"Pressure on Israel must be increased to prevent our region from being dragged into a massive catastrophe"
Presidency Of The Republic Of Turkey
21.09.2024
Holding a press conference before departing for the U.S. to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Erdoğan said: "Pressure on Israel must be increased further to prevent our region from being dragged into a massive catastrophe."
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a press conference at the State Guesthouse of Atatürk Airport in Istanbul before leaving for the U.S. to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Noting that he will soon depart for New York, President Erdoğan stated that over 130 heads of state and government are expected to attend this year's United Nations General Assembly debates.
Pointing out that an intensive traffic of meetings and talks will take place in the U.S., President Erdoğan highlighted the Summit of the Future, to be hosted by the UN Secretary-General, as the most critical event of the General Assembly this year.
Noting that he will address the summit on September 23, President Erdoğan said: "I will once again draw attention to the need for reform of the global governance mechanism, especially the UN Security Council and the international financial architecture. I will highlight Türkiye's contributions and support for efforts in this direction. This year's General Assembly debate will take place under the theme of leaving no one behind. I will address the UN General Assembly on the first day of the talks, Tuesday, September 24. We will inshallah share there our opinions regarding issues that are on the agenda of our region and the humanity. I will specifically touch on the joint steps that can be taken against the genocide in Gaza and Israel's aggressive policies."
"UNITED NATIONS HAS IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES TO ESTABLISH PERMANENT CEASEFIRE"
Warning that the approaching winter season would further aggravate the hardships currently experienced by the Gazans, President Erdoğan pointed out that the situation on the ground is further deteriorating because of hunger, lack of water, and shortages of basic foods and medical equipment.
Underscoring that the Israeli government has been massacring the nearly 2 million people in Gaza, which it has turned into a kind of Nazi extermination camp, either with bombs or with hunger and lack of water, President Erdoğan said: "We, the entire world, and particularly the United Nations, have important responsibilities to stop this oppression, which has been going on for nearly a year, as well as to establish permanent ceasefire and ensure the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid. We will remind our counterparts of these during our visit. I have been saying since the beginning that Gaza is not Israel's sole target. The recent attacks on Lebanon have proven our concerns about the Israeli government's plans to spread the war to the region to be true. Netanyahu and his network resort to all kinds of provocations and incitement to implement their radical Zionist ideology. The escalating attacks and harassments against al-Aqsa Mosque, our first qiblah, are also a part of the same dirty scenario."
President Erdoğan continued as follows: As Türkiye, we have repeatedly expressed the level of our sensitivity on this issue. Our position is the same today as well. Pressure on Israel must be increased further to prevent our region from being dragged into a massive catastrophe. On the margins of the General Assembly, I will hold talks with my counterparts from many countries, including with the UN Secretary-General, at the Turkish House. Besides these bilateral talks, I will maintain my talks with the heads of government and government representatives who have asked us for rendezvous. During the visit, we will also come together with our citizens living in the U.S. We will have meetings with think-tank representatives and the leading members of the U.S. business community. I wish our visit and the talks we will hold may lead to favorable developments for our country, our nation, and for the entire humanity."
"ISRAEL HAS BEEN CONDUCTING ATTACKS LIKE A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION"
Following the press conference, President Erdoğan answered reporters' questions.
Asked about Israel's pager attacks in Lebanon, President Erdoğan said: "Israel, yet again unfortunately, has been conducting attacks not like a state but like a terrorist organization. It is a clear indication of this that it has now launched these cyber attacks. With this attack, Israel demonstrated that it has no regard for civilian sensitivities and will use any means to achieve its hateful objectives. Another meaning of this attack is that Israel, backed by some western countries despite our warnings, is spreading the conflicts to Lebanon and to the region in its entirety."
"IT IS HIGH TIME FOR ALL COUNTRIES THAT HAVE A MISSION OF PROTECTING THE PEACE IN THE WORLD TO PUT FORWARD SOLUTIONS TO STOP ISRAEL"
Stressing that the region is now facing an inexplicably huge crisis, President Erdoğan stated: "The international community, especially Western countries, should stop watching Israel's brutal actions and take deterrent steps. It is high time for all countries that have a mission of protecting the peace in the world to put forward solutions to stop Israel. The humanity doesn't have one single day left to waste. On the other hand, the attack that took place in Lebanon attests to the importance of national technologies not only in defense industry but also in a much larger framework. In the face of these developments, we, for our part, have of course taken remarkable measures and mobilized all our resources."
"WE WILL EXPRESS IN A CLEAR MANNER THAT THE TENSION IN SYRIA MUST STOP"
Asked whether a meeting with Syria should be expected soon, President Erdoğan stated: "The Turkish House will this time be home to very distinctive talks and contacts. We will turn the Turkish House into a center where we take steps for meetings with leaders from various countries."
Underscoring that he in the U.S. will express in a clear manner the tension in Syria must be brought to an end and that Israel is wreaking terror state, President Erdoğan said: "This is no longer a simple, an ordinary terror, but rather a state terror. We have said this repeatedly so far. However, some others, particularly Western countries, persist in not understanding this. Yet, we, for our part, will persist in saying this and I will inshallah highlight this in my speech at the UN. There are steps that Türkiye and Syria can take jointly to end this tension and to establish peace and stability all over the Syrian territories. We see that there has been a period of non-conflict between the Damascus government and the opposition for some time now in Syria. This situation provides a favorable environment to open an effective door toward a lasting solution. Millions of people outside Syria are waiting to return home. We have made our call on this issue. We have also demonstrated our will to meet with Bashar Assad to normalize relations between Türkiye and Syria. Now we are waiting for a response from the other side. We are ready for this. As two countries with Muslim populations, we want to achieve this unity as soon as possible. I believe a new period in the relations between the two countries may inshallah start following such a meeting."
Asked if a tête-à-tête is planned with President Joe Biden of the U.S., President Erdoğan stated that the main agenda item in New York will be the United Nations General Assembly and the talks to be held on its margins, and added: "Yet, Biden or other surprise meetings, where and how they will take place, we will discuss all of this with the developments there. We will have an intensive traffic of meetings both at the Turkish House and the United Nations headquarters. Within this traffic, there is not a planned bilateral meeting with Mr. Biden yet. However, we may inshallah come together on various occasions."
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