ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned that targeting commercial and civilian ships in the Black Sea benefits no one, referring to recent attacks linked to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Addressing the 16th Ambassadors Conference in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said the attacks threaten navigation safety in the Black Sea, and that Ankara conveyed warnings to both sides (Russia-Ukraine) on this matter.

“We have strictly enforced the Montreux Convention, preventing the war from spreading to the Black Sea. However, recent reciprocal attacks seriously threaten navigation safety in the region. Targeting commercial and civilian ships benefits no one. We have clearly conveyed our warnings to both sides on this matter,” Erdogan said.

Türkiye had earlier called attacks on vessels inside its exclusive economic zone unacceptable.

Erdogan said Türkiye has “no other option but to be strong” both to defend its own interests and “extend helping hand to its brothers.”

Thanks to Hamas’s restraint, he said, a ceasefire in Gaza has largely held and priority is given to maintaining the ceasefire and ensuring unobstructed aid.

Erdogan said Ankara made a difference by delivering over 103,000 tons humanitarian aid to Gaza, despite restrictions.

Reconstruction in the Gaza Strip must begin immediately, he urged.

“In Gaza, many mothers, spouses, children are searching for their mothers, fathers, and partners or waiting to receive news about their fate,” he said.

Noting that thousands of children have lost family and homes, becoming living witnesses to genocide, Erdogan highlighted Gaza’s small size (a total area of 365 km²) and the scale of destruction, emphasizing that more than 200,000 tons of explosives, equivalent to 14 atomic bombs, have been dropped on the enclave.

On mediation in Russia-Ukraine war, Erdogan cited Türkiye's role in bringing the two sides together in Istanbul and leading initiatives such as the Black Sea Grain Initiative and prisoner exchanges, producing tangible humanitarian results.

On Tel Aviv’s aggressive actions against Syria, Erdogan said Israel is currently the main obstacle to lasting security and stability in the war-torn country, where a new administration took charge a year ago after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

Commenting on the Syrian civil war, he noted over 600,000 deaths, widespread torture in places such as the infamous Sednaya prison, and displacement of millions.

The number of Syrian refugees in Türkiye who returned home has reached 580,000, the Turkish president said, adding that as stability takes hold, the voluntary and dignified return of refugees will increase.

He also slammed the silence of most countries during the nearly 14 years of attacks on civilians.

Ankara is urging the necessary steps to implement the March 10 agreement with SDF in Syria, “which risks turning into a crisis if resisted,” he warned.

On South Caucasus, Erdogan said Ankara is in dialogue with Baku, and advancing its normalization process with Yerevan. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are close to signing peace deal, he added.

Erdogan also underlined Türkiye's growing global profile, noting Turkish-speaking communities and alumni in distant countries contributing to politics, business, and diplomacy.

Ankara will continue to leverage these historical opportunities effectively, he added.

Erdogan underlined that recent developments have deepened humanitarian crises, global inequality, wars, and instability rather than resolving them.

He pointed out the devastation of the two world wars, the Holocaust, and subsequent failures to prevent atrocities such as the Rwandan genocide, the Bosnian massacres, and conflicts in Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, and Central Africa.