NATO should work for immediate cessation of humanitarian tragedy, destruction and tears in Ukraine – Erdogan

Emmanuel Thomas l Friday, July 01, 2022

 

MADRID, Spain – President Recep  Tayyip  Erdogan of Turkey  has  affirmed that  the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO alliance has been working in full support for Ukraine since the outset of the war in Ukraine  but that NATO should show this support together with a peace vision and should work for the immediate cessation of the humanitarian tragedy, destruction and tears.

President of Turkey, the owner of the second largest army in NATO and the fifth biggest contributor to its operations and missions made the plea in his press conference to roundup NATO summit in Madrid, Spain.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made the statement just as NATO has tagged Russia as the “biggest threat to world peace” and  deployed about 300,000 soldiers to member state with state of the arts equipment to defend territory of members in the alliance.

Nevertheless,  Erdogan acknowledged that NATO  has  come together at the leaders’ level for the third time this year, one via video link and the other the meeting in Brussels since the outset of the war in Ukraine and that the Madrid Summit has served as an important opportunity to analyze the current point reached and to develop a vision for future.

“Our Alliance has full support for Ukraine. However, we should show this support together with a peace vision and should work for the immediate cessation of the humanitarian tragedy, destruction and tears”, he said, adding “We need to intensify our diplomatic efforts for the establishment of a lasting peace.

Erdogan said  he  has been in close contact with President Zelenskky  since the beginning of the process. “As you know, we have been maintaining our regular dialogue with President of Russia Mr. Putin as well. All of these efforts are aimed at taking steps that would pave the way for a lasting peace”, he explained, stressing that  the loss of lives and the destruction escalate as the conflicts drag on.

According to him, the war’s negative implications for the global economy, particularly inflation, are felt by everyone.

“Türkiye believes that there is no loser in a just peace, stressed President Erdoğan. “We should further consolidate the hopes that flourished with the Istanbul Process. I am pleased to once again witness that the role which Türkiye plays as an ally that assumes responsibility, speaks with all sides and shares the burden is appreciated in NATO.

“ During our talks here, we explained the efforts we have been exerting since the onset of the war with the aim of minimizing the humanitarian impacts of the crisis and achieving an immediate ceasefire. I shared information about our contributions to the plan for the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea ports.”

President Erdoğan said: “The developments regarding Sweden and Finland’s application for NATO membership have laid bare Türkiye’s red lines on this issue. We have since the very beginning voiced our sensitivities and displayed a constructive but determined stance.

“On Tuesday, we, together with Finnish President and Swedish Prime Minister, held a quadrilateral meeting facilitated by NATO Secretary General. We see the signed memorandum of understanding as a sign that Türkiye’s sensitivities have been understood. Obviously, this is a start, what really matters is the fulfillment of the promises. In the period ahead, we will rigorously follow the implementation of the issues mentioned in the memorandum of understanding and take our steps accordingly”, Erdogan said, stressing that it is wrong to consider diplomacy to be a zero-sum game where a party wins while the other loses.

“On the contrary, diplomacy should be seen as the shortest and the safest path that will take us to a common denominator. I believe it will be more accurate to assess the memorandum of understanding signed between Türkiye, Sweden and Finland from this point of view. Undoubtedly, this memorandum of understanding is a diplomatic victory for Türkiye and our nation which was achieved as a result of tough negotiation process.”

“The winners of this memorandum of understanding, together with Türkiye and NATO, are the Finnish and Swedish peoples. Any concrete step aimed at combating terrorism will contribute to the peace, tranquility and security of these countries,” the President noted.