Turkey’s Erdogan says he trusts Russia as much as he trusts the West

ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned that he trusts Russia as much he trusts the West.

Explaining his fresh assembly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan mentioned he had didn’t get him to renew the Black Sea grain deal the Kremlin withdrew from in July however had elicited a pledge for Russia to provide 1 million heaps of grain to Africa.

“I have no reason not to trust them,” Erdogan mentioned all through an interview past due Monday with U.S. broadcaster PBS in New York, the place he is attending the U.N. General Assembly.

“To the extent the West is reliable, Russia is equally reliable. For the last 50 years, we have been waiting at the doorstep of the EU and, at this moment in time, I trust Russia just as much as I trust the West.”

Ankara has maintained shut ties with each Russia and Ukraine all through the 19-month struggle. In July ultimate 12 months, Turkey and the U.N. engineered a deal to permit Ukrainian grain to be safely shipped from its Black Sea ports, serving to alleviate an international meals disaster.

Moscow pulled out of the settlement two months in the past, claiming a parallel deal to permit its exports of foodstuffs and fertilizer had now not been venerated.

Erdogan is visiting New York 4 months after profitable elections that prolonged his 20-year rule for any other 5 years. His contemporary mandate has noticed indicators of an development in Ankara’s continuously fractious dating with the West.

Speaking at an tournament on Monday, the Turkish chief seemed to roll again feedback he made straight away previous to his departure for New York, during which he instructed Turkey may just finish its 24-year bid for European Union club.

“We see that a window of opportunity has opened for the revitalization of Turkey-European Union relations in a critical period,” Erdogan mentioned, in keeping with a textual content of the assembly printed through his place of work.

“We continue to emphasize the importance of revitalizing Turkey’s EU accession process.”

Erdogan additionally indicated bettering ties with Washington, that have not too long ago taken with Ankara’s approval of Sweden’s NATO club software and a imaginable deal to provide Turkey with F-16 fighter jets.

“We are pleased with the development of our cooperation with the U.S.,” Erdogan mentioned. “We have resolved most of the deadlocks during the talks with Mr. Biden and we have decided to hold more talks in line with the positive agenda.”

Turkey and Hungary are the simplest NATO individuals to not have licensed Sweden’s bid to enroll in the protection alliance, which Stockholm made following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The factor is because of be debated through the Turkish parliament when it returns from recess subsequent month.

Some individuals of the U.S. Congress have indicated the provision of F-16s to replace Turkey’s fighter fleet relies on Ankara agreeing to Sweden’s NATO club.

But Erdogan reiterated that “these two topics shouldn’t be related” even supposing he mentioned the resolution on Sweden lies with the Turkish parliament, the place his birthday celebration and its allies hang a majority.

“If the parliament doesn’t make a positive decision about this bid, then there’s nothing to do,” he informed PBS.

Erdogan additionally drew a line between Sweden’s NATO bid and Turkey’s EU accession. In July, alternatively, he referred to as on EU member states to “open the way for Turkey” in go back for Sweden’s trail to NATO to be cleared.

He informed PBS on Monday that “Sweden’s position and our current position within the EU accession negotiations are two separate things.”

Turning to the struggle in Ukraine and his contacts with Putin, Erdogan mentioned it used to be “quite obvious that this war is going to last a long time” however that the Russian chief used to be “on the facet of finishing this struggle as quickly as imaginable.

“That’s what he mentioned. And I consider his remarks,” Erdogan mentioned.