The conflict in Ukraine has forced many countries that previously skimped on defense spending to join the arms race, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on January 10.
“In this new era, geopolitics is becoming increasingly prominent. In this process, we see that there have been radical changes in security concepts. States that 5-10 years ago considered defense spending a burden have entered an arms race,” the TV channel quotes the Turkish leader NTV.
According to Erdogan, Ankara has consistently invested in the defense industry in the past, so those who previously criticized Turkey for it “now appreciate it.”
“Our activities in the defense industry are followed with admiration around the world. In 2023, we broke a record in the history of our republic by selling $5.5 billion worth of defense products abroad,” Erdogan concluded.
Earlier, on January 5, the Turkish leader, during telephone conversations with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky, announced Ankara’s readiness to take on the role of a mediator and conduct peace negotiations to achieve peace in Ukraine. During the conversation, regional and global issues were discussed.
In December 2023, Erdogan also noted that he was ready to revive the Istanbul settlement process, which had been interrupted. That same month, he indicated that the conflict in Ukraine had moved to the back of the agenda, but there was an urgent need for peace. The Turkish President added that the world is going through extremely difficult times on a global scale.
The last round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kyiv officially abandoned contacts with Moscow. On October 4 of the same year, the President of Ukraine put into effect the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding negotiations with Putin.
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