Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused the
West of turning a blind eye to the suffering of the civilian population in the
Gaza Strip during a visit to Ankara by German President
Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Gaza had been razed, he said. "Our
German friends must see this tragic situation," Erdoğan said on Wednesday in Ankara after a meeting with Steinmeier. The entire
West stands by Israel, he added.
The Turkish president also once again sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and accused him of endangering the entire
Middle East in order to ensure his political survival.
However, he emphasized that Turkey was making efforts to secure the release of the hostages abducted from Israel to the Gaza Strip.
"
Türkiye is no longer maintaining intensive trade relations with
Israel, that chapter is closed, " Erdoğan underlined in his comments while delivering a speech during a joint press conference with German counterpart
Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The Turkish leader addressed the ongoing conflict in
Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, and said Ankara will continue to intensify its efforts to achieve a cease-fire in the enclave, and ensure that uninterrupted and adequate humanitarian aid reaches the Palestinian people.
"The efforts of
Israeli administration to hide its atrocities and massacres committed in Gaza should not be allowed," Erdoğan added.
He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just to prolong his political career, is jeopardizing security of not only his own citizens but the entire region.
Erdoğan on Wednesday expressed hope Ankara and Berlin would not encounter obstacles and focus on discussing joint production projects, particularly in the defense sector.
"We hope that Türkiye and Germany will begin to discuss joint production ventures rather than barriers, particularly in defense," Erdoğan told a joint press conference with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is on an official visit, in Ankara.
"(With Germany) We desire to completely remove the restrictions we face in the defense industry," he added.
He said Türkiye aims to expand bilateral trade volume with Germany, which has surpassed $50B, to $60B in a balanced manner.
Ankara expects "further support and solidarity from German authorities in the fight against terrorism," the president said.
