Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed solidarity with Lebanon against the backdrop of growing tensions with Israel and called on other countries in the region to do the same, Turkish state TV TRT Haber reported, quoted by BTA.
In a speech to the parliamentary group of his Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdogan accused Israel of having "turned its sights on Lebanon" after Gaza. "Although the Western powers speak differently in front of the cameras, we see that behind the scenes they are patting Israel on the back and even supporting it. It is extremely sad and unfortunate that countries that talk about freedom, human rights and justice are captives of a mentally ill person like (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu. "Netanyahu's plans to spread the war in the region with the consent of the West will lead to a great catastrophe," the Turkish leader also said.
In Erdogan's words, "the Islamic world and brotherly countries in the Middle East must react against these bloody plans". "Turkey supports the brotherly Lebanese people and country. I invite other countries in the region to stand in solidarity with Lebanon," he said.
The president also stated that, unlike others, Turkey "speaks the truth inside and outside", will defend this truth and stand "on the side of the innocent and against the murderers". Erdogan announced that "the most effective response to Israeli insolence and lawlessness is the recognition of the state of Palestine.
"We hope that the conscientious attitude that Norway, Ireland and Slovenia have demonstrated will set an example for the whole of Europe. We are glad that Armenia, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mr. (Nikol) Pashinyan, has also decided to recognize the State of Palestine," he said and promised to continue his contacts for the recognition of Palestine by more and more countries.