UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS
By Faruk Zorlu
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said that both Israel and Iran have issued “different” statements regarding a reported Israeli attack on Iran early Friday and that there is a lack of clarity.
"Currently, Israel is saying different things, and Iran is likewise putting forward different views, that is, there is no ownership and there is no reasonable statement regarding what happened," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul.
"In the statements made by Iran, you truly cannot say they are telling the truth. You cannot say that at all for Israel's," Erdogan said, also emphasizing the absence of unequivocal US statements.
Tension escalated between Iran and Israel on Saturday after Tehran launched a drone and missile attack in response to the April 1 attack on its consulate in Syria, which killed seven Iranian military officers, including two top-ranking commanders.
According to US media reports, Israel carried out a "limited strike" inside Iran early Friday morning. There have been no official comments from Israel yet.
Erdogan also criticized the US decision to veto Palestine's bid for full UN membership.
In the UN Security Council, “we saw the US standing with Israel in the latest statements made," he added.
"While everyone stands by Palestine (regarding its full membership in the UN), unfortunately, the US once again demonstrated its stance by siding with Israel," he said.
Furthermore, describing the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's upcoming visit to Türkiye “as a sort of a return visit,” Erdogan said that the visit will be a “significant milestone” in bilateral relations.
"Regarding this important stage, we will have the opportunity to discuss how we can take Türkiye-Greece relations to a much better position," he said.
To questions about the topics to be discussed during the upcoming visit of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Türkiye on Wednesday, Erdogan said: "I will not mention specific topics, but we will have the opportunity to discuss the relationship between Türkiye and Germany.
"Steinmeier and I have had friendships from the past to the present. We will have the chance to evaluate these relationships. Among these, we will discuss many issues including political, military, economic, and commercial matters. During the meetings, we will also have the opportunity to discuss how we can further advance the Germany-Türkiye relations," he said.