Erdoğan's 'Re-Istanbul' statement: 'You never know, it's not the time to talk now'

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered journalists' questions on the plane while returning from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he attended the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Here are the highlights from the journalists' questions and Erdoğan's statements:

TWO-STATE SOLUTION

A temporary ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas. However, with the end of the ceasefire, unfortunately, Israeli attacks have resumed. Is there any hope for a permanent ceasefire in the region? You called Netanyahu the “Butcher of Gaza.” Was there a reaction to this? You said that a permanent solution to the Palestinian issue “passes through a two-state solution.” Will you make an effort for the establishment of a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital, do you have an action plan?

Just as we have shown our efforts in every forum so far for the end of Israeli attacks in Gaza and the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, we will continue to show these efforts in the same direction from now on. From the very beginning, we have always emphasized that we are in favor of a permanent ceasefire rather than a humanitarian pause in the conflicts. The situation reached as a result of Israel's lawless approach has shown once again that we were right in our concerns. A peace opportunity had been seized here, and unfortunately, we have lost this opportunity for now due to Israel's uncompromising approach. However, we are not in the mindset that “it will be like this from now on, peace opportunities will be wasted,” let us not lose our hope. Hopefully, we will seize the permanent peace opportunity we expect again. We will not give up on peace. Even in this picture, we say “no stopping, keep going.” We are in search of “what steps can we take regarding the ceasefire and where can we push to seize the permanent peace opportunity again?” We continue our contacts with heads of state and government. Indeed, we expressed this thought to our interlocutors in the meetings we held today. We want to achieve a result by continuing this effort with them. There is a Group of Seven consisting of Foreign Ministers, including our Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. They are also continuing these efforts. Hopefully, we will get a result from these efforts as well. After the decision taken at the Riyadh Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the relevant contact group started its work on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. There are a few points to be noted here. First; while Islamic countries are focusing on the Gaza and Palestine issue, on the other hand, they have come together in a way that has never happened before and implemented the principle we have been saying for many years: “the peoples of the region should take ownership of their own problems.” The institutionalization of this is perhaps our greatest strategic gain. The benefit of this group formed regarding Gaza was that it united the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation around a common policy. While working for the ceasefire in Gaza on one hand, efforts towards a two-state solution must continue in parallel. We first accepted this as a starting point among ourselves, and then we started to convey it to our interlocutors. The second point; we brought our interlocutors to a point of not discussing Gaza in an environment where there is no two-state solution. As a result of our joint pressure, we saw that some of the European countries both understood our position and started to adopt the theses we defend. In London, Paris, Barcelona at the Mediterranean Cooperation Meeting, and most recently in New York, at the comprehensive meetings held at the United Nations, we saw that the group's work started to yield very serious results. As of where the group has reached, it is of the opinion that a roadmap can be prepared, and there are efforts for this. The working group will also meet with the United States next week.

THE DESTRUCTION OF HAMAS IS NOT A REALISTIC SCENARIO

Western countries that support Israel, especially the United States and the United Kingdom, constantly bring the question “What will we do about the Hamas threat?” before both us and the world public, based on Israel's war assessment rather than a two-state solution. We say; “If we put the two-state solution at the center right now, the issues of Gaza and mutual threats will already disappear. This needs to be handled from there. The exclusion of Hamas, the destruction of Hamas is not a realistic scenario.” They are affected by this, and the pressure on Israel is increasing.

We know that there is an application by Palestinians to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which was established in 2002 to prevent war crimes and crimes against humanity. At what stage is this application process? Considering the recent actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will it affect or accelerate this process? Will we be able to see Netanyahu in The Hague? The Hague had issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Putin. So, what kind of decision do you foresee it taking regarding Netanyahu?

