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Türkiye doesn’t want the conflict in Gaza to spiral into a regional war, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Ankara.
“We continue working for first a cease-fire, then permanent peace,” Fidan told reporters as Israeli strikes in besieged Gaza continue relentlessly for the fourth week.
“A solution is a must that will be accepted by Palestine and the region’s countries,” Fidan said.
He reiterated that his country was prepared to “take responsibility and be guarantor” in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Fidan further slammed “different standards” for Ukraine and Palestine, stressing that “if we want a fair world, we must always act with integrity and consistency.”
“But the European Union doesn’t want to hear the word ‘cease-fire’ due to its position next to the U.S. which Israel determines,” Fidan argued.
Pointing to pro-Palestine protests worldwide, including Western countries, he said the international community must now focus on what it can do for permanent peace in Palestine.
For his part, Abdollahian said Israel, U.S. and “supporters of war crimes will be responsible if the situation gets out of control as long as the war is not prevented.”
“The Zionist regime continues massacring without discrimination, using all prohibited weapons in violation of international law,” he said.
The pair met to discuss the situation in Palestine, as well as current regional developments and bilateral relations.
Fidan also confirmed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is set to visit Türkiye “soon.”
Abdollahian will be coming together with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later in the day.
On Tuesday, the Iranian diplomat was in Qatar to meet Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the political bureau chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. He discussed ways to stop Israel’s attacks in Gaza.
Middle Eastern nations have warned the violence could spiral out of control and emphasized the necessity for joint efforts to stop Israel’s massacres in Gaza.
On Oct. 26, the Iranian foreign minister told an extraordinary meeting of the U.N. General Assembly that Tehran was ready to fulfill a role with Türkiye and Qatar in the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Qatar has facilitated the release of Israeli hostages through mediation efforts.
Fidan is engaged in intense diplomatic efforts with his counterparts from the region and around the world for a solution to the ongoing conflict. He visited Lebanon, Egypt and Qatar and attended high-level meetings to address the issue.
During a news conference last week in Qatar with his Qatari counterpart, Fidan called on the international community to act, warning worse days were awaiting the world if the Palestine-Israel conflict continued.
He said that an all-out land offensive by Israel targeting Gaza would only upgrade Israel’s current “savagery” to an all-out massacre.
Türkiye has been trying to facilitate diplomatic channels to push for a cease-fire amid incessant Israeli airstrikes, which killed thousands and destroyed hospitals, homes, schools, marketplaces, churches, mosques, refugee camps and more.
Erdoğan has assured Türkiye is ready to undertake responsibility in case a regional security mechanism is established for the conflict.
He also revealed his government was “holding discussions to make sure that perpetrators behind war crimes in Gaza are held accountable before the law.”
Turkish authorities are currently exploring ways to bring crimes committed by Israel against Palestinian civilians before the International Criminal Court (ICC) through government agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
