The year 2023 witnessed intense diplomatic activity by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which he conducted 21 foreign visits to 15 countries, attended 7 international summits, and focused his efforts to ensure peace.

Erdogan intensified his international contacts after the parliamentary and presidential elections last May, and put the Gaza issue on his agenda in all his meetings with leaders since October, with the start of the Israeli attacks.

It also hosted many foreign leaders during the year, including the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, the President of the Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.

With his re-inauguration as president of the country at the end of last May, Erdogan began his foreign visits, and his first stops were to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Azerbaijan on June 12. He also attended 7 summits within the scope of his foreign visits,

Last July, Erdogan made five foreign visits, including a visit to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, on the 10th of the same month, to attend the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, which was held on July 11.

Erdogan also visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the Emirates on July 17, 18, and 19 in his Gulf tour, from which he went again to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on July 20 (he visited it in the second week of June).

Erdogan also visited Hungary on August 20 to attend the celebrations of the Hungarian state’s founding day and some events at the World Athletics Championships, then headed to the Russian city of Sochi on September 4, at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for a one-day working visit.

The Turkish President also participated in the G20 Leaders Summit in India on September 8, and followed it by attending the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, from September 16 to 20.

In this context, Erdogan conducted a one-day working visit to the Nakhchivan region (belonging to Azerbaijan) on September 25, at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Peace diplomacy for Palestine

Erdogan intensified his international contacts after the Israeli attacks on Gaza that began on October 7, putting Gaza on the agenda in all his meetings with leaders, introducing intense peace diplomacy.

The Turkish President made 6 visits last November, which included Kazakhstan to attend the tenth summit of the Organization of Turkic States on November 2. In his speech at the summit, he said that “acting in unity and solidarity like the Turkish world will facilitate the path to a ceasefire first and then to lasting peace.” “.

During his visit to Uzbekistan on November 8 to attend the 16th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization, Erdogan explained that “the Israeli government violated all the values of humanity and destroyed schools, mosques, churches, hospitals, universities and civilians.”

For the second time during the year, Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia on November 11, to attend the extraordinary joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League held in Riyadh to discuss the Israeli war on Gaza.

Erdogan said during the summit that “in the Islamic world, we cannot of course leave our Palestinian brothers helpless,” and called for “the establishment of a fund within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for the reconstruction of Gaza.”

After the re-election of President Erdogan, dozens of state leaders visited Turkey to attend the inauguration ceremony that was held on June 3. The same month also witnessed Erdogan hosting the President of the Emirates, and later he hosted the Ukrainian President, the President of Algeria, and the Palestinian President.

During the year, Erdogan also hosted the President of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Austrian Prime Minister, Karl Nehammer, and met with the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, and other leaders, leaders, and prime ministers.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed on Monday the importance of the “Igdir-Nakhchivan” gas pipeline project in terms of strengthening his country’s partnership with Azerbaijan and contributing to the security of energy supplies in Europe.

This came in a press conference held with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev following the laying of the foundation stone for the Igdir-Nakhchivan gas pipeline and the signing ceremony of a number of agreements in the Supreme Council (Parliament) of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.

Erdogan indicated that he proudly sees the development that Nakhchivan has witnessed since his last visit to it in 2008, stressing that the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are unparalleled in the world.

He stressed that they are continuing their efforts to strengthen relations and cooperation between the two countries in all fields under the slogan “One People, Two States.”

He pointed out that Nakhchivan has great potential in terms of economy, transportation and power lines, adding: “With the establishment of regional transmission lines, we will have the opportunity to fully activate this potential.”

He added: “The importance of the international Middle Corridor between East and West has been better understood as a result of the Corona epidemic and the wars in our region, and on this occasion, the Igdir-Nakhchivan gas pipeline will strengthen our partnership with Azerbaijan in the field of energy and will also contribute to the security of energy supplies in Europe.”

He pointed out that the two sides signed today the Kars-Nakhchivan railway project, in addition to agreements in the fields of collective housing and electric energy.

