Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Friday that NATO’s collaboration with the Israeli administration cannot continue.
“Turkey will not approve NATO cooperation with Israel until comprehensive, long-term peace is established in Palestine,” Erdogan declared at a news conference at the NATO summit.
He also stated that Turkey is continuing its diplomatic efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end.
Erdogan also stated that he has asked Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in order to begin the process of restoring relations.
In March, the US Senate defeated an effort to halt President Joe Biden’s administration’s $23 billion sale of F-16 fighters and upgrading kits to Turkey, which came after Turkey confirmed Sweden’s membership in NATO.
He also said Turkey expects solidarity from NATO allies in its fight against terrorism.
Turkey’s goal is to become a permanent member, not just an observer, of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (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 counterweight to Western alliances.