Türkiye’s message in Gaza-focused meeting in September ‘left impression on Trump’: Erdogan

“We will continue on our path with determination in the period ahead. There will be no stepping back,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says.

Newstimehub

Newstimehub

15 Dec, 2025

441c1b3a6cb7a1099f02d7069740fb527708feeb98fb33bf8d2109a3f27c3b0e main

Türkiye’s message during a Gaza-focused meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in late September left an impression on US President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

“At the UN General Assembly, during the meeting we held with Trump, we gave our message especially with Muslim countries, but our message, as Türkiye, left an impression on Trump,” Erdogan said during a meeting with university students in Istanbul on Sunday.

“We will continue on our path with determination in the period ahead. There will be no stepping back. If we step back, we would not be able to account for it before God or before Gaza,” he added.

On Gaza, Ankara is “taking every step”, said Erdogan, reminding the speech he gave at the UN General Assembly in front of all of the delegates.

“… Israeli delegates were seated at the tables across from me. I delivered that speech while looking them straight in the face. We are not cowards,” he said.

Expressing Ankara’s determination on the Gaza issue, he vowed that they would not step back from that.

Erdogan said that Türkiye has a unique position in the world, adding that Ankara will host a NATO leaders’ summit.

“We previously hosted it in Istanbul, and now we will host this summit in Ankara as well. Of course, in Ankara, we are preparing a crescent-and-star concept.”