President Erdoğan: “The region is heading towards a very serious fire circle.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated regarding Israel’s attacks on Palestine and Lebanon, “The region is heading towards a very serious circle of fire. Unfortunately, the following process will be much more problematic in the region.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the Signing Ceremony of Agreements and the Joint Press Conference with Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye. Erdoğan expressed his satisfaction in hosting President Faye and his delegation in Turkey, saying, “On this occasion, I would like to congratulate him once again for the victory he achieved in the presidential elections held last March. Senegal is one of the countries with the closest relations in West Africa and has contributed the most to the stability and well-being of the African continent. We share the same attitude on many issues. We have just signed a memorandum of understanding that elevates our relations to the level of strategic partnership. In our discussions today, we addressed cooperation opportunities in the fields of security, defense industry, counter-terrorism, energy, agriculture, urbanization, culture, and higher education, as well as investment and trade between our countries,” he said.
Noting that they signed four agreements in this context, President Erdoğan stated, “Our trade and investment relations with Senegal are constantly increasing. Our trade volume has approached 500 million dollars. Our initial target is one billion dollars. We agree with my dear friend on the point of quickly reaching this target. The total value of Turkish companies’ investments and contracting projects in Senegal has reached 3 billion dollars. We take great pleasure in this on behalf of our countries. We encourage our firms to evaluate opportunities in Senegal.”
Highlighting that a Turkey-Senegal Business Forum will be held in Istanbul tomorrow, President Erdoğan stated, “In the upcoming period, a joint economic cooperation meeting will also be held. I believe that these important meetings will reveal the true potential of our economic relations. During our discussions, the Senegalese government’s recently announced Senegal 2050 National Transformation Program was also on the agenda. We expressed that we are ready to share our experiences in this area with our Senegalese friends.”
President Erdoğan conveyed that they also evaluated joint steps that could be taken in security, defense, and counter-terrorism, especially regarding FETO. “On this occasion, I thank the Senegalese authorities for their support in our struggle against FETO. I have no doubt that this support and solidarity will continue in the future. We also had the opportunity to address developments in the Sahel region and Palestine during our discussions. We once again recorded our joint stance that security in the Sahel region is essential for security and stability in the African continent,” he said.
Erdoğan stated that they discussed the steps Turkey and Senegal could take against Israel’s genocide in Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza, and expressed appreciation for Senegal’s presidency of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People since 1975. He emphasized that they find Senegal’s position, which is based on a two-state solution in the Palestinian issue, extremely valuable. President Erdoğan remarked, “We will continue our efforts in this direction. We see being alongside the people of Palestine and Lebanon as our brotherly and humanitarian duty. We follow with appreciation the resolute stance of our African brothers, who know very well what oppression, pressure, war, and massacre mean and who have experienced this pain, against the genocide policies of the Israeli government.”
Erdoğan expressed that a peaceful future cannot be built on bloodshed and tears, recalling the experiences of imperialists on the African continent, and stated that he believes the same truth will manifest in Gaza and Lebanon. He added, “Those who seek security through oppression will be dragged into a much greater vortex of insecurity. We have no doubt about that. I invite all conscience-bearing countries to exert more pressure on the Israeli government.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan noted the steps that could be taken in education and defense industry with Senegal, as well as the steps taken in the infrastructure sector. He stated that Senegal has a good understanding of the Turkish construction sector and that they could take some new steps, renewing their confidence to move forward.
Erdoğan mentioned that Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati made a significant observation about the reliability of their counterparts, stating, “The region is heading towards a very serious circle of fire. Unfortunately, the following process will be much more problematic in the region. Our wish is to see how we can control the developments in the region, primarily with the UN.”