Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, "I think Israelis have been finding it difficult to avoid getting involved in a conflict with Lebanon. This is a dead-end street. If such a thing happens, this war will certainly not end. On the contrary, if the issue is to be resolved, the focus should be on peace and a two-state solution."
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with the press in Ankara, answering journalists' questions and providing assessments on current affairs.
Key points from top diplomat Fidan's statements:
The lack of any effort by the international community to prevent this process has been a serious turning point for the system. The effects of this will certainly need to be discussed. Every country needs to draw heavy lessons from this. Those who think alliances are not effective and believe that if the same happens to them, no one will do anything are mistaken. The current attitudes are taken out of desperation. As power balances in the region begin to change, I believe political attitudes will also change. This is true for countries considered the closest allies of the United States and Israel in the region. The current attitudes are not taken from friendship or enmity but from desperation. The unconditional support of the United States or some Western countries for Israel is a serious problem. In a scenario where the United States is fighting on behalf of Israel, regional countries will want to develop a counterforce. Those who do not want massacres like those in Gaza to happen again may think about a significant armament and power search in the future.
What happened in Gaza has led to a sudden loss of reputation for the West and Europeans in the eyes of humanity, especially in our generations. They have spent all their credits in terms of humanity. It will not be easy for them to regain this. Unlike their stance on the Ukraine-Russia issue, their position on Gaza is a place where duplicity reaches its peak. They cannot talk about principles, virtues, and morality. They completely ignore them. I see that all of this has paved the way for a major geostrategic rupture. In this process, we have practices that we put forward for the first time. As regional countries, as the Islamic world, we have established a contact group for the Gaza issue for the first time. It is important to systematically exert pressure together at specific places and generate arguments. Acting together has also ensured that we maintain the same position and unity of discourse.
This is the third war we have witnessed in Gaza. As a country closely following the Palestinian issue, I think we are more prepared and experienced in this regard. Firstly, as a different policy, we put forward the thesis that acting together would be more effective. We implemented this within our means. Indeed, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a joint summit for the first time. Our proposal was also accepted in the final declaration of the summit. This was important as a manifesto. It is important to come together on these issues. In this process, the efforts, works, and contacts of the Contact Group established to follow up on this issue are really important. This allowed our counterparts to hear from us about where the problem was going, how it was evolving, in our language. It was important to tell them that this posed a great, global threat.
On the other hand, of course, as we make these contacts as Islamic countries, as regional countries, it is important to focus on what we can do. The incident is, of course, a military one. In a place where the United States and the West unconditionally support Israel, there is no possibility of using military force in the region. Therefore, when approaching this issue, we need to focus on different techniques. Here, especially the sensitivities that the regional countries have drawn for themselves, I think they have learned important lessons. I think there is a different spirit of solidarity among them.
More importantly, it is necessary to see that Russia and China are in a different position here. That is, as the power equation in the region changes, political attitudes will change, and this is also valid for countries considered the closest friends of the United States and Israel in the region. The current attitudes are not taken out of friendship or enmity but out of desperation. Russia and China are in a different position here, especially, I mean, it is necessary to see that the competition equation in the region has evolved elsewhere. There is much to be done for us as the Islamic world. Relations with Israel are already being discussed. Frankly, there are not many countries that have relations with Israel. Therefore, the main stance should be against the West. This decision must be made. I mean, will a stance be taken against the countries that stand unconditionally behind Israel? This should be the question. Because many countries have not started relations with Israel. In critical issues, Israel continues its path in a different way. Growing tensions in the Red Sea The Red Sea, that is an area. Especially attacks on civilian ships have increased. Although the West remains silent on this, they always find a way to turn such incidents into a problem. They have a way of saying that if the incident had happened somewhere else, the world would be in a different place now. This is not right. Everyone is in their own mind. This is wrong. What happens here is an incident that happened there. The attack on civilian ships is, of course, an issue that should be followed with concern. It is important for regional countries to pay attention to this issue.
On the other hand, it is necessary to see that Israel, especially at this point, does not hesitate to exploit such incidents. Now, the clashes that have increased in the Red Sea are in a problematic process. Israel is clearly trying to take advantage of this process. If there is an Israel that perceives the Red Sea as an area of influence, especially Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Ethiopia, which have the widest coast in the Red Sea, should see this and focus on a joint solution. Of course, we are ready to provide support for this. We have a different approach. We have to be careful not to fall into the game of others. We have to make our way by knowing that we have power, history, and geography.
We have to go through a comprehensive change process. This is not just about Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan. We need to act together for all regions, especially the Middle East, to make this comprehensive change process. The road to peace and tranquility in the Middle East does not pass through the West. This path passes through the Islamic world and the regional countries. In this process, it is necessary to act together with a different spirit of solidarity. Otherwise, we will always experience problems like those in Gaza, and we will continue to experience them in other regions as well. The political dynamics of the Middle East have begun to change in a process where old practices and old habits no longer work. We see that this is not effective in the Ukrainian issue. Here, too, Russia and China took a different stance. Now, we also see that they are at a different point in the Palestinian issue. This is an important process. Therefore, it is important for us to move this process in our favor. For this, we need to act together with a different spirit of solidarity.
This spirit of solidarity is important, especially in the fight against Islamophobia, the struggle for the survival of the Palestinian people, and the fight against the PKK and FETO. We have important works in these areas. We should not act just for our own interests. In this process, it is necessary to act together. Therefore, it is necessary to take action with the spirit of solidarity of the Islamic world. In fact, we have provided important services. We have made it possible for oppressed people in the Middle East, especially the Palestinians, to be heard in international platforms. This has led to the formation of public opinion in favor of the oppressed. In the process, we also saw that the Contact Group was effective. We need to make use of the results here.
At this point, as regional countries, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, we need to focus on the struggle for survival of the Palestinian people. Therefore, the 3 + 3 Cooperation Model we are trying to implement is important. We need to bring our relations with Egypt, Türkiye, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan to a level that can be put forward in the Palestinian struggle. In fact, we are working to implement the 3 + 3 Cooperation Model. As I said before, we are taking steps to turn the Eastern Mediterranean into a basin of peace, prosperity, and stability, instead of a region of tension. We have made our policy clear in this regard. We also expect all regional countries to join us. At this point, it is important for Israel to make a choice for peace and stability. If Israel insists on the policies it has implemented so far, it will not be possible to achieve peace in the region.
Our strategic priority is to ensure the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders. This is the most important requirement for lasting peace in the region. Therefore, all regional countries, especially Israel, must act responsibly on this issue. They should not act with short-term strategies based on narrow interests. As I mentioned before, the two-state solution is the only viable solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict. There is no other option that will ensure peace and stability in the region. At this point, the international community, especially the United Nations and the relevant actors, should take concrete steps to support the two-state solution. It is important to emphasize that the international community has a responsibility to work towards a just and lasting solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that Türkiye will continue its efforts to promote stability and prosperity in the region. We will work with like-minded countries to address common challenges and contribute to the resolution of regional conflicts. Our goal is to create an environment of peace, cooperation, and mutual understanding in the Middle East.
