President Erdoğan of Turkey: “We can part ways with the EU if necessary”

President Erdoğan reacted to the European Parliament’s report on Turkey, saying, “The European Union is making efforts to distance itself from Turkey. We will make our assessments, and if necessary, we can part ways with the European Union.”

President Erdoğan will visit the United States from September 16 to 20 to participate in the United Nations 78th General Assembly. Prior to his departure, Erdoğan held a press conference and made statements regarding the European Parliament (EP) accepting the 2022 report on Turkey.

President Erdoğan’s statements were as follows:

“We will soon depart for New York to participate in the United Nations 78th General Assembly meetings. More than 150 countries are expected to attend the general assembly meetings, where all UN member countries are represented. As in previous years, we will have a very busy schedule of meetings and contacts in the United States this year as well.

I will address the General Assembly on Tuesday, September 19th, on the first day of the general assembly meetings. On this occasion, we will share our views on the fundamental issues on the international agenda. We will emphasize the critical role that Turkey plays in the face of the current global challenges.

We are pleased that our thesis “The world is bigger than five” is gaining more acceptance

We are determined to turn this period, in which the stones are being moved in the global system, into an opportunity for our country and our people.

In just the last 3 months, our reserves have increased by $22 billion. The total gross reserves of the Central Bank have exceeded $120 billion. The recent statement by the World Bank is another example of the recognition of our country. The diplomatic initiatives we are conducting to establish peace and stability in our region are also being appreciated.

Just as we have done for the past 21 years, we are solely focused on our work. We will continue to work with the same sensitivity in the future as well.”

“We proposed a 4-way meeting for Karabakh”

Erdoğan mentioned that they had proposed a 4-way meeting for Karabakh and said, “Currently, we have proposed a 3-way meeting under our leadership. We also proposed a 4-way meeting with Putin, Aliyev, myself, and Pashinyan.”

Sweden should fulfill its duties

“The West says, ‘Sweden, Sweden, Sweden.’ We say that unless our parliament decides, it is not possible for us to say yes or no. First, Sweden must fulfill its duties. It is not enough to prepare the law; it must be implemented. If they send terrorists under the protection of the Swedish police to demonstrations, it means they are not fulfilling their duties.”

“EU is making efforts to distance itself from Turkey”

“The European Union is making efforts to distance itself from Turkey. In this period when the EU is making moves to distance itself from Turkey, we will make our assessments. After these assessments, if necessary, we can part ways with the EU.”