Türkiye's SCO membership perspective never means turning its back on West: President Erdogan

Erdogan says Ankara aims to increase its global weight through ‘360-degree vision’

Türkiye's perspective of becoming a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) "never means turning its back on the West," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. Speaking to reporters aboard the presidential plane while returning from the SCO Heads of State Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which he attended at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Erdogan said Ankara seeks to pursue a broad-based foreign policy. "Our goal is to increase our own weight with a 360-degree vision," he said. On the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdogan said both he and Russian President Vladimir Putin want the conflict to end in peace as soon as possible. He also stressed the importance of the security of civilian maritime transportation in the Black Sea, saying the fighting must not reach a point that threatens the safety of civilians and commercial activity. Erdogan warned that the grain crisis is re-emerging, particularly in Africa, and said it would be beneficial to take an initiative before the problem grows further.   F-35 program, indigenous KAAN fighter jet Turning to defense issues, Erdogan said Türkiye is continuing talks on rejoining the F-35 fighter jet program. "We are continuing our talks on Türkiye's re-inclusion in the program. Once the processes in the US are completed, this issue will be behind us," he said. At the same time, Erdogan stressed that Türkiye would continue developing its own defense capabilities. "We are not giving up on KAAN or developing our own air defense systems. We are increasing Türkiye's options. This is the roadmap of a strong Türkiye," he said. On the Mecca Defense Alliance, Erdogan said the pact was established to promote stability and security in the region. "We will continue on our path together with our brothers, growing stronger," he added.   'Greece must reverse wrong path' Erdogan also called on Greece to reverse a "wrong path" and stop arming islands with demilitarized status. "History is a very good guide for those who learn lessons from it," he said. "Greece must now understand this: Türkiye has no designs on anyone's territory, but it will not allow anyone to violate its rights," Erdogan added.   ‘Terror-Free Türkiye’ process On the "Terror-Free Türkiye" initiative, Erdogan said Ankara sees the process as a matter of achieving its objectives rather than merely adhering to a timeline. "Of course, as a state, we have our roadmap, plan and schedule," he said. Referring to the framework legislation linked to the process, Erdogan said its implementation requires the PKK to lay down its arms and dissolve. "How the determinations and verifications will be made is clear. The process is moving forward step by step," he said. Erdogan said Türkiye would not tolerate approaches that damage the nation's sense of brotherhood or risk reactivating fault lines created by terrorism in the past. "We will strengthen the home front. With our differences, we will unite around the common denominator of Türkiye. We call this the Great Türkiye Consensus. We are moving forward knowing what we are doing," he added.   Syria, dissolution of SDF On Syria, Erdogan said Türkiye wants the country to be united with all its components, stressing that such unity is important for sustainable development and capacity building. Addressing the dissolution of the SDF, Erdogan said he believes such a step would "open the door to a new era for the entire region." "The chapter of terrorism must now close. The era of weapons and violence must now come to an end," he said.