President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to address key global issues like the war in Gaza at the G-20 summit in South Africa this weekend.
Erdoğan departed early on Friday for the 20th leaders’ summit in Johannesburg. The Turkish delegation accompanying him includes Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, Chief of Staff Hasan Doğan, Presidential Adviser Akif Çağatay Kılıç and ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik.
Duran said in a statement on his Nsosyal account on Thursday that the president will address various sessions of the summit, which will convene under the theme, "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability."
The Turkish president is expected to deliver key messages, particularly on Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023.
Ankara, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and a harsh critic of Israel’s attacks, has halted all trade with Israel, joined South Africa’s genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel and repeatedly urged world powers to stop supporting Israel.
The ICJ issued three provisional measures, ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Despite a cease-fire struck with Hamas last month, Israel has continued bombing parts of the blockaded enclave, killing at least 312 more people.
In his address, Erdoğan will urge immediate action on urgent humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, its redevelopment and Israel’s continued attacks, Turkish sources have said.
Erdoğan is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, other G-20 leaders and representatives of international organizations, focusing on enhancing diplomatic and economic ties, regional stability and global governance reform, according to a statement.
Fidan will also address several sessions, including the “Global Geopolitical Situation” and the “G-20 goals for 2025: Evaluation of South Africa’s Term Presidency of G-20, High-Level Outputs and G-20 Review,” sources said.
Several world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, are skipping the summit where the issue of financing poor nations is also expected to be on the agenda.
The G-20 includes 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Türkiye, the U.K. and the U.S. – along with the European Union and the African Union.
Türkiye considers the G-20, a platform to address political issues like Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an important venue in terms of global economic cooperation and coordination.