He also stated that, following the press conference, they will open the military maintenance factory that Turkey renovated, indicating that the project will contribute greatly to cooperation between the two sides in defense industries.

President Erdogan touched on the operation carried out by Azerbaijan against terrorism in the Karabakh region recently, explaining that Baku was forced to carry out the operation on its sovereign territory.

He noted that “the completion of the operation in a short time while showing the utmost concern for the rights of civilians is a source of pride.”

He said: “I pray to God for mercy for our brothers who were martyred during the operation, and I condole their relatives and wish a speedy recovery for the injured.”

He added: “I wholeheartedly congratulate the victorious Azerbaijani army for its historic success and humanitarian stance towards civilians.”

He continued: “With the recent victory (the operation against terrorism in Karabakh), new windows of opportunity have opened for comprehensive normalization in the region,” stressing the importance of exploiting this opportunity.

President Erdogan called on Armenia to shake the hand of peace extended to it and take sincere steps to bring peace to the region.

On September 19, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced in a statement the launch of an anti-terrorism operation “with the aim of establishing constitutional order in the Karabakh region.”

One day later, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that representatives of the Armenian population in Karabakh had submitted a request through the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in the region, according to which an agreement was reached for Baku to stop its operation against terrorism in the region and abandon the illegal Armenian armed groups and the Armenian armed forces present in Karabakh. To give up its weapons and evacuate its military sites.

On September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani army launched an operation to liberate its occupied territories in Karabakh, and after fierce battles that lasted 44 days, Azerbaijan and Armenia reached a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement stipulating that Baku would regain control over its occupied territories.​​​​​​

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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his thanks to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his support for Azerbaijan in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly at its 78th session.

In his account on the “X” website, Aliyev said: “As we have always known, sister Turkey today also stood with Azerbaijan and supported our just cause.”

He stressed that Turkey and Azerbaijan have always stood together “in times of hardship and in times of prosperity.”

He praised the strategic relations between the two countries.

In the speech delivered by the Turkish President on Tuesday before the General Assembly, he said: “As everyone now acknowledges, Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory. It is absolutely unacceptable to impose a situation other than this.”

Earlier Tuesday, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced the launch of an anti-terrorism operation with the aim of establishing constitutional order in the Karabakh region.

A statement issued by the ministry stated that tension had escalated due to illegal forces affiliated with Armenia in the Azerbaijani Karabakh region systematically firing at Azerbaijani army positions in the past few months and continuing to plant mines and carry out fortification work.

On September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani army launched an operation to liberate its occupied territories in Karabakh, and after fierce battles that lasted 44 days, Azerbaijan and Armenia reached a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement stipulating that Baku would regain control over its occupied territories.​​​​​​

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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his opinion that the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Turkish Armed Forces is progressing very well.

This was during his reception of the Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler at the Zagalba Palace, and Aliyev confirmed that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had chosen Güler to become Minister of National Defense with great preference.

Aliyev wished the Minister of National Defense to achieve success in his mission, and pointed to Güler ‘s great contribution to the partnership of the armed forces between the two countries, considering that the cooperation between the Azerbaijani and Turkish armed forces has a very good level.

This was after Erdogan made his first visit to Azerbaijan after his election as president, as Aliyev stressed the importance of the new center of the Central Command of the Air Force, which was inaugurated during this visit.

Güler emphasized that the Azerbaijani soldiers made great sacrifices and heroics in liberating the occupied Azerbaijani lands which will never be forgotten.

Güler noted that Azerbaijan has become an important and influential member of the international community.

Thanks to the foresight and determination of President Ilham Aliyev, he successfully implemented the policy of the nationalist leader Heydar Aliyev.

He stressed that the close relations and contacts between the leaders of the countries are considered very positive, and this is in the efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries, adding that this has a noticeable impact.

During the meeting, confidence was expressed in the continued successful development of brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey in all fields including the military field.

And the views were exchanged on issues related to the future of cooperation.

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78 prominent international officials plan to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a new term on Saturday in the capital, Ankara, including 21 heads of state, 13 prime ministers and heads of international organizations.

