Recep Tayyip Erdogan directed his arrows against Israel and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the war in Gaza in a press conference he gave at the conclusion of the NATO Summit in Washington. He also confirmed that Turkey is seeking to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a full member.

The Turkish president reiterated once again that “a great slaughter has been taking place in Gaza since October 7″ and claimed that Israel insists on not implementing what is demanded by the international court in The Hague, in which it is accused of genocide. “With its expansionist and reckless policies, the Netanyahu government endangers the security not only of its own citizens, but of the entire region. We are faced with a structure that does not recognize any law,” he continued and called the continued military support to Israel from allied countries unacceptable. “It is unacceptable that the Israeli government, which violates the fundamental values ​​of our alliance, should maintain its relations with NATO. Initiatives in this area will not be approved by Turkey,” he said.

He also reiterated his proposal for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, expressing satisfaction that the number of countries recognizing the Palestinian state has increased despite pressure. As he said, Turkey will not hesitate to take any initiative if it needs to become a guarantor country.

Asked about his participation in the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit and whether his presence there is incompatible with NATO membership, President Erdogan confirmed his country’s desire to become a full member of the Organization.

“Our goal is to become a permanent member there (s.s. of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization), not an observer member. Turkey should now join the “Shanghai Five” as a permanent member,” he said and added that he had discussed this issue with the Organization’s permanent members and asked for their support.

On the supply of F-16 fighter jets from the US, Mr. Erdogan said he met and raised the issue with the US president twice. “He said that within three to four weeks he would solve the problem” with the delivery times of the fighters. “We joked with each other. The issue of spare parts is something we always discuss,” President Erdoğan clarified.

The Turkish president was also asked about Germany’s objections to the sale of Eurofighter fighters to Turkey. He replied that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not have a negative attitude during their meeting in Washington. “The defense ministers also met in a positive direction. There are also positive developments from the German and British sides,” he said.

He reiterated that it is incompatible with NATO principles to support terrorist organizations that threaten his country, implying indirectly but clearly the cooperation in northern Syria of American forces with Kurdish militias, which Ankara identifies with the PKK organization, which is fighting against of Turkey since 1984. He mentioned that joint steps in the fight against terrorism are important and reminded that NATO’s anti-terrorist policy was updated last year.

“Turkey is a country that knows well the brutal and bloody face of terrorism. We are the country that fought the Islamic State hand-to-hand,” he asserted.

“We expect support from our allies in this area in the fight against terrorism. We cannot accept the twisted relationship that some of our allies have created with the Syrian extension of the PKK terrorist organization. I demand the abandonment of these wrong policies,” said Mr. Erdogan.

Especially for his attempt to restore Ankara’s relations with Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he extended an invitation to the Syrian leader two weeks ago for a meeting either in Turkey or in a third country. The matter is being monitored by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and “we want to end this dissatisfaction and start a new process”, he said characteristically.

On the war in Ukraine, Tayyip Erdogan reiterated that Turkey supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but insisted that “NATO should never be allowed to become part of the war in Ukraine. We will continue to maintain our balanced, cool and fair attitude in the future.”

He also said that it is his sincere desire to resume the contacts that resulted years ago in the initiative on grain exports through the Black Sea, clarifying that he discussed this issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.