President Erdoğan performed the Friday prayer at Hazrat Ali Mosque

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan performed Friday prayer at Hz. Ali Mosque in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul.

President Erdoğan answered reporters’ questions after the Friday prayer.

SWEDEN’S NATO BID

In answer to a question about the Turkish Parliament’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO bid and Türkiye’s procurement of F-16s from the U.S., President Erdoğan said: “As you know, our Parliament, in line with the promise made, held a vote on the issue and it was ratified by the Parliament with the majority of the votes, and then, as of yesterday, it was submitted to me. After I signed the decision, it was published in the Official Gazette in the evening. The previous day, Biden, for his part, sent a written order, so-to-speak, both to the House of Representatives and the other chamber, in order for them to pass a decision without delay. We are waiting for the results, and expect the process about transferring F-16s to Türkiye as well as their repair and maintenance to be started swiftly. My Minister of Foreign Affairs is following the issue closely and maintaining the process together with Antony Blinken. Both Canada and Sweden as well as all the western countries consider this step to be appropriate in terms of reflecting Türkiye’s stance and view it as a source of additional strength for NATO. We, for our part, continue on our path with the same determination.”

GENOCIDE CASE AGAINST ISRAEL

In a response to a question as to whether the International Court of Justice would deliver a ruling today on the genocide case against Israel, President Erdoğan answered positively, and said: “I discussed this issue with the President of South Africa during a phone call yesterday. South Africa, upon whose application the process has started, has been following The Hague very closely. Their close monitoring of the process is very important. As you know, a legal experts group from Türkiye have also gone to The Hague and have been following the issue closely. I believe that as a result of our follow-up, both the Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court will deliver positive results.”