President Erdogan will take the constitutional oath initially in the Turkish parliament at 14:00 (+3 GMT) to officially start his duties in the new state after receiving the inauguration document from the interim speaker of Parliament, Devlet Bahceli.

After his inauguration, Erdogan will visit the mausoleum of the founder of the republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, at 15:00, and later at 17:00, he will go to the Presidential Complex to participate in the “start-up” ceremony.

Upon his arrival at the first gate of the compound, the President’s convoy will be joined by the Knights of Protocol unit, and then 101 artillery shells will be fired. At the same time, 101 artillery shells will be fired at the headquarters of the land, air and naval forces.

The Presidential Symphony Orchestra, the Turkish Traditional Music Ensemble and the Military Music Ensemble of the Turkish Armed Forces will participate in the ceremony.

Presidents of 21 countries will participate in the ceremony, including Azerbaijani Ilham Aliyev, Venezuelan Nicolas Maduro, Bulgarian Rumen Radev, Gabonese Ali Bongo Ondimba, Presidents of Guinea-Bissau Omar Sissoko Embalo, South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Montenegro Yakov Kilatovic, Kazakhstan Kassim Jumurd Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan Sadr Jabarov and Congolese Danis Sasso.

The ceremony will also be attended by the President of Kosovo, Fyoza Osmani, the President of Turkish Northern Cyprus, Arsene Tatar, North Macedonia, Stevo Pindarovski, Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirzoev and Rwanda Paul Kagame, as well as the Senegalese President Macky Sall, the Somali Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, the Togolese Faure Isuzimna, the Turkmenistan Serdar Berdi Mohamedov, the Bengali Muhammad Shihabuddin Tshobo and the Guinean Mamady Domboya. .

Prime ministers of 13 countries, including Pakistani Shahbaz Sharif, Hungarian Viktor Orban, Armenian Nicole Pashinyan and Libyan Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba, will participate in the ceremony.

The ceremony will also be attended by representatives of 8 international organizations, including the general secretaries of the “Turkish states” organizations, Gubanitch Bek Omar Aliyev, NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, and Islamic Cooperation, Hussein Ibrahim Taha.

Also participating in the ceremony are 12 countries at the level of Speakers of Parliament, including the Speaker of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Ding Zhongli.

President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zelica Cvijanovic, Council members Zeljko Komsic and Denis Beserovic, and Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik will also participate.

Also among the participants will be former German President Christian Wolff, former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, former President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Dervis Eroglu, former member of the Presidential Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bakir Izetbegovic and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt.

President Erdogan will hold a dinner in honor of his guests at Çangaya Palace at 7:00 pm on Saturday.

President Erdogan is expected to announce the new cabinet after the dinner.

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North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani confirmed Monday that “the tragedy of the earthquakes in Turkey showed the importance of solidarity and cooperation.”

This came in a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, and the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Helga Schmid, in the capital, Ankara.

Regarding the double earthquake that hit southern Turkey, Osmani explained that “this disaster caused pain that can never be expressed.”

And he indicated that the ties between the two countries reach their strongest level during periods of crisis.

He said, “These are the periods in which humanity is tested. This tragedy reminds us of the importance of unity and shows the importance of solidarity and cooperation.”

He stressed that the relations between Turkey and North Macedonia “are built on very strong foundations, on trust and mutual respect.”

For her part, Schmid explained that Turkey and Syria witnessed a “very terrifying” earthquake disaster.

She indicated that she and Bujar Osmani (who currently heads his organizing country) visited Turkey to show solidarity on behalf of all the organization’s employees.

Schmid stated that the image revealed by the disaster “made the blood freeze in people’s veins,” stressing the need to provide all kinds of support.

And she added, “I came from the Munich Security Conference, where I presented many messages of support, and met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.”

She added, “We all emphasized the importance of synergy and support in facing this tragedy, and we will continue to stand by Turkey.”​​​​​​​

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday sent a congratulatory message to his Azerbaijani counterpart on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the “New Azerbaijan Party”.

