24.10.2025 11:30
President Erdoğan was asked about the "corn" memory mentioned in the book of former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Erdoğan replied, "How could I not remember? We always offer our guests whatever is in season, whether it's corn or chestnuts. Mr. Stoltenberg was indeed someone with a positive approach among NATO Secretaries General."
Jens Stoltenberg, who served as NATO Secretary General from 2014 to 2024, shared striking memories from his term in his book titled "It's My Turn: Leading NATO in Times of War." In the book, Stoltenberg discussed critical issues such as the downing of a Russian plane, operations in Syria, NATO's expansion process, and the debates surrounding Turkey within the West.
"DO YOU LIKE CORN?"
Stoltenberg recounted a conversation he had with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during Turkey's operations in northern Syria in 2019:
"During the meeting, President Erdoğan suddenly asked me, 'Do you like corn?' Then a tray of corn cobs and roasted chestnuts was brought in. After the conversation took on a warm atmosphere, I conveyed to him the reports regarding the deaths and large waves of migration resulting from the operations in Syria. I told Erdoğan, 'You need to be careful. Turkey's military actions must be proportional, and you should not target civilians.' Erdoğan responded, 'We are killing terrorists. You are the ones hitting civilians; no one raises their voice when you bomb ISIS in Raqqa and Mosul.'
Stoltenberg stated that after this response, he thought, "Erdoğan was right at some point." He recalled that the coalition led by the United States, which also included NATO, conducted operations against ISIS without a United Nations resolution, noting that Turkey justified its operations in Syria on similar grounds.
ERDOĞAN: HOW COULD I FORGET?
This dialogue from Jens Stoltenberg's book was asked to President Erdoğan. Erdoğan confirmed the memory and said:
"How could I forget? We always offer our guests whatever is in season, whether it's corn or chestnuts. Mr. Stoltenberg was indeed someone with a positive approach among NATO Secretaries General. He was a guest of mine with his family; he was a friend with whom we took family trips on the Bosphorus. These are not ordinary events; this is the essence of diplomacy."
Erdoğan stated that Stoltenberg sharing this memory in his memoir demonstrates the importance of continuing relations, and he continued his remarks:
"Our current Secretary General, Mark Rutte, also has very good relations with us. Mr. Stoltenberg's evaluation of these matters in his memoir is also significant in showing how important it will be for our relations to continue. Hopefully, we will analyze this book together in our first meeting."