SAEDNEWS: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Israel is the main driver of war in the region and warned that Turkey would not hesitate to fight if it were attacked.
According to SaedNews: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Al Jazeera that Turkey would not avoid fighting if another side sought to attack the country for war rather than peace.
Erdoğan also said Europe has refused to accept Turkey for 53 years and does not appear to be considering its membership in the future. He stressed that joining the European Union is no longer a priority for Ankara.
Describing Israel as the main driver and actor behind war in the region, Erdoğan said Israel had repeatedly encouraged conflict and consistently favored the military option, leaving other countries to bear extremely heavy costs.
Turning to Gaza, the Turkish president said Hamas had demonstrated genuine solidarity, while he had seen no positive approach from Israel. He said Israel continues its attacks on both Lebanon and Gaza with an aggressive approach.
Erdoğan also discussed the Mecca agreement, saying the mutual defense pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan operates through a mechanism entirely similar to Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
