Türkiye, US achieve 'meaningful' progress in key areas: Erdoğan

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has hailed "meaningful" progress in Türkiye-U.S. relations during his meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, emphasizing strengthened bilateral ties and enhanced regional cooperation.

Erdoğan returned from his week-long trip to the U.S. after attending the 80th U.N. General Assembly in New York and paying his first bilateral visit to the White House during Trump’s second presidential term.

Speaking to the reporters traveling with him on his return, Erdoğan said his comprehensive agenda with Trump covered the joint objective of increasing the trade volume to $100 billion, investments, cooperation in the defense industry and discussions over regional developments.

“First and foremost, we discussed the steps we can take for strengthening our trade and investment ties based on our mutual interests. We have also exchanged views on steps for facilitating our bilateral trade, including reviewing tariffs, so that we can reach our goal of $100 billion trade volume,” Erdoğan stated.

Stressing that they were received very warmly by Trump at the White House and he left the U.S. with satisfaction over the ties between the two allies, Erdoğan described his talks with the U.S. president as “sincere, constructive and fruitful.”

“As you know, our relationship with Mr. Trump has always been very good. We had a distinct dialogue during his first term, and that continues. I believe this will have a positive impact on Turkish-American relations,” Erdoğan said.

Ties between Türkiye and the U.S. are improving on the basis of mutual respect as both leaders prefer to express their views and policies in a very straight and neat way, Erdoğan recalled.

“Of course, it is not possible to resolve all the matters in just one meeting. But this meeting has led us to make meaningful progress on many issues,” the president said, expressing his belief that the joint aim of increasing the trade volume to $100 billion is achievable given the fact that both countries have the political will.

 Leaders raise topic of Syria, Gaza

The talks at the White House also included regional matters, Erdoğan said, citing the ongoing Israeli genocidal acts in Gaza and reconstruction efforts in Syria.

“I support Mr. Trump’s vision of global peace. Both sides are in favor of stopping the bloodshed. We hope we’ll soon have a breakthrough on this issue,” he stated, stressing the importance of sharing this view with Trump.

“Mr. Trump has voiced the need for ending the conflict in Gaza and reaching a permanent peace. And we have explained how we can first secure a ceasefire and then lead to permanent peace. And a consensus emerged on this,” he said.

Two-state solution is the only way to address the current problem, Erdoğan added.

“Mr. Trump is also aware that this cannot go on like this. As for Türkiye, our sole objective is to put an end to the massacres in Gaza,” he remarked.

No federal solution to Cyprus

On a question, Erdoğan reiterated that Türkiye’s policy on the Cyprus issue is crystal clear and that does totally rule out a federal solution.

“For us, the federation chapter is closed. No one can draw us back into federation discussions with wordplays. Turkish Cypriots will never accept being a minority on the island. The only realistic solution is to accept the existence of two separate states on the island,” Erdoğan said.

Recalling that Turkish Cyprus will hold presidential elections next month, Erdoğan expressed his belief that the Turkish Cypriots will make the most accurate and right choice when they go to the polls.

 Ties with Egypt at historical level

When asked about a joint military drill between Türkiye and Egypt in the Mediterranean, Erdoğan said this shows the role the former is playing in maintaining regional peace and security.

“Türkiye and Egypt are two important countries in our region. The progress in our ties in recent years has been at a historical level. We work to expand the cooperation areas,” Erdoğan underlined.

Erdoğan also stressed that Türkiye does not seek to infringe on anyone’s rights in the eastern Mediterranean but is firmly committed to protecting its own rights.

“Our approach to the resources in the Mediterranean is clear. We take our own share and cooperate with our neighbors on the win-win principle," he said. "Türkiye’s decisive stance leads to recalculations in the region. Türkiye is now at the table as a guiding power.”