Türkiye's perspective of becoming a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) "never means turning its back on the West," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters aboard the presidential plane while returning from the SCO Heads of State Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which he attended at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Erdogan said Ankara seeks to pursue a broad-based foreign policy.
"Our goal is to increase our own weight with a 360-degree vision," he said.
Erdogan said the Bishkek summit demonstrated Türkiye's determination to diversify its economic, political, and strategic options.
Türkiye has commercial and economic relations with SCO member states across a vast geography stretching from China and Central Asia to Russia and South Asia, he said.
Erdogan noted that Türkiye has made significant progress in its relations with the organization in recent years as a reflection of its multidimensional foreign policy.
"Türkiye is a country that can develop balanced relations with both the West and the East and deepen its ties accordingly," he said, adding that Ankara sees the possibility of advancing its relations with the SCO further.
Russia-Ukraine conflict
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdogan said both he and Russian President Vladimir Putin want the conflict to end in peace as soon as possible.
Erdogan said his meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the summit was "very productive" and held in a "very sincere atmosphere," with the two leaders discussing developments concerning the Russia-Ukraine war.
"We want a peace process between Russia and Ukraine to take place as soon as possible and for peace to prevail in the region," Erdogan said.
He said the war has produced no beneficial outcome for the region, the world or the parties involved, adding that Putin also wants the conflict to end.
"I told Mr. Putin that we are ready to do everything we can for peace. It is a fact that peace, not war, will win. We are ready to make every effort for this," he added.
Erdogan also stressed the importance of the security of civilian maritime transportation in the Black Sea, saying the fighting must not reach a point that threatens the safety of civilians and commercial activity.
He said Türkiye's concern extends beyond Turkish-flagged or Turkish-operated vessels to all civilian maritime transportation in the Black Sea.
"We need a mechanism that will permanently ensure the security of commercial maritime transportation in the Black Sea," Erdogan said.
He also warned that the grain crisis is re-emerging, particularly in Africa, and said it would be beneficial to take an initiative before the problem grows further.
F-35 program, indigenous KAAN fighter jet
Turning to defense issues, Erdogan said Türkiye is continuing talks on rejoining the F-35 fighter jet program.
He recalled that Türkiye was previously a partner in the program and had made significant contributions to it.
"We are continuing our talks on Türkiye's re-inclusion in the program. Once the processes in the US are completed, this issue will be behind us," he said.
At the same time, Erdogan stressed that Türkiye would continue developing its own defense capabilities.
"We are not giving up on KAAN or developing our own air defense systems. We are increasing Türkiye's options. This is the roadmap of a strong Türkiye," he said.
‘Mecca Defense Alliance established for stability, security in region’
On the Mecca Defense Alliance, Erdogan said the pact was established to promote stability and security in the region.
He described the first meeting of the alliance's strategic, political, and military committee in Istanbul as "very important," saying the foreign and defense ministers and chiefs of general staff of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan came together to take the alliance's first concrete steps.
Erdogan said the meeting addressed the establishment and operationalization of a secretariat, as well as military and political issues.
Defense industry cooperation and operational military cooperation, including military training, standardization, and the sharing of information on military threats, capabilities, and capacities, were also discussed, he added.
Decisions were taken on the timing and implementation of those steps, Erdogan said.
"There are very few countries that openly oppose this alliance, but there are also countries that oppose it behind the scenes," he said. “The balance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye makes it difficult for many actors to openly criticize this alliance.”
"This alliance was established for stability and security in our region. We will continue on our path together with our brothers, growing stronger," he added.
‘Greece must reverse wrong path’
Erdogan also called on Greece to reverse a "wrong path" and stop arming islands with demilitarized status.
He said Türkiye wants to proceed with Greece on the basis of good neighborly relations and has acted sincerely and constructively, but often did not see its goodwill reciprocated.
"Greece must now understand this: Türkiye has no designs on anyone's territory, but it will not allow anyone to violate its rights," Erdogan said.
He warned that disregarding and violating international agreements would benefit no one.
"Anyone who interprets Türkiye's calm and prudent approach as weakness is making a grave mistake," he said.
“Greece must reverse this wrong path and stop arming islands with demilitarized status. History is a very good guide for those who learn lessons from it.”
Erdogan said Türkiye would continue working for peace, security, and stability in the region.
‘Terror-Free Türkiye’ process
On the "Terror-Free Türkiye" initiative, Erdogan said Ankara sees the process as a matter of achieving its objectives rather than merely adhering to a timeline.
"Of course, as a state, we have our roadmap, plan, and schedule," he said.
Referring to the framework legislation linked to the process, Erdogan said its implementation requires the PKK to lay down its arms and dissolve.
"How the determinations and verifications will be made is clear. The process is moving forward step by step," he said.
Erdogan said Türkiye would not tolerate approaches that damage the nation's sense of brotherhood or risk reactivating fault lines created by terrorism in the past.
"We will strengthen the home front. With our differences, we will unite around the common denominator of Türkiye. We call this the Great Türkiye Consensus. We are moving forward knowing what we are doing," he added.
Syria, dissolution of SDF
On Syria, Erdogan said Türkiye wants the country to be united with all its components, stressing that such unity is important for sustainable development and capacity building.
Erdogan welcomed the announced decision on the dissolution of the SDF and its integration, saying Türkiye is following its implementation on the ground along with the Syrian side.
He praised Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's handling of difficult processes and said Ankara is hopeful about both the integration process and the gains achieved by the Syrian people.
Erdogan said he believes the process would "open the door to a new era" not only for Türkiye and Syria but for the entire region.
"The chapter of terrorism must now close. The era of weapons and violence must now come to an end," he said.
Asked about Washington's recent emphasis on Syria's territorial integrity, Erdogan said Türkiye's position on the country has remained consistent.
"We are saying today what we said yesterday about Syria," he said.
Türkiye had long warned that Syria could not be allowed to become an arena for terrorist organizations and that instability there could spread across the region, Erdogan said.
"It means that America has now also become aware of the realities of Syria," he added.
Erdogan called on all neighboring and friendly countries to help with Syria's reconstruction.
He also stressed the need to counter provocations and prevent those seeking to undermine Syria's internal peace from gaining room to operate.
"The path to stability in Syria lies in clearing away the seeds of discord," he said.
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