NEARLY 3 THOUSAND LAWYERS APPLIED TO THE HAGUE

Nearly 3 thousand lawyers made the necessary application to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Our Istanbul Deputy Cüneyt Yüksel was among this delegation. They will also follow the process in The Hague. Our expectation from there is that these genocidal people, these butchers of Gaza, who were caught red-handed, especially Netanyahu, receive the necessary punishment. Our wish is that with the decision to be given, those waiting for justice say, “Now it happened.” We will follow this case at the highest level. Our deputy Cüneyt Yüksel stated that his meetings in The Hague were successful. Our expectation is to get positive results in the International Criminal Court with the documents and information we have provided. We will not let it go, we will be the followers of it.

''THOSE WHO HAVE A HAND IN THE GENOCIDE MUST BE PUNISHED''

We want all Israeli officials who have a hand in this genocide to be tried and punished. The world has a duty for this. As the late Alija said, “A forgotten genocide is repeated.” We will not forget this genocide and we will not let it be forgotten. Sooner or later, Israel will definitely be held accountable for this. Those who are hesitant to speak out against the oppressor will surely experience the shame of remaining silent about this. I say this when I say “We owe no one anything.” Today, except for some brave countries like Spain, Western countries are indebted to Palestine. They are not fulfilling their responsibilities to stand against oppression. We have never been oppressors in any period of history, nor have we consented to oppression. That is why our foreheads are clear. However, the faces of those who remain silent today are darkening. The massacre carried out by the Netanyahu administration in Gaza has gone down in history as a black stain. This stain has stuck to the foreheads of not only the Netanyahu administration but also the countries that support it unconditionally. The world will never forget the indifference of these states and international organizations. They will pay the price for this silence for years and generations to come. We will do our best for the International Criminal Court to punish this genocide. However, due to the distortion of the global system, there will be those who try to prevent this somewhere. No matter what they do, they will not be able to escape the punishment they receive from the courts of conscience. Israeli officials, who have walked around for years as victims of genocide, have now turned into the murderers of their ancestors. They will not be able to erase this verdict from people's minds, from the records of history, or from consciences.

THIS IS STATE TERRORISM

Mr. President, the Israeli oppression in the West Bank and Jerusalem is no less than that in Gaza. Your definition of the occupying settlers as terrorists really caused a great stir. Now, after this stage, do you expect the leaders of Islamic countries, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Arab League to put in good work in terms of officially registering these looting terrorists who seize the property of Palestinians as terrorists?

If you remember, at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Summit, these occupying settlers were registered as terrorists for the first time. Currently, the only thing Westerners cannot defend is the murders committed by the settlers. Even Americans openly criticize these illegalities. We can start by abandoning the term settler for these occupying terrorists and using and spreading the definition of occupying terrorist. The houses, lands, and workplaces that these people have extorted are the private property of the Palestinians. We can make progress by understanding and explaining this. What will be done on the legal ground and the attitudes that states should take are different. Think about it, you have a house, your ancestors lived in that house, you have worked that land for years, you have lived on it, and then these armed terrorists come and say to you, “this is mine now.” What is this if not oppression? On the other hand, among the ten commandments in the Torah, there is not only the commandment “thou shalt not kill.” One of the ten commandments is “thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods or property!” They have no such concern. Netanyahu is constantly trying to base his genocides on religious rhetoric, but as you can see, what they do has no religious basis either. They are occupiers, they are oppressors. There is a huge case of terrorism at hand. This is state terrorism. We cannot remain silent in the face of this state terrorism.

AMERICA AND THE WEST ARE LOADING WITH ALL THEIR MEANS

In the face of this heart-wrenching situation in Gaza, young people in the West, especially in the United States, have turned to reading the Holy Quran to understand what is happening in Palestine. Videos of this have circulated widely on social media. They are very affected by the message they encounter while trying to understand the issue and grasp the humanitarian situation. They have also made emotional posts about this. An interesting humanitarian and conscientious movement is finding a response in the world. How can this situation have an impact on the path to mobilizing the conscience of humanity?

