A top Turkish diplomat at the United Nations warned that Israel was fueling instability across the region and that a permanent cease-fire in Gaza was essential to securing freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
Türkiye's deputy U.N. envoy Aslı Güven told a session of U.N. Security Council on maritime security on Monday that Türkiye placed "a high priority on maritime security, freedom of navigation and open sea lines of communication."
Saying that piracy, terrorism and armed robbery pose "serious threats to seafarers, international trade, food and energy security and the prosperity of all nations," Güven noted that regional conflicts also undermine maritime safety.
"We are closely following developments in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where tensions confirm our warnings that Israeli aggression in Gaza would spill over, threatening navigation," she said, adding that "a permanent cease-fire in Gaza is essential to securing freedom of navigation in the Red Sea."
Güven pointed to irregular migration and migrant smuggling as "pressing maritime challenges," noting Türkiye's role along Eastern Mediterranean routes. She said Türkiye hosts one of the world's largest refugee populations and conducts "robust maritime surveillance and search and rescue operations" in line with humanitarian principles. On hydrocarbon resources, she said exploitation "must fully respect the legitimate and inherent rights of all relevant peoples and parties" and urged avoiding "maximalist positions" to foster stability and cooperation.
