US President-elect Donald Trump's occasional messages about the Middle East may worry us, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said, hoping that Trump would take very different steps in the Middle East region this term.
Speaking to Turkish journalists on a flight back from Saudi Arabia, Tayyip Erdogan said that “the development of relations between Turkey and the United States in the new era cannot be achieved through telephone diplomacy. Hopefully we will meet with Mr. Trump in international or bilateral meetings to determine much better how to evaluate the next process. Right now, we have to see how the cabinet of Mr. Trump, what kind of cabinet will emerge."
Asked about Elon Musk, the Turkish President said that "he is a businessman who works in the field of space and technology... He is a name that closely follows technology and makes some serious technological steps."
"We had a meeting with him in Turkey about this matter. When we met with her at the Turkish House during the last United Nations General Assembly, she took her child with her," he said.
Referring to the meeting at the Turkish House, in New York, he said that there was a friendly atmosphere. "Turkey's breakthroughs in the field of technology are attracting the world's attention. Technology is not an area where you can go it alone, you definitely need some collaboration. If opportunities for collaboration arise in this area, steps can be taken with Musk. We will see in time in which area Elon Musk will work in the Trump administration and in which area his role will benefit Mr. Trump or the American administration," he continued.
Asked to what extent the election of Donald Trump has reduced the threat of regional war and Israeli occupation, the Turkish President said that "it is a little early to draw conclusions on this matter. Let's see Trump take over from Biden. Then we will see what steps he will take in the new period after the handover."
Our desire, he added, "is for Trump to take very different steps towards the region in this term. Because the messages given at times may worry us. So we have to see in January. I think we will see what steps are taken from January. As we met him and spoke within a few days after his election, I believe that we will have these contacts in the same way in the future. Because our meetings with Trump in the past were incomparable to those with Biden."
Asked about Turkey's plans for a new operation to create a security zone across its borders, the Turkish President said that "our cross-border operations are always on our agenda for the security of our country and the peace of our citizens."
If we feel threatened, he continued, “we are ready to start our cross-border operations at any time. No one should doubt our respect for the territorial integrity of Syria. However, complete instability prevails in northern Syria. This creates an enabling environment for terrorist organizations to feed off the chaos in that region and gain a foothold there. The instability in Syria and the occupation of terrorist organizations is a risk to our security. The aim of all our operations against DAESH and the PKK/PYD/YPG is to ensure our own security."
Source: KYPE
