President Erdoğan: Our priority in Syria is stability

Erdoğan spoke at a joint press conference with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. In his speech, President Erdoğan also touched upon the latest situation in Syria and Palestine.

Key highlights from President Erdoğan's statements:

-We have elevated our relations with Slovakia to the level of strategic partnership. Furthermore, documents were signed foreseeing cooperation in areas such as the defense industry and culture. We have achieved significant progress in our investment and trade relations with Slovakia. The trade volume, which was hovering around 1 billion dollars, has reached 3 billion dollars. The trend shows that we will soon surpass our common goal of 5 billion dollars.

-Today, we also discussed Turkey-European Union relations as well as regional and global issues. We expect Slovakia's support for our full membership in the EU. We agreed on the establishment of a just peace in Ukraine before the effects of the war deepen further. We also exchanged views on the steps to be taken to ensure stability and security, which are our priority in Syria. We emphasized that the lifting of international restrictions remaining from the era of the ousted regime is important for the rapid commencement of reconstruction efforts in Syria. We touched upon the possibility of Slovakia contributing to reconstruction efforts both at the bilateral level and within the European Union.

-It is gratifying that the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian resistance organization Hamas and Israel has been implemented. We will be followers of the ceasefire process. Uninterrupted humanitarian aid must reach Gaza. We will continue to follow the process until an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem is established on the basis of the 1967 borders.