Europe's security unimaginable without Türkiye: President Erdoğan

Europe's security without Türkiye is unimaginable, said the nation's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday.

Türkiye sees its EU membership process as "strategic priority," as it is an "inseparable part of Europe," Erdoğan said in an address to foreign ambassadors serving in the capital Ankara.

"It is becoming increasingly impossible for Europe to continue as a global actor without Türkiye taking its rightful place," he said during an iftar meal, the end of the daytime fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Erdoğan highlighted that Europe must also be aware of Türkiye's status, saying: "We expect our European friends to face this reality and advance our full membership process with visionary perspective."

Underlining his concern over rising Islamophobia in Europe, he said: "Islamophobia and cultural racism are spreading like poison ivy in Western countries where millions of Muslims live. It is unacceptable that abhorrent attacks on our holy book, the Holy Quran, are justified under the pretext of freedom of opinion."

Stating that they want to preserve the environment of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean, Erdoğan said: "We are in favor of preserving the positive atmosphere we have established with mutual steps in our relations with our neighbor Greece. We also make contributions to preserving stability in the Balkans."

ISRAEL WILL NOT FIND PEACE WITHOUT ESTABLISHMENT OF PALESTINIAN STATE

"Israel will not find the peace it seeks without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with territorial integrity based on the 1967 borders," Erdoğan warned.

"As if their calls for annexation of the West Bank were not enough, Israeli government ministers are playing with fire with provocations targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque," he added, reiterating that the historic Jerusalem mosque is a "red line" for Türkiye.

Reiterating Türkiye's support for Palestine, Erdoğan said: "We are one of the leading countries providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. To date, we have delivered approximately 100,000 tons of aid to Gaza with the support of friendly countries."

"We have made efforts to ensure the operation of relevant international mechanisms, including the International Court of Justice, UN Human Rights Council, and the International Criminal Court," he said, noting the genocide case against Israel at the ICJ, which Türkiye has joined, and emphasizing that in recent months nine more countries have recognized Palestine as a sovereign state.