Erdogan says Israel is a major cause of the Middle East crisis

Ankara (ANTARA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday (16/5) stated that Zionist Israel is one of the main causes of the crisis in the Middle East.

“Israel’s ongoing provocations are one of the main reasons for this crisis,” said President Erdogan to reporters after returning from a state visit to Kazakhstan.

Erdogan said that Israel has repeatedly shown, through its actions, its willingness to destabilise the entire region for its own interests.

Ankara believes that it is important to primarily “neutralise Israeli provocations” and then work to build lasting peace in the Middle East region, he said.

He also emphasised that any issue in the region should be resolved by regional players without external interference.

Turkey will continue to strive to prevent further escalation and strengthen stability in the Middle East, he added.

Furthermore, the President urged countries in the region to forget short-term political gains for the sake of their own country’s interests rather than foreign countries or multinational corporations.

Source: Sputnik