Erdoğan welcomed with official ceremony in Spain

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was welcomed with an official ceremony by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Spain, where he is visiting for the 8th Turkey-Spain Intergovernmental Summit.

The ceremony at the Moncloa Palace began with the playing of the two countries' national anthems after President Erdoğan and Sanchez took their places. President Erdoğan then saluted the ceremonial guard.

Erdoğan and Sanchez, who posed for members of the press after shaking hands, introduced their delegations to each other.

Following the ceremony, President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Sanchez proceeded to a bilateral meeting.

The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, and Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat.

ERDOĞAN SPOKE AFTER THE CEREMONY

Following the welcoming ceremony, Erdoğan expressed their desire to further develop economic and commercial relations between the two countries.

Touching upon Israel's attacks on Gaza, which have been ongoing for nearly 200 days, President Erdoğan thanked Spain for its stance.

Stating that "it is impossible for any country with a conscience to accept such a picture," Erdoğan said, "I congratulate Spain for its stance. By pursuing a truly principled and consistent policy since the first day, it has earned a special place in the hearts of both the Spanish people, our Palestinian brothers, and Turkey."

President Erdoğan's statements are as follows:

Our solidarity and cooperation in the face of current challenges are vital. We desire to further develop our economic and commercial relations with Spain.

Our trade volume, which hovered around 2 billion dollars before 2002, reached 19.2 billion dollars last year. Thus, we have almost reached our 20 billion dollar target. I believe we will carry this volume much further. The fact that Spain is the 6th country that invests the most in Turkey with 740 companies and approximately 11 billion dollars in stock is also a result of this approach.

Moving away from the perception of competition in trade and investment and establishing innovative and strategic partnerships should be among the business codes of the new period ahead. This approach will contribute greatly to the establishment of permanent and strong collaborations. We must provide opportunities for new partnerships with our work in different sectors. This is how we can carry our countries into the future.

As you invest and work, we will always be by your side. We will further strengthen the foundation of our cooperation with the agreements to be signed today.

ISRAEL'S ATTACKS ON GAZA

Touching upon Israel's attacks in Gaza, Erdoğan continued his remarks;

The genocide in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories bleeds the heart of everyone with a conscience. More than 37 thousand people have been deliberately massacred in Gaza. 85 thousand civilians have been injured. Churches, mosques, schools, and refugee camps have been bombed. Doctors, academics, and innocent civilians have been targeted by bullets.

It is impossible for any country with a conscience to accept such a picture. I congratulate Spain for its stance. By pursuing a truly principled and consistent policy since the first day, it has earned a special place in the hearts of both the Spanish people, our Palestinian brothers, and Turkey.

Strict visa practices prevent the full capacity utilization of our economic potential. I am grateful for Spain's sincere support for our country's EU membership process.