Erdoğan: Turkey's doors 'wide open' for companies leaving Russia

Photo: AA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has returned from Belgium, where he went to attend yesterday's (March 24) NATO leaders' summit to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war.

"NATO is the cornerstone of European security. We have seen this very clearly. Turkey is an indispensable ally for ensuring regional security," Erdoğan told reporters during his return flight from Brussels.

The president said he will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky today, and may hold talks with President Vladimir Putin of Russia this weekend or early next week to assess results of Thursday's NATO summit.

"Amid war, many big companies are leaving Russia, and Turkey's doors are wide open," he added.

"There should be no embargoes"

At a press conference he held yesterday after the leaders' meeting, Erdoğan urged the US to lift restrictions and sanctions on Turkey's defense industry, which were imposed because of its purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia.

"Let alone implementing overt or covert embargoes between allies, it shouldn't even be talked about," he remarked.

The US is now showing a positive approach regarding the modernization of the F-16 jets and Turkey's purchase of new fighter jets, he added.

After being excluded from the F-35 program, Turkey expressed its willingness to buy more F-16s.

Meetings with Macron and Johnson

Erdoğan also met President Emmanuel Macron of France and PM Boris Johnson of Ukraine on the sidelines of the summit.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Macron said they will work with Turkey for a cease-fire and an agreement for "lasting peace" in Ukraine.

He added that he is in coordination with leaders who speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Stressing that Erdoğan and he have the "same perspective "on the Russia-Ukraine war, Macron said the leaders also agreed to a joint humanitarian operation in Ukraine, especially in the city of Mariupol.

The current situation is an opportunity to eliminate and clarify the uncertainties with Turkey, he noted.

Progress can be made in issues where there was a difference of opinion with Turkey in the past years, Macron also said, adding that a strategy based on cooperation on Libya and the Middle East could be redefined. (VK)