On the
eve of the first round,
you told your supporters
that the US President
had given instructions to, quote,
topple you.
Do you have any evidence
to suggest
that the US President is meddling
in these Turkish elections, that he gave
instructions to topple you
Mr.
Biden statement to this effect
before he was elected was recorded on TV.
Unfortunately,
and we listen to his words on TV
and we were upset.
I spoke to him about it later
at an international summit,
and I told him that
I was deeply upset by his remarks
and that I didn't expect this from him.
You called him out
for calling you an autocrat
in his election campaign
before the US elections.
That is not the same as suggesting
that he is meddling in these elections
and wants to topple you.
Do you genuinely believe,
as you suggested last Saturday,
that Joe Biden wants to topple you?
How could someone
who is going into a runoff election
instead of completing
the election in the first round
be a dictator?
That is the reality we have an alliance
with 322 MPs in parliament
and the leader of this
alliance is going to go for the runoffs
in the first position.
What kind of a dictator is that?
It will introduce you to the judicious.
So if reelected.
Are you saying that you will work
with the Biden administration?
You can work
with the Biden administration
without a doubt.
I will work with Mr. Biden.
And if Biden goes, then I will work
with whoever replaces him as well.
Also, the US would like Turkey to take
a stronger stance
against Russia, particularly with regard
enforcing sanctions
in April of this year.
The US
imposed sanctions on at least for Turkey
based entities
it said were violating US export
controls and helping Russia's war effort.
President Erdogan, is Turkey
helping Russia evade sanctions?
And will you abide
by US sanctions on Russia?
We have no problems with our relationship
with Russia at the moment,
and we are not at a point
where we would impose sanctions on Russia
like the West have done.
We are not bound by the West's sanctions
as Turkey.
We are a strong state
and we have positive relations
with Russia.
In terms of our foreign trade volume,
we've reached an ideal level with Russia.
When you look at our tourism numbers,
Russia is number one.
They are unfortunately
because of the latest statements
by the main opposition party.
Many tourists
are going to other destinations.
I won't be a leader
that makes the mistake
of missing the tourists from Russia
or Ukraine.
You've said that you don't agree
with the attitude of the West towards
Russia.
With regard the Ukraine conflict,
that the West follows
a policy based on provocation.
I just want you to explain
a little more what you mean.
Do you believe, for example,
that the massive military
and financial aid going to Ukraine
is a provocation?
the West is not leading
a very balanced approach.
You need a balanced approach
towards a country such as Russia.
Which would have been a much more
fortunate approach
than seeing Putin,
for example,
the Black Sea Green Corridor Initiative.
But we are not only considering
the interests
and the needs of the Western countries,
but also that of the African nations.
But this Green Corridor
initiative has been extended
for another two months,
beginning on the 18th of May.
How do you think it was possible?
It was
possible because of
our special relationship
with President Putin
I joined the UN inspectors
on one of the ships
anchored of Istanbul
just yesterday
ahead of
the decision to extend that deal.
It is
such an important decision and mediating
that is a good example
of the unique position that Turkey plays.
Becky,
It's very important
as to where we stand today.
This is where we are this afternoon.
Istanbul convention was signed here,
right where we are seated.
There used to be tables
on which we have signed that convention.
And this is where we have given a message
to the rest of the world.
And the same thing was repeated here.
We are still following the developments
where we stand.
Let's talk about this for hundreds
And the controversy
that that has created.
The purchase of those from from Russia,
the problems that that has created
for your relationship with Washington.
It was the
purchase of those S-400 systems
that got Turkey expelled from the F-35
fighter jet program.
Do you still have
any hope
that you'll be able
to acquire F-35s in the future,
or have you got to the point
where you say, we don't need them?
We will have our own domestic defense
sector going forward.
We don't need to buy from others.
during the Trump presidency,
the US had a wrong approach
regarding the S-400s. Why?
If we are a free democratic country
taking part in a liberal global market,
if I cannot purchase
the defense system from the U.S.,
then it's the U.S.
that pushes us
to buy a different system
from a different country.
We couldn't purchase those systems
from the United States.
That's why
I bought the equivalent from Russia.
Russia then is to.
And when the F-35s
were not delivered to us,
we were very upset
because we are nato allies.
Turkey is one of the most significant
members of neato.
That's when we started
looking at the alternatives,
when we saw the attitude
of the Americans about the F-35.
We told them to at least provide us F-16s
and the necessary parts.
So we continue our relations
in a determined manner. In the current.
There are some positive developments
in that regard.
I hope that these positive developments
will continue
Are you
ready to support
Sweden's NATO membership?
So as long as Sweden continues
to allow the offshoots of terror
groups in Turkey to roam free in Sweden
in the streets of Stockholm,
we cannot look favorably
on Sweden's membership in Nieto.
President Erdogan,
are you saying that you are not yet prepared
to agree
to Sweden's
accession to NATO's is switching under?
We're not ready for Sweden
We're not ready for Sweden right now.
First, they need to solve this issue
because NATO countries
should have a strong stance
when it comes to fighting terrorism.
And they should not allow
any terror groups to run freely
in their streets against a NATO country
because this is what makes NATO special
leave us.
How do you see Turkey's relationship
with this wider
Middle Eastern Gulf region developing
going forward?
There was a period
when I was seriously upset,
but that's in the past now. 22.
Right now
we see Saudi Arabia,
Egypt, Qatar,
Kuwait,
UAE, all of the Gulf
as brotherly nations.
It's not right for us to remain at odds.
We've moved past that.
We've started
state visits to Saudi Arabia,
UAE, Qatar, Kuwait.
And after the elections,
I hope relations will expand
on the political,
military, commercial cultural
and economic fronts.
And we will take the necessary steps
to improve our relations
with the Gulf states.