First of all, our duty is to tell the truth in its simplest form and to as many people as possible. We will not give up on this, we will not hesitate. Our written and visual media have a great job to do here. We can reach the vast majority of both our country and the world with you. We also do this in our national and international meetings and we will continue to do so. We must also know this fact; they will never have the power to hide these cruelties of theirs. All the facts are coming to light. The brutality experienced in Gaza and the sacrifice of our martyrs there will, with God's permission, lead to a new awakening, a new revival in the world. No matter how much this brutality, this murder, this terrorism spreads, not a single drop of blood shed in Gaza, not a single drop of tear shed will be in vain. I believe in this with all my heart. These prices paid will turn in our favor with God's permission, do not have any worries. I believe that this revival will lead to that “Good News of Resurrection” that master Sezai Karakoç told us about. Because the price of the good news of resurrection is not just dry. Look, those who are curious about the Palestinian cause are now being honored with Islam. A new awakening, a new resurrection. Israel is dropping thousands of bombs, including phosphorus bombs, to silence the voice and breath of Palestine. You catch these in television broadcasts and prove how these phosphorus bombs are dropped. The West, especially America, is loading with all its means, giving all kinds of support, but it is in vain…

We cannot stand with our hands tied, thinking that the truth will come out one day anyway. What we need to do is to tell this with our hands and our tongues without falling into complacency. When we see such evils, we will condemn them with our hands, if we do not have the power to do so, with our tongues, and if we do not have the power to do that, then with our hearts and our souls. This is the weakest state of faith. We must do these and we will work very hard. Israel will not be able to say “I have finished this job” in the face of what they have done to our brothers. That is why The Hague is important. Apart from this, we will hopefully cut their breath with the steps we take. The effort is from us, the success is from Allah.

"YOU CANNOT EXPECT US TO INTERPRET HAMAS IN THIS WAY"

United States Department of the Treasury Under Secretary Brian Nelson had contacts in Ankara. After these contacts, he stated that they were concerned about Turkey's support for Hamas. Before his visit, there were reports that he was expecting sanctions. However, the United States is a country that has been providing weapons, financing, and political support to terrorist organizations like the PKK for years. While they behave like this towards the PKK, what do you think about their expectation from Turkey regarding Hamas?

I had a meeting with the Jewish Community there on my very first trip to America. 20 years ago, they asked me about Hamas there. I said, “Hamas is not a terrorist organization. They are just people who have been continuing their struggle on a handful of land they have been able to hold since 1947.” I am in the same place right now. No matter what anyone says, I can never accept Hamas as a terrorist organization. I cannot describe it as such either. While you reward the PKK, the YPG, the FETÖ, and even host them in the Oval Office, you cannot come and expect us to interpret Hamas in this way. I would not reconcile this with my faith or my conscience. I know those inside Hamas, Fatah, very well, not like America. Hamas is, first of all, a reality of Palestine, it is a political party there, and it has entered and won the election as a political party. They called it a “terrorist organization,” they threw mud, they said, “Even if it doesn't stick, it leaves a mark.” The West, especially America, has constantly described and continues to describe Hamas with such a positioning. We must know this very well. We form our foreign policy in Ankara and design it only according to Turkey's interests and the expectations of our people. I am sure that our interlocutors appreciate Turkey's consistent and balanced foreign policy steps in such humanitarian crises and conflicts, but they cannot express them loudly for completely different reasons. It is natural for countries to have expectations in line with their own interests regarding the steps Turkey will take. When thought on a realistic ground, with feet on the ground, it is not difficult to guess how low the probability of these coming true is.

GREECE VISIT

You will have a visit to Greece on December 7 for the Fifth High-Level Cooperation Council meeting between Turkey and Greece. The attitudes and statements of the Athens administration towards Turkey, which sometimes cause disputes, had caused fractures between the two countries for a while. What do you think about Greece's attitude in particular? Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis has had a statement in recent days. He said, ‘Cooperation with Turkey is a must.’ What do you think this statement of Mitsotakis means? Especially after the High-Level Cooperation Council meeting, will a new era begin between the two countries?

