1 week Ago
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the closing ceremony of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the eponymous Turkish city on Sunday that genocide and crimes against humanity in the Palestinian lands perpetrated by Israel will not end unless European countries and the U.S. cut off their support to the Netanyahu administration.
Fidan was answering questions about what more Muslim countries should do to stop Israel, which violated a recent cease-fire and launched all-out attacks in Gaza. "Every country objects to Israel's genocide . The world is unanimous.
But here, we see how fair President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's 'world is bigger than five' criticism is," he said, referring to the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, which are criticized for thwarting efforts to find a lasting solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict.
"The only country that can fully exert pressure on Israel, other than turning to military means, is the U.S. We expect steps to be taken to ensure a lasting peace.
It is obvious that the genocide will continue unless the support from Europe and the U.S. to Israel is cut off.
We should never abandon exhibiting our sensitivity about Gaza. Türkiye, since the beginning, did everything in its power, in its sphere of influence (to end the conflict)," he said. The minister stated that the prevalence of genocide stemmed from U.
S. policies, especially adopted during the Biden administration. "Mr.
Trump paved the way for a cease-fire. We expect them to ensure steps for a lasting cease-fire," he stated. The forum, hosted by the Foreign Ministry, held its fourth edition this year between April 11 and April 13.
More than 6,000 people attended the event, including 21 heads of state and government, 64 ministers and other top officials from 155 countries. In his closing speech, Fidan stated that global diplomacy needed brave steps as the world went through a multipolar transformation. "The sessions held here showed us that meaningful diplomatic dialogue is the only power to confront fragmentation in the world," he said, referring to the forum's theme, "Reclaiming Diplomacy in A Fragmented World.
" "Türkiye continues advocating for a diplomatic approach based on regional reclamation and cooperation in the face of global polarization. In this framework, we will continue our efforts to stop the bloodshed in Palestine. We will remain the voice of Palestinians in the face of the genocide perpetrated by Israel," he said.
Fidan also spoke about Israel’s incursion into Syria and stated that they were holding talks with the sides for de-escalation of the conflict in Türkiye’s southern neighbor. Answering a question on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's anticipated visit to Syria, Fidan said they were working on ensuring appropriate conditions and a date for the visit. He said they were also working on arranging a meeting between Erdoğan and U.
S. President Donald Trump, either in Türkiye or in the U.S.
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