ISTANBUL/ANKARA

The Turkish president on Tuesday welcomed reports of an Israel-Iran ceasefire deal, calling on both sides to fully observe the truce.

“We welcome the news, coming late last night, that a ceasefire agreement has been reached between the parties. We call on all parties to fully respect the ceasefire,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara before his flight to The Hague for a NATO summit.

“As I have said before, our region cannot bear the burden of a war whose impacts will be felt across the world. It would be the right, favorable, and smart attitude to take fingers off the triggers and give diplomacy a chance to resolve conflicts,” he added.

“Türkiye will resolutely maintain its principled stance that upholds international law and prioritizes diplomacy,” Erdogan said.

“Israel’s reckless actions – starting with Palestine and extending to Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and ultimately Iran – are absolutely unacceptable,” said the Turkish president.

"Global actors must take effective steps to put an end to this madness, or it won’t be just our region but the entire world that pays a price," said Erdogan.

He also said a permanent ceasefire must be established in Gaza as soon as possible, Israel's attacks should stop, and humanitarian aid should be allowed without interruption.

“By conflicts, we mean not only the tension between Israel and Iran, but we also want an end to Israel's unlawful oppression in Gaza, which uses hunger as a weapon. Since the Israeli attack on Iran, we have always said that this tension should not overshadow the atrocities in Gaza. The humanitarian situation there is deteriorating by the day,” he added.

“A permanent ceasefire must be established in Gaza as soon as possible, Israeli attacks must stop, and the way for uninterrupted humanitarian aid must be opened. Israeli aggression must stop in our entire region.”

NATO priorities

Erdogan said alliance leaders at the summit will focus on strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture and set new targets for increasing defense spending among member states.

“Türkiye strongly supports fair burden-sharing and the strengthening of European security,” he said, adding that Türkiye operates NATO’s second-largest land army and contributes significantly to the alliance’s deterrent power.

He criticized trade restrictions among NATO members in the defense sector, saying such barriers must be removed immediately.

“As we set out with the goal of stronger defense and more effective military, we do not find it right to raise obstacles to trade in defense products between allies. These obstacles and restrictions should be removed as soon as possible, without ifs or buts.”

He added: “In this context, we closely follow the recent initiatives of the European Union in the field of defense and security. Our country, which contributes more to Europe's security than many of its members combined, should be properly included in the union's defense initiatives. The inclusion of the Turkish defense sector in the union's defense mechanisms and projects will benefit all Europe. We are in close consultation with our non-EU allies on this.”