Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold a conversation with US President Donald Trump on Monday, January 5.
This was announced by Erdogan after leaving Friday prayers at a mosque in Istanbul in a statement to Turkish journalists, which was broadcast live on the media. This is the first message of the Turkish president in the New Year, BTA reports.
"My meetings with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky, as well as with (US President Donald) Trump, continue. Another summit is coming up in Paris. I will be represented at it by our Foreign Minister (Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan). On Monday evening, we will hold another meeting with Mr. Trump. We will have the opportunity to discuss the issues between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the situation in Palestine," Erdogan said.
A large part of the Turkish president's statement today was dedicated to Palestine, and in particular to the mass demonstration of solidarity with Gaza that took place yesterday on the Galata Bridge in Istanbul, which was attended by over 520,000 people.
"With the advent of the new year, we all witnessed a historic moment on the Galata Bridge. This shows that Palestine is not alone. Palestine is always our dearest friend and Israel's hostile actions will not go unpunished," Erdogan said.
He stressed that Turkey will continue to show solidarity and empathy with the Palestinians, as it has done so far.
"From now on, neither Gaza nor Palestine will be left alone. As Turkey and as the Islamic world, we will continue our unity of power by standing by Palestine and Gaza with all our efforts," the Turkish president added.
In his speech, he also spoke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him "pharaoh".
"Especially this pharaoh called Netanyahu will not get away with what he has done. He has incurred the wrath of many oppressed people, from young to old. (...) The plight of these children (in Gaza – ed. note), who are seen on TV screens in tents that look like anything but tents – in wind, rain and mud - we will certainly not leave (all of this) unpunished (...). We are doing everything possible to punish (Netanyahu)," Erdogan said.
He added that Netanyahu is not allowing Turkey to send humanitarian aid containers to Gaza. "With them, we could have a chance to save our Palestinian brothers and sisters from the inhuman living conditions in Gaza. Sooner or later, God willing, we will save these oppressed people from this suffering," the Turkish head of state said.
In response to a journalist's question, Erdogan expressed optimism about Turkey's economic development in the New Year, saying that the country started 2026 with positive indicators.
"Both the reduction in inflation and the reserves of our Central Bank are improving day by day. 2026 will be a year full of successes in this regard. We have full faith in this. Our reserves are very good. Therefore, we are not experiencing any difficulties. "We hope that with more efforts we will make these reserves even stronger," the Turkish president said in his statement.