Turkey ready to mediate between Iran and US: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed on Tuesday that his country was prepared to mediate between Iran and the US to ease tensions between them, warning against any step that may spark war in the region.

Erdogan arrived in Riyadh on an official visit on Tuesday. In an interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said relations between Riyadh and Ankara have strategic importance for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

He revealed that his visit aims to expand bilateral consultations on regional issues, especially the situation in Gaza and Syria, as well as elevate bilateral ties to broader horizons.
Erdogan said: “Turkiye and Saudi Arabia are two friendly countries with deep historical ties, strong state traditions, and a shared sense of regional responsibility. We have never viewed this relationship through a narrow lens confined solely to bilateral matters. This is because the valuable friendship between our two countries also carries a strategic significance for the peace, stability, and prosperity of our region as a whole.”

“As a natural outcome of this understanding, Turkiye-Saudi Arabia relations constitute a line of stability that goes beyond economic cooperation alone, encompassing consultation, coordination, and the strengthening of common wisdom. Indeed, in our previous meetings with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, we addressed not only bilateral relations but also regional and global issues, and reaffirmed our mutual determination to further deepen our cooperation in the period ahead,” he added.

On his visit to Saudi Arabia, he said: “We aim to both deepen consultation on regional issues and advance our bilateral relations in concrete areas. In this regard, the inclusion of the business community in the program clearly reflects our commitment to elevating economic cooperation.

“This visit brings consultation and a positive agenda together at the same table. Our agenda includes Palestine, a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and Syria,” Erdogan stated. “There is, of course, also an economic aspect, namely how we can expand our trade, investments, and joint projects, which we will address as well. Thus, we will strengthen consultation while also broadening the positive agenda.”

“Regarding new steps of cooperation, we do not view the matter solely through the lens of signing documents. What truly matters to us are sustainable and concrete projects that deliver tangible results on the ground and generate mutual benefit. We seek initiatives that will open new horizons for our business communities, create employment, and improve the lives of our people,” he went on to say.

“We see significant potential not only in the economy, trade, and investment, but also in fields such as energy, tourism, transportation, and logistics,” he noted. “We have no intention of leaving this potential merely on paper. Our objective is to expand this cooperation through concrete projects based on a mutual win-win approach and to elevate our relations to a more advanced level.”

“In the defense industry, our primary goal is to establish cooperation based on mutual trust that builds capacity and strengthens technological and production capabilities. I believe that steps to be taken in areas such as joint production, technology sharing, and training will not only strengthen the defense capacities of both countries, but also further consolidate the foundations of our strategic partnership,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.