Erdogan says Turkey wants region to become ‘island of peace’

Turkish president says he is determined ‘to increase the number of friends and resolve hostilities’.

Turkey wants to resolve conflicts and make more friends while turning its region into an “island of peace”, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. Speaking to thousands of supporters at a party congress held amid a new surge in coronavirus cases, Erdogan said he was “determined to increase the number of our friends and resolve hostilities in the region”. “We will continue to shape our relationships with every country from the United States to Russia, from the European Union to the Arab geography in line with Turkey’s interests and our people’s expectations,” the Turkish president told his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) congress in the capital Ankara.