ANKARA, March 11 (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the war in Iran must be stopped before the whole Middle East region is “thrown into the fire”, adding that diplomacy must be given a chance.
NATO air defences have in the last week intercepted two Iranian missiles headed toward southern Turkey, where there are air and radar bases used by NATO and the United States, and the alliance has since beefed up defences there.
“This war must be stopped before it grows and the region as a whole is thrown into the fire. If diplomacy is given a chance, it is very possible to achieve this,” Erdogan told lawmakers in parliament.
“In light of the sensitivity of the period we are in, we are speaking very carefully. We are acting with caution to protect Turkey from the fire that is surrounding it,” he said, adding that Ankara was engaged with all sides in seeking an end to the war.
Turkey had offered to mediate between the sides before the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began 12 days ago. Since then, Erdogan has repeatedly called for diplomacy to end the conflict, while also warning that Turkey would respond to any threats to its national security.
Ozgur Ozel, chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that Erdogan had avoided criticising U.S. President Donald Trump by name in order to maintain their good personal rapport, adding that this had only emboldened the U.S. leader.
Ankara’s “shy silence regarding Trump’s actions, and its failure to take a stance against that disproportionate force, is not neutrality,” Ozel said, adding that the U.S. was not taking Turkish sensitivities into account during the conflict.
Erdogan has criticised U.S., Israeli and Iranian actions and has called the U.S.-Israeli air campaign a “clear violation” of international law.
But in his comments, like many other world leaders, he has refrained from mentioning Trump by name. Erdogan’s good personal ties with Trump have helped ease bilateral U.S.-Turkish tensions over the last year.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay; Additional reporting by Daren Butler and Ali Kucukgocmen in Istanbul; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Gareth Jones)
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