Foreign Minister Fidan: Israel continues to carry out literal ethnic cleansing in Gaza
Foreign Minister Fidan: Israel continues to carry out literal ethnic cleansing in Gaza
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: "Israel continues to carry out ethnic cleansing in Gaza in the true sense of the word. A new war crime is being committed in Gaza every day."
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke at a joint press conference organized after his meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavski at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Fidan said that last year they aimed to increase the volume of trade between the two countries to $5 billion, and today they are glad that they have achieved this goal and will work to increase it to $ 10 billion.
Noting that investment, contracting, transport, green and digital transformation are also priorities for them, Fidan said that as NATO allies they attach great importance to cooperation in the defense industry and strive to further develop cooperation in the defense industry for third-country markets through specific projects.
Fidan said that the ties between the peoples of the two countries are deepening every day, and that a park was opened in Prague in honor of the centenary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Noting that the development of the tourism sector between the Czech Republic and Turkey is also encouraging, Fidan said that more than 380 thousand Czech tourists visited Turkey last year, and Turkey has become one of the most preferred countries by Czech tourists.
Fidan thanked the Czech Republic for supporting Turkey's accession to the European Union (EU) and stressed that he believes that the Czech Republic's contribution and support will continue in the future to develop Turkey's relations with the EU and overcome obstacles to Turkey's membership in the EU.
Stating that they also discussed with their colleague the human tragedy in Gaza, Fidan continued:
"Israel continues to carry out literal ethnic cleansing in Gaza. A new war crime is being committed in Gaza every day. We have not been silent and will not be silent about Israel's desire to expand its territory and steal the lands of our Palestinian brothers and sisters. On the contrary, we will continue to raise our voice on all platforms to end the persecution in Gaza. We will make full use of all means of diplomacy. In this context, we support all initiatives aimed at a ceasefire in Gaza. The way to solve the problem lies through the implementation of the two-State solution. Many countries today recognize this reality. The growing number of countries recognizing the Palestinian State is proof of this. In the coming period, we will continue our efforts, without slowing down, to increase this number even more."
Stating that Turkey is acting on the same principle in the Palestinian geography and in Ukraine and that they have been warning everyone for several months, Fidan stressed that these conflicts could escalate into a regional or even global war and that everyone should take all necessary steps to prevent this.
Fidan said that during the meeting with his colleague, they also discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine, noting that Turkey supports the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, but does not ignore the loss of life and the terrible destruction caused by the war.
Stating that more than 500,000 people died in this war, Fidan said that this war carries the risk of spreading beyond Ukraine and may even lead to the use of weapons of mass destruction, and that Turkey would like the parties to sit down at the negotiating table to achieve peace.
Fidan noted the following:
"We attach great importance to the fact that both Ukraine and Russia have demonstrated their willingness to put an end to the bloodshed with the help of their concept of peace. Whatever the content and conditions of this, we consider it an important step to start with. The international community must also take more steps in an inclusive manner. Turkey, as always, is ready to play a mediating and constructive role in the negotiations.
The most important match between our national team and the Czech national team in the framework of the European Football Championship will take place tomorrow. I wish that sporting understanding prevailed in this match, and I hope that it will be a pleasant and beautiful match for all football fans.
" "We are against the occupation of Ukraine"
After the press conference, a question and answer session was held.
When asked what he discussed with his interlocutor about the war in Ukraine and his assessments regarding the future of this war, Fidan said that the Czech Republic is also very sensitive to Ukraine and is concerned about this.
Fidan said that "the invasion of Ukraine has raised serious security concerns in many countries of Eastern and Central Europe," and recalled that Turkey has a vision of "ending all wars."
Reiterating that they support the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Fidan said: "We are against the occupation of Ukraine. But we are faced with such a situation. This war began to turn into a bigger war than Ukraine and Russia. It embodies very big global risks. We see that global disagreements are deepening."
Minister Fidan noted that while there is a war, there is always a risk of the spread of war and the risk of the use of weapons of mass destruction, and said: "This war must be stopped without wasting time. It's been two and a half years. For two and a half years, the parties have used their forces to the best of their abilities, and today there is practically a stalemate in this area. At the moment, we think it would be extremely useful to start negotiations on peace, on a ceasefire."
"There is a great need for peace and tranquility in our region."
Fidan stated that, according to their observations, the psychological and political atmosphere necessary to resolve this issue through dialogue has been created, and stressed that it is "extremely important" that negotiations on a ceasefire begin as soon as possible due to the risk of war.
Stressing that they say the same thing about all wars, Fidan said: "There is a great need for peace and tranquility in our region. Otherwise, the risk of spreading wars is increasing more and more."
Fidan recalled that Turkey is doing everything possible in this regard and that at the peace conference on Ukraine held in Switzerland, the view was expressed that "meaningful negotiations should begin as soon as possible in order to prevent the deepening of the global split due to the Ukrainian war and stop the tragedy."
Stressing that the word of Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is of great importance, Fidan noted that Turkey will continue to use its weight to achieve peace.
"The EU and developed countries must recognize the existence of (migration) problems."
Answering the question about illegal migration and the EU, Fidan said that Turkey understands illegal migration and refugees.
Noting that work is being carried out jointly with EU institutions and European countries on illegal migration, Fidan said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is working with relevant interlocutors on this issue very systematically and constructively.
On the other hand, Fidan stated that they are conducting close consultations and joint work with countries sending migrants, countries on the route and EU countries receiving migrants, and said that in addition to taking measures to prevent migration, it is necessary to focus on the main causes of migration.
Noting that the problem of illegal migration should also be solved by developed countries, Fidan said: "Both the European Union and developed countries should sit down and discuss the problems that cause some regional migration, and take certain measures to do so. At the very least, they should acknowledge the existence of these problems."
Noting that ignoring the problems themselves and trying to manage migrants produce temporary results, Fidan stressed that the international community should pay attention to the root of the problem, since it is permanent.