24.07.2026 15:21
President Erdogan made statements after the Friday prayer at the Hz. Ali Mosque. Erdogan said, "The returns for the NATO Summit were very, very positive. We constantly received thank you telegrams and phone calls."
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements after the Friday prayer performed at the Hz. Ali Mosque. Speaking about the NATO Summit, Erdoğan stated that they received very positive feedback from the hosted country leaders, saying, 'We constantly received thank-you telegrams and phone calls. Along with all this, especially the hospitality and respect we showed them on the opening day pleased our guests.'
THE REOPENING OF HAGIA SOPHIA FOR WORSHIP
Here are the highlights from Erdoğan's speech:
'We are currently celebrating the sixth anniversary of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, which we are honored to commemorate its sixth year, and we hope it is beneficial for the entire Islamic world. It was bestowed upon us to reopen it for worship. We are very happy about this. During the rallies we held there with Master Necip Fazıl, the late poet, pointing to the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, he used to say, 'Hagia Sophia will open. One day Hagia Sophia will open.' I was honored to introduce him at that time. We achieved not just opening it, but returning it to the Islamic world. We have brought those words he spoke from his heart back then to the Islamic world, thank God. We are especially happy about this.
Now, of course, on its sixth anniversary, we have experienced and are experiencing this joy together. At the same time, we continue its restoration and renovation. The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, which opens its doors to everyone—both the Islamic world and all humanity, Christians, Muslims—makes us all very happy. Right now, we are truly proud and happy in that joy. This place of worship is a very unique work, a very unique sanctuary, with its architectural features and its position in the world. As the leader of Turkey within the Islamic world, it has been our destiny to experience this process. For this, we thank our Lord. We send our warmest greetings, love, and respect to the entire Islamic world.'
'VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK AFTER THE NATO SUMMIT'
The feedback for the NATO Summit was very, very positive. We constantly received thank-you telegrams and phone calls. Along with all this, especially the hospitality and respect we showed them on the opening day pleased our guests. Because of this, all the leaders, especially Donald Trump, were truly in a very different state of emotion. They shared these feelings with us in a very distinct way—whether at dinner, after dinner, or in the programs they had with their spouses alongside mine, they expressed their happiness. We experienced this joy doubly, and we are especially happy about it. Of course, after 20 years, this summit in Ankara, following Istanbul, was an additional richness for us. It was an extra occasion for joy.'
SPAIN'S WORLD CUP VICTORY
Truly, Sanchez experiencing such joy as the prime minister of a world champion country is his most natural and legitimate right. May God grant us such a championship as well. We too would achieve such a world championship. We started well, but the end did not turn out well. Hopefully, there may be European championships ahead. Or, who knows, world championships again. If we can achieve such successes, that would truly suit Turkey very well. Inshallah, we are ready for it.'