Our wish is that a new era has begun. Because I always have an expression, I say “We are trying to increase friends and decrease enemies.” I believe there is benefit in telling him this very clearly and plainly in our bilateral meeting, as I have said before. Because when you call out from Turkey, that voice is heard from Kos Island. It is not right for two countries that are so close in distance and so intertwined in terms of their history to still walk with voices that fuel enmity. On the other hand, who is inciting us? When we look at this point, someone, especially the United States, is trying to pit us against each other. While our F-16s are not given to us even though we paid for them, they are still sending F-16s and ammunition to Greece. Since America is doing this, I guess we don't have a state of retreating. We will pay our visit to our neighbor right next to us, we will sit and talk. If we are not in attitudes that will harm each other's interests, there is no problem. We continue on our way. Of course, we have differences of opinion and there are deep issues that cannot be solved in one go. But there are also topics that we can solve immediately and expand the ground for cooperation. If we start a new era, keep the promises made, and develop these relations on a plane cleared of external influences, I am sure we will come out profitable. Our understanding of foreign policy is not “let me always win and the other side lose.” We will go to Athens with a “win-win” understanding. We will discuss both our bilateral relations and Turkey-European Union relations there to take decisions worthy of the spirit of the new era.

"THEY WILL BRING THE WORK TO OUR HIGHER BOARD WITHIN A FEW DAYS"

The IYI Party Chairman was saying that they could enter the local elections in 81 provinces on their own. However, after the recent developments and the meeting between the IYI Party Chairman and the CHP Chairman, the process changed a bit. An open door was left for the alliance. They said they would announce the decision in line with the decision to be taken in the General Administrative Board. Does this process affect your candidate determination schedule? How do you interpret this process?

We determine our policies not according to the opposition, but entirely within the framework of the People's Alliance. Regarding these issues, first of all, we have analyses regarding the Metropolitan Municipalities in front of us. Our friends are currently working intensively on the Metropolitan Municipalities. We will also make evaluations regarding the 51 normal provincial municipalities outside the 30 metropolitan municipalities as the People's Alliance. We will set off with the evaluations here. Currently, our election affairs chairmen, three friends from the MHP, and our AKP Deputy Chairman Efkan Ala are holding meetings. The 6-person commission will complete these works and bring them to our higher board within a few days, and we will continue our work there. What will the CHP do with the IYI Party or HEDEP? We have no concern about dealing with them. We will look at our own business. We do not have tables like the table of six, the table of sixteen, etc. We only have our People's Alliance. We will strive to make this People's Alliance work in the most appropriate way. We look at our own path. We do not look at who is meeting with whom, who is nominating whom where. Whoever comes against us, we teach them a lesson with the support of our nation as in the last election and leave them alone with their internal turmoil. If there are efforts to set up a table again, they can set it up. Our nation already knows very well those who get up from the table, then sit down again, stab each other in the back, and those who do not deem worthy of the General Chairmanship seat shortly after they deemed worthy of the Presidency. We have not been interested in what these parties say for a long time because their discourses do not match each other. What they do does not interest us either. We are concerned with serving the nation properly, strengthening our country, and developing our cities. We are busy creating our candidates who will manage our cities in the best way and finalizing our projects. No step they take or do not take will affect us.

"YOU NEVER KNOW"

In your last group speech, you attributed special importance to Istanbul with the slogan 'Re-Istanbul'. Now, has any profile taken shape in your mind regarding the candidate who will win Istanbul again? Will there be any waiver from your cabinet?

You never know, it's not the time to talk now. In Istanbul, as in Ankara, my friends who are on duty within my party organization are carrying out their work. After we bring the work to a certain point and the application periods are over, we will make our announcement. As of now, it would never be right for us to make such an announcement. Let's let the work continue. Let it come to a certain point. When we announce it, the matter is finished. You will all learn these in a very nice way anyway. But with God's permission, we will not put names in front of our nation that will embarrass us. Our understanding of municipalism is legendary.

News Source: 12punto