Both Turkey and Russian President Vladimir Putin want the war to end sooner, and Putin himself is also not satisfied with its outcome. This was stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to journalists on the government plane on his way back from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, which took place in Kyrgyzstan and where he held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, BTA reported.
„Turkey is taking on the role of seeking a solution and peace in the conflicts in our region. Especially with regard to the war between Russia and Ukraine and ours, and Putin's wish is for it to end peacefully as soon as possible. We want the peace process between Russia and Ukraine to be implemented in this region as soon as possible, so that peace reigns in the region. It is obvious that this war has no good outcome for the region, the world, or the (warring – ed.) countries. Is Putin happy with this? He is not happy. And he expects this work to be completed soon,” Erdogan said, quoted by the Turkish state television – TRT Haber“.
He described the meeting with Putin as very fruitful, and the atmosphere – as friendly, and said that he expressed to Putin Turkey's readiness to do what is necessary to achieve peace.
The Turkish president said that he and Putin also discussed the topic of selling the Russian S-400 missile and air defense systems to a third country, as this is related to Turkey's return to the US F-35 military aircraft program after it was removed from it precisely because of the purchase of Russian systems. Lifting the sanctions was also a topic of discussion at the meeting between Erdogan and US President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in Ankara in July.
„You know, Turkey was part of the F-35 aircraft program and we have a significant contribution to it. Our talks continue to return Turkey to it. When the processes in the US are completed, I hope that this issue will also be left behind. While we continue all these diplomatic efforts, we are not giving up on the (Turkish – ed.) KAAH (KAAN) aircraft,“ Erdogan said.
He stressed the need for a mechanism in the Black Sea that would ensure the safe navigation of commercial ships.
„For us, the security is important not only for ships under the Turkish flag or Turkish companies, but for all civilian ships in the Black Sea. The battle between the two countries (Russia and Ukraine – ed. note) should not be brought to a point where the security of civilians and trade is eliminated. That is why we are acting with a much broader perspective. We need to resolve this issue because the damage is increasing over time. A mechanism is needed to permanently ensure the security of commercial maritime transport in the Black Sea. I would like to emphasize in particular that we are seeing the grain crisis reappearing in Africa. Taking the initiative will be useful before the problem grows even more“, said the Turkish president.
Erdogan also commented on the first meeting of the Mecca Defense Alliance between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which was held in Istanbul on August 31. As one of the priorities in his activities, the Turkish president pointed out cooperation in the field of the defense industry, in which Turkey aims to be among the world leaders.
“There are very few countries that openly oppose this alliance, but there are also countries that secretly do so. Especially the balance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey makes it difficult for many participants to openly criticize this alliance. It was created for the stability and security of our region. We continue on our path together with our brothers, becoming stronger“, said Erdogan.