“We are not turning our backs on the East for the sake of the West, nor are we neglecting the West for the sake of the East,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after the Cabinet meeting, setting the tone for the foreign policy ahead. He expressed displeasure with NATO over its attitude towards Turkey and once again expressed his support for the Palestinians, lashing out against Israel.

Specifically, referring in Turkey’s choices in the international geopolitical arena and indirectly responding to comments about shifting the axis of Turkish foreign policy from the West to the East, the Turkish president said:

“Turkey, due to its geographical, human, economic and historical ties, is a country that cannot be locked into a bloc.

“As important as it is to improve our relations with the Western world, it is just as important to strengthen our cooperation with Asia, Africa and Latin America. We will not allow anyone to confine us to narrow moulds.

“We do not turn our backs on the East for the sake of the West, nor neglect the West for the sake of the East. Over the past 22 years, we have taken historic steps to expand Turkey’s sphere of influence. Based on mutual respect and common interests, we have strengthened our relations even with countries that were previously opposed to us. We achieved all this despite the debate about a change of axis (including in foreign policy), fueled by certain circles. We attach great importance to increasing our number of friends.

“At a time when the struggle for the distribution of power between the great powers is intensifying, it is more than a choice, it is a necessity for Turkey to create new balances in foreign policy.”

At the same time, he argued that Turkey’s role in the North Atlantic Alliance is irreplaceable, expressing complaints about the restrictions by allied countries on the sale of defense material and the way some of them deal with the Kurdish problem.

“The Summit confirmed Turkey’s irreplaceable role in NATO. At this historic Summit, we expressed our expectations from our allies, especially in the field of defense industry and the fight against terrorism. We are still far from the cooperation we desire. The weapons given to our country, very sparingly by our allies, are found in the terrorist organizations. It is clear that these are incompatible with the spirit of alliance, solidarity and alliance,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Referring to the war in Gaza, he reiterated that Turkey stands by the Palestinians, saying: “Although the oppressors who feed on blood, tears and occupation resent it, we stand firm and will continue to stand by Palestine.”

Much of the speech of the Turkish president was dedicated to the developments in the Turkish economy and specifically to the fight against galloping inflation. He stressed that the results of the government’s medium-term economic program are evident, saying that it will be implemented to the end with patience and determination. “The ‘fever’ of inflation has started to fall since last month. Hopefully, this process will accelerate further in the coming months. By the end of the year, we will reduce inflation to the levels we had set as a target,” President Erdogan said.