Türkiye's 'Entrepreneurial, Humanitarian' Foreign Policy Benefits World, Says Foreign Minister

Türkiye's foreign policy is entrepreneurial and humanitarian, not dogmatic or unprincipled, as shown when it helped mitigate the threat of a global food crisis, the Turkish foreign minister said on Monday.

Speaking at the 13th Ambassadors Conference in the Turkish capital Ankara, Mevlut Cavusoglu said the crisis in Ukraine "once again demonstrated the worth of Türkiye," referring to its bringing together Ukrainian and Russian officials to seek peace and its brokering last month's historic grain export deal.

Ankara expects its allies to be "more friendly, more active and less critical, and to take responsibility," he added.

He said Türkiye's cross-border anti-terrorist operations are progressing with effective diplomatic support, stressing that they carry "great importance" for the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq.

The fight against terrorism is a "red line" for Türkiye, Cavusoglu asserted.

He said Ankara expects Iraqi authorities to take concrete action against the terror group PKK, which often hides out in northern Iraq to plot attacks across the Turkish border.

Until that happens, Türkiye will continue taking measures to protect its national security, he asserted.

"Türkiye hopes its sensitivities in the fight against terrorism are well understood by the world," Cavusoglu said.

****Saying that Türkiye has cleared 4,000 square kilometers (1,544 square miles) of terrorists beyond its borders, Cavusoglu said over 515,000 people returned to these areas eliminated of terrorists thanks to Turkish efforts.

***"If we didn't do this, neither Daesh (ISIS) nor the PKK/PYD/YPG (terrorist groups) would be eliminated there," he added.

Seeking 'a more just world'

****Adding that "Türkiye has no hostility toward anyone, it has no designs on anyone's land or interests," Cavusoglu said: "Türkiye looks forward with the understanding, goal, and efforts towards a more just world."

He also criticized the US for not taking "satisfactory steps" against the terror groups PKK/YPG and Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) – the group behind a defeated coup in 2016 – as well as on lifting unilateral sanctions from Türkiye.

Türkiye has long criticized Washington's support for YPG/PKK terrorists.

While the US claims to be fighting the Daesh/ISIS terror group with the help of its YPG/PKK allies, Türkiye says using one terror group to counter another makes no sense.

Türkiye has also criticized the US failure to extradite Fetullah Gulen, the terrorist FETO ringleader, who lives in the US state of Pennsylvania.

EU membership and ensuring European security

On Türkiye's objective of EU membership, Cavusoglu reaffirmed Ankara's commitment and said the country "will pursue constructive policies to improve cooperation and dialogue in all fields."

"Türkiye is Europe," he said, stressing Ankara's role in ensuring Europe's security.

On the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean, Cavusoglu said Türkiye wants the "interconnected issues" there to be addressed and resolved "holistically and comprehensively in line with international law."

"Greece, however, does not have the will to resolve (these) issues," he said.

On last week's flare-up of violence between the Caucasus nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan, he said Türkiye "once again warns Armenia not to engage in new provocations."

When Azerbaijan in fall 2020 liberated territory in Karabakh that was occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades, said Cavusoglu, Türkiye stood for justice and supported the righteous and truthful side.

The foreign minister also condemned the new wave of Israeli attacks on Gaza, saying there can be no justification for killing innocent people, especially a 5-year-old girl. -