Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains one of the most controversial world leaders today. His angry remarks, which are laced with moralistic arguments and aimed at countries both east and west, have left him largely isolated internationally. Since he is the one calling the shots in Turkey today, this has also severely harmed Ankara’s potential as a regional player.

Erdogan nevertheless remains unperturbed and defiant. While returning from a trip last week to Colombia, Cuba and Mexico — countries that actually have little to do with Turkey — Erdogan acknowledged to reporters on his plane that he was isolated, claiming this was due to “jealousy.”

“I don’t care about being left alone in the world [the term he used can also mean ‘I could care less’],” Erdogan said in response to a question, adding that only public support was important for him. He said the public “clasped [him] to its bosom” during the presidential elections in August 2014.

Erdogan maintained that he also enjoys the support of ordinary people around the world. “When you look at people, there is no loneliness. There might be as far as leaders are concerned, but that is the result of jealousy and nothing else,” Erdogan said. He admitted, as an aside, that he no longer has the good relationship with US President Barack Obama he initially had.