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Erdoğan calls for just stance on Iran over nuclear program
"We do not want nuclear weapons in our region. But it would be unfair to ask one country not to obtain nuclear weapons while another country in the region already has them," Erdoğan said Wednesday in a speech he delivered at Moscow State University during a visit to the Russian capital. “If those who have the power do not act in a just manner, then the world will be a place where right and wrong are not distinguishable. There will be no global peace in such a world,” he continued.
Erdoğan has repeatedly said his government is opposed to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, but urged that Israel, which is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons although it has never openly acknowledged it, should also be facing pressure to get rid of them.
In Moscow, he reiterated his opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, saying that due to excessive spending on military defense, hundreds of millions of people are living in poverty and hunger. “We accept that acquiring nuclear technology for peaceful and civilian purposes is a sovereign right for countries. But we have told Iranian authorities numerous times that we are against nuclear weapons,” he said.
Turkey, which has expanded its political dialogue and economic cooperation with Iran, particularly in the field of energy, calls for diplomatic means to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, saying military sanctions would destabilize the region. Erdoğan said Turkey has been urging Iran to take steps to defuse tensions with the West over its nuclear program. “We have been telling all parties involved that there is no solution other than a peaceful resolution,” he said.
Turkey’s trade volume with Iran has already reached $10 billion and the next target is to increase this figure to $30 billion in the near future, Erdoğan said.
The prime minister also gave firm assurances that his government remains committed to the goal of European Union membership. “We are progressing toward membership in the EU in a determined way. There is no turning back, there is no option on the table other than full membership,” Erdoğan told the audience.
Turkey opened accession negotiations with the EU in 2005 but progress has been slow since then. Countries opposed to Turkey’s membership, such as France and Germany, call for a privileged partnership instead of accession. Ankara has repeatedly dismissed the idea, saying there is no alternative to full membership.
Erdoğan also said that the year 2010 was critical for a solution in Cyprus. The division of the island complicates Turkey’s EU accession process. The EU suspended accession talks on eight of the 35 chapters with Turkey in 2006 due to Turkey’s refusal to open its ports and airports to traffic from Greek Cyprus. Ankara says it will not open its ports and airports unless the EU takes steps to ease the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, in line with a promise it made in 2004.
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