President Erdogan’s telegram was read by his deputy in the presidency of the Justice and Development Party, Numan Kurtulmus, during a ceremony held in the capital, Baku, on this occasion.

In his telegram, Erdogan said: “My dear brother, President Ilham Aliyev, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the New Azerbaijan Party, I extend my sincere congratulations to all members of the party and the general brotherly Azerbaijani people.”

And he added, “The party founded by the late President Heydar Aliyev has been working since the first day to provide its valuable services and has become the leading political party in Azerbaijan. Today, with your wise leadership and guidance, it is achieving great success in every field.”

He added, “Azerbaijan, which liberated its lands from occupation and became the shining star of its region, is today a source of inspiration for the entire Turkish world.”

He expressed his full confidence that cooperation and solidarity between the two countries “will continue increasingly in the future.”

He also expressed his confidence that the New Azerbaijan Party will successfully continue its activities for the welfare of Azerbaijan and the strengthening of its position in the world.

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Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay noted that the liberation of Karabakh from the Armenian occupation showed courage, reason and technology.

This came in statements to reporters after a tour with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov in the historical city of Shusha liberated from the Armenian occupation.

“Science has seen what can be done if courage, reason and technology combine,” Oktay said.

He indicated that during his visit to the liberated city of Shusha, he witnessed the destruction of the homes of civilians and their displacement by the Armenian occupation.

Oktay called on young people in Turkey and in Turkic-speaking countries to visit the city of Shusha to express their solidarity with Azerbaijan.

In mid-June 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev signed the “Shusha Declaration” during their visit to the city of “Shusha” in the “Karabakh” region liberated from the Armenian occupation.

The declaration included a road map in several areas, including defense industries, energy, transportation, economics and human relations.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin described his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a man who keeps his promise.

This came in a statement to reporters after his meeting on Monday with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the Russian city of Sochi.

“I think it is clear why we propose to establish a center in Turkey for the shipment of gas to Europe. Because it is very difficult to work directly with European partners. Working with Turkey is easier for us. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a man who keeps his promise,” Putin said.

And he added, “Although our agreement may be difficult at times, if we agree with him on something, we try to achieve it. Moreover, working with Turkey will make it easier for us to control the waters of the Black Sea.”

He expressed his confidence that if a natural gas center is established in Turkey, there will be buyers of Russian gas, adding: “Let’s see what happens this winter and the next. But I am sure that new contracts will be signed.”

With regard to the agreement on shipping Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, Putin said that Russia did not leave the agreement, but rather suspended it.

He continued, “The Ukrainian grain did not go to the poor countries, but this is not the main reason for suspending the agreement. Rather, it is an attack by Ukraine on the ships of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, even if this attack was a failure.”

And yesterday, Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the suspension of the movement of ships through the safe passage designated under the Black Sea Initiative for the transport of grain, “due to its use by Ukraine in conducting combat operations against Russia.”

Last July 22, Istanbul witnessed the signing of the “Document on the Safe Shipping Initiative for Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports” between Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations.

The agreement included securing exports of grain stuck in the Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea (Eastern Europe) to the world to address the global food shortage crisis that threatens a humanitarian catastrophe.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the Kumlaq railway station in the liberated city of Gabriel in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Erdogan and Aliyev arrived Gabriel from the neighboring Zangilan region, where the Azerbaijani Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev gave them a briefing about the train station.

Erdogan and Aliyev laid the foundation stone for the Kumlaq train station, and also laid the foundation stone for the Azerbaijani-Turkish Forest Training Center, the Smart Seedling Complex and the Friendship Forest.

Earlier, Erdogan and Aliyev inaugurated Zangilan International Airport in Karabakh, which is the second airport built with the contribution of Turkish companies in the liberated Azerbaijani lands.

On September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani army launched an operation to liberate its lands occupied by Armenia in the Karabakh region. After 44 days of battles, the two countries reached a ceasefire agreement stipulating that Baku regained control over the occupied provinces.​​​​​​​

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