Erdogan confirms that Hamas is a resistance group seeking to preserve its lands and cannot be described as terrorism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that he considers the Hamas movement "a resistance group seeking to preserve its lands" and cannot be described as terrorism. Erdogan indicated in a television interview on the American "NBC News" channel on the sidelines of his participation in the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York that terrorism is the massacres committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip. He said: "We are against terrorists, but as a leader I know Hamas well, I have never described it as a terrorist organization, and I do not consider it a terrorist organization currently." Erdogan added: "Hamas is a resistance group seeking to preserve its lands, so how can I say about a resistance group like this that it is a terrorist organization?" Erdogan stressed the need to "not forget the pain that the Palestinian people were subjected to before the events of October 7, 2023." He continued: "From 1947 until today, Palestine has reached this day and is losing its lands one after the other, and when we look behind the scenes, we unfortunately have to know very well the reasons that created these conditions for the events of October 7, and it is necessary to understand them well." Regarding Ankara's view of Ukraine's accession to NATO, Erdogan stressed that Turkey will look at the steps of all member states in this regard. He pointed out that the United States of America and NATO countries want Ukraine to join the alliance, stressing that Turkey will make its decision in this regard in light of these facts. He said: "When we look at these facts, these are not issues that we should deal with enthusiastically, as we take into account the position of all NATO members when we make decisions on these issues. Source: National Iraqi News Agency