaza Strip. Spain’s decision to recognize Palestine is very important and I sincerely thank Mr. Sánchez and the Spanish people for their wise stance. The decision to recognize Palestine should be an example for other countries. As two countries, we will continue to work together towards a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Establishing a permanent ceasefire and ensuring an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid are our priorities. “We will also monitor the implementation of the decision taken by the UN Security Council on Monday,” he said.
We reiterate our belief that a fair, comprehensive and lasting peace for Ukraine is possible through negotiations…”
Question-and-answer session
Is a permanent suspension in Gaza possible?
Erdogan: We positively evaluate all decisions and plans to ensure a just and lasting peace, stop the bloodshed and bring peace to the region. What is important is that these issues are dealt with sincerely and not left on paper. To this end, we have met with all those who need to be met, and that contact is still ongoing. In a vote held in the UN General Assembly, an overwhelming majority of countries indicated the need for an urgent and permanent ceasefire. Only those who want peace have been trying for months to make their voices heard in the squares of their countries. It is positive that the UN Security Council has reached such a platform. But unfortunately, the UN has suffered great damage in this process. The implementation of this decision by Israel and efforts to establish Israeli-Palestinian unity are already in a state where it is not surprising that it will come to an end at any time.
The member states of the Security Council, especially the United States, should support this decision and apply the necessary pressure on Israel to secure an immediate ceasefire. The process cannot continue as is. Our hope is that Israel will abandon these attacks and be in a position to bring lasting peace to the region. We are following the process closely.
Defense pact between Turkey and Spain
President Erdogan: This is an offer of unity in the defense industry. It ranked first on TGC Anadolu. I would like to move on to the next segment. We want to build something together that is bigger than the current one. Our Ministry of Defense is conducting this research. We are taking steps to be able to use unmanned aerial vehicles together. Many countries around the world are taking very advanced steps in these researches. Mr. Turkiye also wants to take further steps in this regard. Currently, both our President of Defense and the Ministry of Defense are rapidly implementing this work, and we are following suit. We will cooperate with Spain on this issue.
Western Attitudes Towards Gaza
Pedro Sánchez: Most European countries agree with us. I met with Mr. Abbas this week. We will make the necessary call for recognition of Palestine. A lot of time has been lost. This conflict should have been resolved a long time ago. We need to take responsibility for this.
President Erdogan: You know, I have a book. A more just world is possible. My other book is called The World is Bigger than Five. The fate of the world is now in the hands of five countries. In this case, one of these five countries has always sided with Israel. They don’t care at all if children die there, women die, journalists die there. When Sanchez comes out and unfurls the flag alone, we see that two more European athletes join him. We need to popularize this. Written and visual media also have a lot to do here. If nearly 150 media workers have been killed by Israel, should we say that this will continue? Will we not stand up to them? Therefore, we need to take this step together. The stance of the United States while Israel continues its massacres deeply saddens us.
Demirtas and Kavala’s decision
President Erdogan: Turkiye is a state of law. The judiciary makes decisions. Our judiciary has made decisions regarding the names you mentioned. For example, one of these names caused the death of more than 100 young people, death in the southeast of our country. The fact that you ask these questions makes us think. It is really sad that members of the press defend terrorists. Don’t shake your head, look, I’m not shaking my head. We will continue to work hard. Whether it’s Kavala or Demirtaş, we are going to follow what the law says. This will be done. I don’t think you live in Turkey. We are in Turkey. These are serious measures that we are taking for peace in the region. It will continue like this from now on.
MİT President İbrahim Kalın, Presidential Chief of Staff for Foreign Affairs and Security Affairs Akif Çatay Kılıc and Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Celal Adan also attended the meeting.
After the meeting, agreements were signed between Turkiye and Spain in various fields.
