President Erdogan says Türkiye 'leading actor' in resolving regional crises

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Türkiye is no mere spectator to regional crises but "the leading actor" in efforts to resolve them, pointing to the Iran war as the latest example.

"Türkiye is not a bystander to regional crises but, as most recently seen in the Iran war, the leading actor in efforts to resolve them," Erdogan said during the opening ceremony of the Halkali-Istanbul Airport Metro Line in Istanbul.

Erdogan also said Türkiye is preparing to host NATO leaders, including US President Donald Trump, on July 7-8.

Before the NATO leaders' summit, a NATO parliamentary summit will be held in Istanbul on June 28-29, he said.

"Over the course of the year, many international events will be held under Türkiye's hosting. In other words, 2026 will be, in the full sense of the word, a year of summits for Türkiye," Erdogan said.

He said these events would boost Türkiye's brand value, demonstrate that the country is a regional center of attraction, and confirm its role as one of the "playmaker actors" of global diplomacy.

Istanbul’s new Halkali-Istanbul Airport Metro Line, built by the Transportation Ministry, is set to ease access to air journeys by cutting travel time between Halkali and Istanbul Airport to just 30 minutes.

Already a major air hub, Istanbul Airport last year was the second-busiest airport in Europe, and also number seven worldwide, serving 84.5 million passengers.