Erdoğan: Türkiye will be 'proven right on Palestine as in Syria'

ISTANBUL

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Türkiye's stance on the Palestinian conflict would be vindicated, drawing parallels to the country's approach in Syria.

“As it has been for 13 years in Syria, we have not left our Palestinian brothers alone since Oct. 7, 2023,” Erdoğan said on Jan. 3 during an event at Istanbul's Haliç Congress Center.

He referred to the onset of unprecedented Israeli offensives following a Hamas onslaught.

"Just as we were proven right in Syria despite all the criticism from inside and outside, history will confirm Türkiye's rightness in Gaza," he said. "We do not have the slightest doubt about this."

Addressing the ongoing violence in Gaza, Erdoğan described the past year as "a difficult year with no shortage of wars and massacres."

“The Gaza atrocities, which claimed the lives of 50,000 innocent people, continued to bleed throughout 2024,” he said.

"We cannot tolerate the loss of even one more innocent life in Gaza."

The president outlined Türkiye's initiatives to support Palestinians, including halting commercial transactions with Israel and encouraging broader international recognition of Palestine.

Erdoğan's remarks followed the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria by opposition forces. Ankara has since indicated its willingness to cooperate with Syria's new administration.

Transitioning to economic matters, Erdoğan praised Türkiye's foreign trade achievements in 2024, despite global and regional challenges.

He noted that the past year was marked by continued economic uncertainty stemming from the pandemic and geopolitical conflicts.

“The war between Russia and Ukraine continued, sometimes reaching very dangerous dimensions,” he said.

“Protectionist measures, which were called temporary during the COVID-19 pandemic, continued to negatively affect global trade. The deterioration that started with the pandemic has yet to be overcome.”

The fight against inflation "left its mark on the world" last year, Erdoğan said, expressing optimism for 2025 and forecasting modest economic recovery globally, albeit below pre-pandemic levels.