By Esra Tekin and İlayda Cakirtekin
ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye is ready to provide any support needed to resolve the dispute between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, should both parties desire it, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.
“We, as Türkiye, are ready to provide any support necessary to resolve this issue (the dispute between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo) which will contribute to stability and peace in the Great Lakes Region, should both parties wish for it,” Erdogan told a joint news conference with his visiting Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in the capital Ankara.
The M23 rebels have waged an insurgency in eastern Congo since 2022. Kinshasa and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of backing the group, an accusation Kigali denies.
Erdogan also praised Rwanda’s efforts in fighting the FETO terrorist organization.
FETO orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 wounded in Türkiye.
Türkiye accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.