The Turkish Foreign Minister warned that the US crackdown on Iranian-backed groups would lead to an escalation of the situation

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned of a possible escalation in the region as the United States continues to launch airstrikes against Iranian-backed groups.

In an interview with national television, Fidan said: "When you play with fire, it can turn into a blaze at any moment and become uncontrollable. We are facing risks, and uncontrollable problems are the threats that lie ahead of us. ”

Fidan said Turkey is in ongoing negotiations with the United States and regional partners, adding: "We need to avoid (confrontation) from spreading in the region." The situation is not rosy. We may face even greater proliferation. ”

Fidan stressed that Israel's security concerns are constantly raised in world opinion, and Israel prioritizes territorial expansion over security. Israel will not feel safe until Israel stops lying to the international community and gives the Palestinians their own state.

Reminding that regional countries have repeatedly expressed their willingness to take responsibility, Fidan said: "When we propose a two-state solution this time, the fundamental factor is the guarantee mechanism that we have proposed, which makes it different in its approach. ”

The F-16 deal and NATO expansion

Answering a question about the F-16 fighter jets discussed with the United States, he highlighted the issue of including Sweden and Finland in NATO, as well as Turkey's support in this process.

In late January, the U.S. State Department approved the upcoming sale of $23 billion worth of F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits to Turkey and sent an official notice to Congress.

Fidan pointed to strategic security issues between Turkey, NATO and a number of member states, and said that counter-terrorism efforts were a priority in the negotiations.

He recalled that Turkey's concerns about terrorism were raised for the first time at the 2022 summit in Madrid, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and the leaders of Sweden and Finland.

Fidan underlined the commitment to terrorist groups such as PKK, YPG and FETO, and assured that NATO members will not support these organizations.

Referring to Finland's accession to NATO in April 2023, he referred to the trilateral summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, which discussed the lifting of sanctions against Turkey by NATO countries and support for Ankara's accession to the European Union.

Fidan mentioned that the Turkish parliament is awaiting approval of legislation related to Sweden and subsequently informed the US Congress, expressing confidence that the ongoing process will end after President Joe Biden ratifies and deposits the agreement with the host country.

After the Turkish parliament approved Sweden's accession to NATO in late January, Turkey submitted documents related to Sweden's accession to NATO, which resulted in approval.

F-35 project and defense capabilities

Discussing the current status of the U.S. F-35 fighter jet program and its impact on Turkey's defense capability, Fidan said: "The emergence of the F-35 issue reflects Turkey's withdrawal from the program, its pursuit of developing its own defense capabilities and its political policy." ”

Emphasizing that Ankara's role is not just a customer, he said: "We are involved not only as a customer of the F-35 project, but also as a production partner." This situation has caused significant losses to Turkey, both financially and in terms of our business. ”

Fidan confirmed that efforts are being made to address the damages, saying: "Our relevant authorities are working hard, especially in terms of recovering the economic losses caused. ”

Regarding the potential impact on the balance of power in the Aegean Sea, Fidan admitted that Greece, as a member of NATO, was included in the list of countries to receive after the completion of the production of the F-35. "Greece expects to receive the F-2030 sometime after 35," he said. We will closely monitor the situation and, at the same time, the evolution of the balance of power. ”

Fidan further spoke about the ongoing challenges of acquiring defense systems from Western countries, saying: "This situation has prompted Turkey to explore alternative options. As part of our country's foreign policy, we are obliged to protect our country by procuring all necessary systems and military equipment. ”

"On the instructions of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, we have begun to implement the doctrine of layered air defense, which makes use of domestic Hisar-class low, medium and high-altitude air defense systems developed by Roketsan," he said. ”

Commenting on the possibility of returning to the F-35 project, Fidan said: "This is a capability. If the acquisition of this capacity is a complement without losing our other capabilities, why not? But if the acquisition of this capacity requires the waiver of other capabilities, adaptation to different policies, or any uncompromising conditions, then we naturally continue to explore other alternatives. ”

Gaza faces famine and disease

Fidan stressed the importance of the decision of the International Court of Justice on interim measures in the genocide case against Israel.

He expressed deep concern at the loss of life and damage caused by Israeli bombings and stressed that more than 2 million people in Gaza faced hunger and disease.

Fidan condemned the hostage-taking, the destruction of infrastructure and the lack of access to basic resources. He stressed the urgent need to focus efforts on stopping the massacres and advocated a shift to a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The key question, he said, is whether Israel can make it clear that it is satisfied with the 1967 borders and has no territorial ambitions beyond those borders.

Turkish-Egyptian relations

Regarding the process of normalization of Turkish-Egyptian relations, Fidan said that the process has been basically completed. He pointed to the mutual benefits of the two countries, emphasizing the historical ties between the Turkish and Egyptian peoples. He stressed the special importance of bilateral relations for regional security and trade.

Fidan also acknowledged that there are numerous Turkish investors in Egypt and expressed a desire to strengthen these investments. He referred to the positive impact of the normalization of relations on regional policy, particularly in Libya.

He stressed the importance of cooperation in various fields, including drone technology cooperation.

Noting the importance of Egypt in terms of regional security, especially in the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Fidan said: "It is important to normalize relations so that Egypt can have some support and some technology." We also reached an agreement that Turkey will provide drones and other technologies. Our cooperation in Africa is also important, especially in Libya. With the normalization of our relations with Egypt, it has had a serious positive effect, especially with regard to the policy towards Libya. ”

The EU process in Turkey

Speaking about Turkey's accession to the European Union, Fidan acknowledged the long history of the process and highlighted the lessons learned from the past and present.

He discussed ongoing efforts to explore new approaches, new parameters, new discourses and new policies regarding the EU path in Ankara.

He highlighted the EU's key decision, questioning whether the EU is really willing to make Turkey a member.

PUK-PKK cooperation

Fidan also warned that Turkey may take further steps due to the cooperation of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with the PKK terrorist group in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the failure of the PUK to distance itself from the PKK terrorist group, saying that Turkey has imposed restrictions on the PUK, especially in terms of air transport to Sulaymaniyah. He again called on the PUK to correct its mistakes and warned that if the PUK continued to do so, Turkey could escalate its actions.

With regard to Turkish-Syrian relations, Fidan criticized Syria's attempts to adopt diplomatic measures with preconditions. Turkey asserts the territorial integrity of Syria in the Astana process. Fidan underlined Ankara's commitment to dialogue, while noting that Syria faces challenges in terms of participation due to external influence.