Türkiye's 'entrepreneurial, humanitarian' foreign policy benefits world, says foreign minister

ANKARA

Türkiye’s foreign policy is entrepreneurial and humanitarian, not dogmatic or unprincipled, which has helped mitigate the threat of a global food crisis, the Turkish foreign minister said on Monday.

Speaking at the 13th Ambassadors Conference in the Turkish capital Ankara, Mevlut Cavusoglu said the crisis in Ukraine “has once again demonstrated the worth of Türkiye.”

Ankara expects its allies to be “more friendly, more active and less critical, and to take responsibility,” he added.

He said Türkiye’s cross-border operations are progressing with effective diplomatic support, stressing that they are of “great importance” for the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq.

The fight against terrorism is a “red line” for Türkiye, Cavusoglu asserted.

He said Ankara expects Iraqi authorities to take concrete action against the PKK terror group.

Until that happens, Türkiye will continue taking measures to protect its national security, he asserted.

“Türkiye hopes its sensitivities in the fight against terrorism are well understood by the world,” Cavusoglu said.

He also criticized the US for not taking “satisfactory steps” against the PKK/PYD/YPG and FETO terror groups, as well as on unilateral sanctions against Türkiye.

Türkiye has long criticized Washington’s support for YPG/PKK terrorists.

While the US claims to be fighting the Daesh/ISIS terror group with the help of its YPG/PKK allies, Türkiye says using one terror group to counter another makes no sense.

On Türkiye’s objective of EU membership, Cavusoglu reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment and said the country “will pursue constructive policies to improve cooperation and dialogue in all fields.”

“Türkiye is Europe,” he said, emphasizing Ankara’s responsibility in ensuring Europe’s security.

Addressing the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean, Cavusoglu said Türkiye wants the “interconnected issues” to be addressed and resolved “holistically and comprehensively in accordance with international law.”

“Greece, however, does not have the will to resolve (these) issues,” he said.

Speaking about the recent flare-up between Armenia and Azerbaijan, he reiterated that Türkiye “once again warns Armenia not to engage in new provocations.”

When Azerbaijan liberated territory in Karabakh that was occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades during the conflict in fall 2020, Cavusoglu said Türkiye stood for justice and supported the righteous and truthful side.

The foreign minister also condemned the new wave of Israeli attacks on Gaza, saying there can be no justification for killing innocent people, especially a 5-year-old child.