Turkey heads to Arab League ministerial meet for first time in 13 years

Turkey will discuss the Gaza war and ties with the Arab League when its foreign minister attends a ministerial meeting of the group in Cairo on Tuesday for the first time in 13 years, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Monday. Turkey, which has condemned Israel for its war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza and joined steps towards Israel facing genocide charges at the World Court, has had rocky ties with the Arab League in recent years. While it has mended long-strained ties with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Ankara remains at odds with other Arab League members including Syria.

After the war in Gaza started, Turkey joined a joint contact group formed at a summit of the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to seek an end to the war. The last time Turkey participated in an Arab League meeting was when Erdogan, who was then prime minister, addressed the group's ministers in Cairo in 2011..