Foreign Minister Wallah-Hakan Fidan held a joint press conference with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
The main points of Mr. Fidan’s remarks are as follows:
We need to put pressure on Israel: Our priorities are clear. The ceasefire plan is approved by Israel, the weapons are silent, and humanitarian aid is arriving. But every step in this direction is committed by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his administration, who are committing new massacres. I have to say that Israeli officials will ultimately be held accountable. I condemn the Israeli blow to the peace effort. One wrong step in Gaza could cause irreparable problems. We always put the Gaza issue on the agenda as a priority in every conversation. It is important to stop the bleeding of this wound. Hamas’ pro-peace stance last week and Israel’s destructive role showed that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not interested in a ceasefire. We will make every effort for peace. MIT and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working on this issue day and night, promoting a constructive approach. Israel’s attitude has put the negotiating parties in a difficult situation. From here we will send a message to the world. We need to put pressure on Israel. Our recommendation is that Israel should stop the bloodshed while the ceasefire agreement is accepted by Hamas. Continuing down this path will only lead to more bloodshed and death, and we do not want to see that.
A free decision by the Syrian opposition is essential. The vision of our president is a vision of peace. The normalization of the Middle East, support for peace in the Caucasus region, the attitude shown in Africa – these are in fact indications that Turkey is seeking peace in the region. Syria is a wound that has been bleeding for a long time. Mr. Turkiye will always keep the door open for dialogue, directly or indirectly. While the struggle continues, the channel of dialogue has always remained open. I was also involved in the Syrian negotiations in my previous job. There were talks mediated by Russia and Iran. There was the Astana process, Syrian negotiations were held at all levels. But for the last year, there has been no movement in the negotiations. The climate in the region has become one of peace. Our president has shown leadership here and called for peace. This does not stop the weakness. This call is an important call. There is a very complicated situation in Syria. There are Russians and Iranians in the region, there are militias, there are smugglers, there are Israeli attacks. We take into account all these complex issues and we are clear on this issue. We are not just thinking about ourselves. What are Syria’s needs? I want to emphasize this point. We will not change our position on the Syrian opposition. A free decision by the Syrian opposition is essential. We can only play a constructive role here. We will not disappoint them. These brothers are currently preventing further refugees from coming to Turkey in the areas they control.
(News Center)
