Erdogan: Turkey will not approve NATO's attempts to cooperate with Israel

(Patria) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that it is not possible for NATO to continue its partnership with the Israeli administration, Reuters reported.

"As long as comprehensive, sustainable peace is not established in Palestine, Turkey will not approve attempts to cooperate with Israel within NATO," he said at a press conference at the NATO summit.

Turkey is also continuing its diplomatic efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, he said. Erdogan also said that he had instructed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to begin restoring relations with Syria. Turkey will invite Assad "at any time" for possible talks on restoring relations between the two neighbors, Erdogan said on Sunday.

Turkey's goal is to become a permanent member, not just an observer, of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Erdogan also said.

The SCO is a security, political, and economic club launched in 2001 by Russia and China and Central Asian states as a counterbalance to Western alliances.