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Minister of Foreign Affairs Fidan: We must use our opportunities for our common prosperity

Minister of Foreign Affairs Fidan: We must use our opportunities for our common prosperity

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: "In order to prevent the spread of global competition for power to our geography, we must rally our ranks and use our opportunities for our common prosperity."

Fidan spoke at an informal meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of Turkic States (OTG), held in the capital of Azerbaijan, Shusha.

Minister Fidan said: "Shusha is a symbol of Azerbaijan's glorious victory in the 44-day Patriotic War. I respectfully bow my head to the memory of our holy martyrs who gave their lives for this victory, and express my gratitude to our venerable veterans."

Stating that the Turkic world has become one of the centers of attention of international politics, Fidan said: "In order to prevent the spread of global competition for power to our geography, we must unite our ranks and use our opportunities for our common prosperity. With this in mind, regional responsibility and regional cooperation are the two main principles of our joint work."

Fidan pointed out that OTG, which has risen as a respected platform in the current world order that has "lost its balance," offers important opportunities to further strengthen ties.

Stressing the need to develop educational activities and youth projects, Fidan said: "We must establish our alphabetical unity as soon as possible."

Fidan noted that it is necessary to create the necessary contractual framework for further cooperation in areas such as interconnectedness, energy, finance, trade, defense industry and new technologies, which form the basis of the agenda, and said: "We must assess the opportunities that arise in our region within the framework of this understanding."

"Our responsibility to our history is to help our compatriots preserve their identity"

Stating that it is useful to conduct research with Turkey in order to develop institutional relations within the organization with "countries that are ready for the union of hearts and destiny and are included in the wide geography of civilization," Fidan continued the following:

"I think it would be useful for our organization to establish liaison offices in important centers and appoint contact embassies. We must include in the agenda of our organization our brothers and sisters who wave the flag of Turkish culture and identity beyond our borders. (Uzbekistan) I consider it extremely valuable that this issue is addressed in the document "Charter of the Turkic World", which is the brainchild of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and is scheduled to be adopted at the Bishkek summit. Our responsibility to our history is to help our compatriots living in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Afghanistan and various parts of the world to preserve their identity."

Recalling that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the expulsion of the Meskhetian Turks, who are an integral part of the Turkic world, Fidan said: "We will monitor the processes related to the return of our Meskhetian brothers and sisters to their homeland in Georgia and obtaining citizenship, as we have done so far. I would like to express my gratitude to all the countries and peoples of the OTG who have received our Meskhetian brothers and sisters. We consider it useful to encourage related communities to establish contacts with cooperation organizations under the auspices of the OTG, especially those of Turkish origin."

Stressing that we have a historic opportunity to ensure sustainable peace in the South Caucasus after the Second Karabakh War, which ended in November 2020, Fidan said:

"This opportunity is important not only for the countries of the region, but also for regional and global security, including the Turkic world, due to the fact that currently closed regional transport routes will finally be opened. We sincerely hope that the current negotiation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia will lead to the early signing of a peace treaty.

In this regard, we particularly appreciate Azerbaijan's firm determination and positive approach to the conclusion of the agreement. We are not satisfied with the unstable position of some Western countries that openly support Armenia and ignore Azerbaijan's concerns. I want to emphasize once again that we, as the Turkic world, must continue to provide comprehensive support to fraternal Azerbaijan for the successful completion of this process."

"We call on the Turkish Cypriots to support them in restoring their inalienable rights"

Noting that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is another issue for which the Turkic world should take responsibility, Fidan said: "We attach great importance to establishing direct contacts with the TRNC, which is an "observer member" of the OTG in 2022. We attach great importance to the representation of the TRNC at a high and appropriate level in OTG. Participation of the President (Ersin) Tatara's participation in today's summit, as well as the presence of our esteemed colleague Tahsin Ertugruloglu at this meeting, is extremely important."

Stating that he counts on the support of the OTG in representing the TRNC at the Bishkek summit, Fidan said:

"We believe that you will not hesitate to take steps in this direction, despite all the pressure. We call on all our brothers and sisters to support the Turkish Cypriots, who are an integral part of the Turkic world, in order to restore their inalienable rights. In this regard, I urge you to expand trade relations with the TRNC in order to put an end to the unfair and inhumane isolation that our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters have been subjected to for decades. The establishment of a trade representative office in the TRNC will be an important step in this direction.

Similarly, the fact that more official delegations and tourists from your countries will visit the TRNC will provide important support to our Turkish Cypriot brothers. In this context, it would be useful to consider opening direct flights to Ercan Airport, which is a full-fledged international airport. We expect you to invite your country to contact TRNC officials, especially the President (Ersin) Tatar and the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Takhsin) Ertugruloglu".

"We believe that efforts to achieve lasting peace should be extended to a wider area."

Fidan pointed out that the Russian-Ukrainian war, which has been going on for the 3rd year, has turned into a "proxy war", and made the following assessments:

"In the current strategic landscape, both sides have no other priority than more weapons and a more aggressive position militarily. As Turkey, we believe that efforts to achieve lasting peace should be extended to a wider area in order to end the war. It is necessary to create a peaceful platform that will prevent the deepening of polarization, will have a high level of participation and representation, and will give priority to diplomacy. As countries affected by various aspects of the war, we must work together in this direction using a complementary approach."

Minister Fidan said: "It has been almost 3 years since the Taliban took over the administration in Afghanistan. As a Turkic world, we attach special importance to close contact with you, our brothers and sisters, on the issue of Afghanistan, which is of great interest to all of us," he said, adding that, in his opinion, "a stable Afghanistan living in peace with itself and its region" meets the interests of the entire international community.

Noting that Turkey has established practical and constructive relations with the interim administration in order to directly convey its messages on inclusive governance and respect for fundamental human rights, especially women, Fidan said: "At the same time, I would like to reiterate that we are ready to take concrete steps and work together with our fraternal countries, especially those bordering Afghanistan, in the fight against terrorism, border security and organized crime."

"The Turkic world cannot turn its back on the human tragedy in Gaza"

Fidan also said the following on the Israeli-Palestinian issue:

"The Turkic world cannot turn its back on the human tragedy in Gaza. Israel's attacks on our Palestinian brothers and sisters since October 7 (2023) violate all aspects of international law. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has the opportunity to make a legal contribution to the delayed settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with its decision on the genocide case in South Africa and Israel. The advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on Israeli Actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories will also make an important legal contribution to the Palestinian question.

As Turkey, we have contributed to the consultation process by presenting our views both in writing and orally. On May 1, we announced that Turkey had decided to exercise its right to intervene in the case of the genocide of South Africans and Israelis. We would like all members of the OTG to support the genocide case in the International Court of Justice. We are also closely following the process at the International Criminal Court on the Palestinian issue."

Foreign Minister Fidan concluded his statement with the words: "Dear brothers and sisters, I would like you to know that it is a great honor for me to work closely with you to build our future within the framework of our common vision. I fully believe that the visibility of OTG in the international arena will continue to grow day by day. May our unity and vitality be permanent."

Minister Fidan assessed the results of the summit

Speaking to reporters after the summit, Fidan said they were very proud to be here today and said:

"We are very happy. The fact that Shusha was liberated again as a result of the struggle led by the supreme leadership of the Supreme Leader of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, and the fact that we are here today is a truly historic event. Therefore, it is very important for the Turkic world that the summit of the Turkic states was held here. Congratulations once again on this holiday of the Turkic world. I congratulate Azerbaijan on this victory."