Prepare for war if you want to have peace, says Turkish PM

Turkey should be prepared for war if it wants to have peace, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today during a speech in Istanbul.

"We are not war-lovers, but we are not far from war either," Erdoğan said. "The saying goes: 'prepare for war if you wish for peace.' So, war becomes the key for peace."

"They ask whether their kids will go to war? If need be, we, including myself, will all go all the way there," Erdoğan said.

"What peace?" Erdoğan shouted. "What peace?"

Regarding the vacation Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had previously taken in Bodrum on Erdoğan's personal invitation, and the close relationship that used to exist between the two, Erdoğan said there was nothing strange about it.

"If we are at peace, I will host leaders," Erdoğan said.