Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate phone calls with his counterparts from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to discuss efforts to secure wider recognition of the State of Palestine and address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
In his call with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the two ministers exchanged views on joint initiatives to increase the number of countries recognizing Palestine and reviewed the latest developments in cease-fire talks for Gaza.
Fidan also spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud about preparations for a Sept. 22 meeting in New York on Palestinian recognition, as well as ongoing efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In a separate call, Fidan and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi discussed bilateral ties alongside coordinated steps to support Palestine and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
About 144 of the 193 member states of the U.N. recognize Palestine as a state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India.
The Palestinians seek an independent state in the occupied West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem and Gaza, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel's government and most of its political class have long been opposed to Palestinian statehood.
