Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he expects US President-elect Donald Trump to take action in line with his promise to end conflicts in the world, including ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Erdoğan said Trump’s halting of arms exports to Israel, which is currently waging war in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and in Lebanon, could be a good start to “stop” Israel’s war efforts, Reuters reported.
“Trump has made promises to end conflicts. … We want that promise to be fulfilled and for Israel to be told to ‘stop’,” Erdoğan told reporters on a return flight from Budapest, according to an official readout.
“Mr. Trump cutting off arms support provided to Israel could be a good start in order to stop Israeli aggression in Palestinian and Lebanese lands,” he was cited as saying.
Turkey has fiercely criticized Israel’s offensives in the Palestinian territory of Gaza and in Lebanon, and has halted trade with Israel as well as applying to join a genocide case against Israel at the World Court. Israel strongly denies the genocide accusations.
Trump’s presidency may seriously affect political and military balances in the Middle East region, Erdoğan said, adding that pursuing current US policies could deepen deadlock in the region and spread the conflict.
War in Ukraine
As for Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, Erdoğan said the war could be brought to an end if the Trump administration takes a solution-based approach with an emphasis on more dialogue.
“We can easily end this war if we see a Trump administration that approaches the issue with a solution-based perspective. More dialogue, diplomacy and agreement will open the door to peace, [rather than] weapons, bombs and conflict,” Erdoğan told reporters.
Trump said during his campaign that he could bring peace to Ukraine within 24 hours if elected, but has provided few details on how he would seek to end the biggest land war in Europe since World War II.
President Joe Biden has given strong support to Ukraine throughout the war in the form of significant heavy weaponry as well as broad security and financial assistance.
While supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, condemning its invasion by Russia and providing it with military support, NATO member Turkey has also opposed Western sanctions on Russia, with which it has important relations in defense, energy and tourism.
Since March, Turkey has been calling for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine and offering to mediate, saying the negative impact of the conflict on the world needs to be mitigated.
“We are a country that has managed to bring both sides together around the same table. We have done this many times and can do it again. This war must end now. We have focused our efforts on peace and will continue to do so,” Erdoğan said.
Invitation to Trump
Erdoğan also said he invited Trump to Turkey in a phone call he had with him on his election victory. He said he expects Trump will accept his invitation and help make Turkish-US cooperation stronger than it was during the current US administration.
Erdoğan was twice hosted at the White House by Trump during his previous term as president, but has not been received there by President Joe Biden. A scheduled visit was postponed.
During Trump’s previous term, disagreements over defense policy, regional alliances and economic sanctions deepened, creating an uneasy dynamic between the two NATO allies. Despite Erdoğan’s attempts to reinvigorate relations, the diplomatic problems that characterized Trump’s first term — including Turkey’s controversial purchase of Russian missile systems and US support for Kurdish forces in Syria — are likely to remain.