Erdogan: Israel is the most concrete threat to regional and global peace

(Patria) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Turkey is ready to do its part in ensuring lasting stability and peace in the Balkans.

After official visits to Albania and Serbia, Erdogan spoke with journalists on the plane, saying that the recent meetings were extremely productive and successful.
He recalled that during his visit to Albania, he met with President Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama, and that they signed several cooperation agreements and opened the Namazgah Mosque, the largest in the Balkans.

He also added that he discussed issues related to cooperation in the defense industry with Prime Minister Rama in detail.

He then recalled that the fourth meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council was held in Belgrade on Friday, at the invitation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

“On this occasion, we confirmed our determination to further develop existing cooperation with Serbia in all areas. We signed 11 agreements that will further deepen our relations. We discussed the steps that need to be taken to reach the goal of five billion dollars in trade exchange,” said Erdogan.

He emphasized that the relations between the two countries are getting stronger and more intense every day.

“Last year alone, more than 200,000 of our citizens visited Serbia, and we are pleased that nearly 400,000 citizens of Serbia also visited our country. Our goal is to further increase the number of tourists on both sides with the possibility of traveling with an ID card, which we are already working on,” said Erdogan.

He pointed out that other important issues in the Balkan region were also discussed.

“We once again emphasized our support for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process. I stressed that we are ready to do our part in ensuring lasting stability and peace in the Balkans. In this context, I also confirmed the importance we attach to the trilateral cooperation mechanism between Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia,” said the Turkish president.

He stated that the visit to the Balkan countries shows that official Ankara has a role in preventing tensions in that region.

“Ethnic tensions in the Balkans present a very complex picture in terms of historical and political dynamics. Turkey has deep historical, cultural, and political ties with the Balkan countries. These ties require Turkey to play a more active role in ensuring peace and stability in the region,” said Erdogan.

Developments in the Middle East

He then answered journalists' questions about developments in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon.

Erdogan emphasized that Israel is “the most concrete threat to regional and global peace”.

“Those who have the duty to preserve world peace should end this threat. The genocide in Gaza is happening before all of us and it is one of the historical shames of humanity,” he said.

As he said, all those who stand with “the Zionist terrorist organization called Israel will bear the traces of this shame for generations”.

“We must not ignore Israel's aggression in any way. With our intelligence agency, we are monitoring the steps that Israel has taken and could take against Turkey,” Erdogan said at the end.