The key facts

  • Erdogan: Turkey 'did not succumb to provocations' and did not fall into traps, staying out of regional conflicts
  • He described Turkey's surroundings as a 'ring of fire': the Russia-Ukraine war, Israel and Palestine, Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria
  • According to Erdogan, the attack on the airport in Riyadh killed many Muslims, including those performing umrah, and wounded hundreds

Statement in Ankara

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on Monday at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, where he said that Turkey has refrained from being drawn into regional conflicts. According to him, the country 'did not succumb to provocations,' 'did not fall into traps,' and managed to get through all the difficult processes 'reasonably, patiently and with common sense.' He attributed this to his government's cautious and balanced approach.

'Ring of fire' around Turkey

Erdogan said that Turkey is surrounded by escalating crises, and the government is working around the clock to protect the country from their consequences. He listed: the Russia-Ukraine war to the north of Turkey, which, according to him, will enter its fifth year in a few months; Israel's ongoing attacks on Palestine despite signed agreements; tensions around neighboring Iran, which had not fully subsided when a new conflict broke out in Yemen. 'As I often say, we are surrounded by a ring of fire. This is exactly what we are facing,' Anadolu quoted him as saying.

Yemen, Riyadh, Lebanon and Syria

The attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement on Saudi Arabia, which Erdogan called a friendly and brotherly country, further aggravated tensions in the region, he said. He also reported an attack on the airport in Riyadh, in which, according to him, many Muslims were killed, including those performing umrah (pilgrimage to Mecca outside the hajj season), and hundreds were wounded. He described the situation in Lebanon as alarming and accused Israel of attempting to destabilize Syria despite, in his assessment, positive developments there. Erdogan reiterated that Turkey has so far avoided being drawn into its neighbors' conflicts.