Remarks by President Biden and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the Republic of Turkey Before Bilateral Meeting JUNE 29, 2022

 Remarks by President Biden and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the Republic of Turkey Before Bilateral Meeting

JUNE 29, 2022

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SPEECHES AND REMARKS

Institución Ferial de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

5:54 P.M. CEST

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Okay.  Mr. President, it’s good to see you again.  And thank you for — are we ready?

AIDE:  Yes, sir.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Thank you for making the effort to come over. 

I want to particularly thank you for what you did putting together the situation with regard to Finland and Sweden, and all the incredible work you’re doing to try to get the grain out of Ukraine and Russia.  I mean, you’re doing a great job. 

I just want to thank you, and I’d like to talk to you about those things when we have a chance. 

So, the floor is yours.

PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN:  (As interpreted.)  Mr. President, hello.  I would like to especially mention that it gives me great — Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to be able to get together with you after a long interval. 

And this NATO Summit that we’re attending, in terms of its agenda, is going to be quite busy and it’s going to be quite important.  And tomorrow, the activities will be sustained.  And thanks to our efforts, we believe that we will be able to go back to our countries with our hands full and with full satisfaction.

And as the United States, we think your pioneering in this regard is going to be crucial in terms of strengthening NATO for the future, and it’s going to have a very positive contribution to the process between Ukraine and Russia. 

The Russia and Ukraine conflict and the negative developments with regards to taking out of the grain from the Ukrainian ports, as well as the developments involving oil and natural gas, require all of us to work together in order to settle the disputes once and for all. 

I hope and pray that we will be able to establish a balance to diplomacy in order to cultivate positive results, especially with regards to the grain.  There are countries deprived of the grains, and we will open corridors, and we will allow them to have access to the grains that they so need. 

Thank you.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  And it’s in large because of your leadership.  Thank you.  I really mean it.  Thank you.

5:57 P.M. CEST