Erdogan: Israel is setting our region ablaze for its own ambitions

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with journalists on the plane during his return from Kazakhstan and made evaluations regarding his contacts.

"THIS YEAR, THE LEADERS' SUMMIT WILL BE HELD IN OUR COUNTRY"

Everyone knows that the potential of the Turkic world is very high in economic, cultural, and strategic terms. We are striving to activate this potential and make further advancements in all fields, especially diplomacy, energy, trade, transportation, security, and defense. Just as our ancestors once cemented the power of the Turkic people with peace and justice globally, we believe that today, as strong and sovereign countries of the Turkic world, we will re-establish this.

This year, the Leaders' Summit of the Organization of Turkic States will be hosted by our country. During our term presidency, we will make great efforts to strengthen the organization both internally and externally. I certainly do not think we will experience any difficulties in this.

"ISRAEL WANTS THE WAR TO SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION"

Now, one of the main factors causing this crisis, as I emphasize at every opportunity, is Israel's endless provocations. Caught up in certain delusions and utopias, Israel has repeatedly shown through these provocations that it does not hesitate to throw our region into the fire for its own ambitions. Israel wants this war to spread across the entire region and for the fog in our region to intensify. First and foremost, it is essential to neutralize Israel's provocations and then build a real peace.

As Türkiye, we are making and will continue to make every effort to resolve this chaos before it turns into a more tangled situation. We believe that the region's problems can be solved by the countries of the region. We must all work together to increase our efforts for peace, stability, and calm, and disrupt these bloody games. If lasting stability is desired in the region, everyone must put aside their short-term calculations. Countries should defend the rights of their own country and citizens, not those of international companies or external actors.

"THE NATO LEADERS' SUMMIT HAS CRITICAL IMPORTANCE IN THE ALLIANCE'S HISTORY"

The NATO Leaders' Summit, which we will host in Ankara on July 7-8, has critical importance in the alliance's history. Recent developments both in our region and in the world have further increased the importance of the Ankara summit. In Ankara, we expect important decisions to be made regarding the future of the Alliance and the future shape of the global security architecture.

Today's world is no longer the old world of NATO's founding days. A new world has been established, and in this new world, NATO's position is very different. Threats have become complex, risks have diversified, the global system has eroded; in short, the world has changed a lot. Fair burden-sharing, sincere cooperation, and a common understanding of security within NATO are very, very important for the future of the alliance. As Türkiye, we are ready to do our part for a more determined NATO that is more prepared against threats.