Erdoğan: We did not keep Finland waiting as is assumed

President Erdoğan stated, "In this environment where international organizations tasked with ensuring peace and security, primarily the Security Council, remain ineffective, the recognition of the State of Palestine carries even greater meaning and importance."

Erdoğan held a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb at the Presidential Complex following their one-on-one meeting and talks between delegations.

Expressing his great pleasure in hosting President Stubb in Ankara on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Finland, Erdoğan said:

"As you know, Finland became a NATO member last year. The addition of NATO alliance to our bonds of friendship has taken our bilateral cooperation to a new dimension. Today, through our meetings, we have reaffirmed our joint will to develop Turkey-Finland relations with my esteemed counterpart. Our bilateral trade volume increased by approximately 6 percent last year compared to the previous year, exceeding the 2.2 billion dollar level. I believe that with our joint efforts, we will reach our 5 billion dollar target in a short time. We attach importance to the Joint Economic and Trade Commission Meeting that we plan to organize in Finland next year in this regard."

"I BELIEVE OUR COOPERATION WITHIN NATO WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN"

Stating that they also discussed cooperation in the defense industry as NATO allies during the meeting, Erdoğan said, "The permanent joint mechanism we established with the trilateral memorandum during the NATO membership process of Finland and Sweden is helping to strengthen our cooperation in the fight against terrorism. We are also following the steps taken in this area with satisfaction. Of course, we are also conveying our expectations at the highest level."

Emphasizing that they consider the diversification of relations in a wide spectrum ranging from science and technology to education, culture, and tourism as investments they will make for the future, Erdoğan said, "Our citizens living in Finland and the Tatar community constitute an important human dimension of our relations. I sincerely believe that our bilateral relations and our cooperation within NATO will continue to strengthen on solid foundations."

"WE EXPECT FINLAND TO CONTINUE INCREASING ITS SUPPORT FOR OUR EU MEMBERSHIP PROCESS"

Stating that Turkey plays a leading role in mediation for the establishment of a lasting peace, stability, and prosperity environment, Erdoğan noted the following:

"We are co-chairing the Group of Friends of Mediation with Finland. We believe that deepening our cooperation in this area is important for combating global challenges. In our meetings, in addition to our bilateral relations, we evaluated current issues, primarily the genocide in Gaza, the Middle East fire spreading to Lebanon, and Turkey-European Union relations. I shared with Mr. Stubb my expectation that Finland will continue to increase its support for our European Union membership process. In our consultations, we once again underlined our support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. I expressed to the President my conviction that ending the destruction in Ukraine as soon as possible and reaching a fair and final solution is only possible through diplomacy."

"WE MUST ALSO STAND BY THE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OF LEBANON DURING THIS PROCESS"

President Erdoğan stated that Israeli aggression against Gaza and Lebanon was also at the center of their agenda, and said:

"I expressed our stance regarding Israel's massacres with an open heart both at the United Nations and in our Parliament today. Our stance against Israel's search for occupation and annexation, which is contrary to rights and law, is the primary duty of all states and international organizations. From here, I reiterate our call for an urgent and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid. We must also stand by the people and government of Lebanon during this process. In this environment where international organizations tasked with ensuring peace and security, primarily the Security Council, remain ineffective, the recognition of the State of Palestine carries even greater meaning and importance. Since October 7, 9 countries have recognized the State of Palestine. We reiterate our call to countries that have not yet done so to recognize the State of Palestine."

"WE DID NOT KEEP FINLAND WAITING AS IS ASSUMED"

Upon a question from a Finnish journalist regarding the process of Turkey's approval of Finland's and Sweden's NATO membership, Erdoğan replied, "We did not keep Finland waiting as is assumed."

Reminding that they opened the way for Finland's NATO membership before Sweden, Erdoğan stated, "Our only condition was that there should be no activity in Finland regarding terrorism. We said, let the path of terrorism be blocked there as soon as possible."

Stating that former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö fought for this, Erdoğan noted that they paved the way for Finland to join NATO once steps were taken regarding terrorism.

Reminding that Sweden, which did not act like Finland in the fight against terrorism, was admitted to NATO with a delay after taking the necessary steps in the fight against terrorism, Erdoğan wished that the membership would be beneficial for both countries.

Upon another journalist's question, "Can the Group of Friends of Mediation, established under the leadership of Turkey and Finland at the United Nations, initiate an initiative to end the conflicts in the region?", Erdoğan said that they also discussed these with Stubb.

President Erdoğan stated that regarding the steps that can be taken jointly, time will show how successful both countries can be in terms of mediation. Stating that it is seen that Israel's approach to or acceptance of mediation is not in question, Erdoğan assessed, "With the steps to be taken, my hope is that if we can achieve such a result with the preliminary work to be done by our ministers, we will hopefully continue these mediation efforts based on this result."