Subscribe Today
Request a Clip
In an Al-Jazeera interview on February 12, 2014, Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan said that diplomatic ties between Ankara and Tel Aviv would not be restored "unless the siege on aid to Gaza is lifted." In the interview, Erdoğan also discussed the situation in Syria, calling Al-Assad a "cruel man," a "dictator," and a "criminal."
Following are excerpts from the interview. The translation is from the Arabic voice-over.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: I have not changed my view on Bashar Al-Assad. I think that the Assad of today is different than the Assad of three years ago. Today, we see a cruel man, a dictator, who kills his own people. I say this clearly.
According to official figures, 160,000 people have been killed, but unofficial statistics place the figure at 300,000 people. The man who caused the death of all these people, the man who gave the orders to kill them – if he is not a criminal, then who is?
[...]
We must work together for the sake of Syria, but the U.N. Security Council does not fulfill its duty, and does not work towards world peace. The U.N. should meet its obligations in full, and if it is incapable of doing so, it should undergo reforms.
Currently, the future of humanity depends on what one country says, and this is unacceptable.
[...]
Interviewer: What you are saying is that if the siege on Gaza is not lifted – and even if Israel pays compensations... The diplomatic ties between Ankara and Tel Aviv will not be restored, unless Israel lifts the siege on the Gaza Strip, right?
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: This will not happen unless the siege on aid to Gaza is lifted. We must be allowed to send aid to Palestine with ease.
[...]
Latest Clips
