We reject all types of plans that force Palestinians to leave their homeland, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday, following a meeting of the Gaza contact group in Antalya province.
Speaking together with the Arab League and the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Fidan was referring to a U.S. plan to “take over Gaza” and permanently resettle its population.
“We support the Gaza reconstruction plan accepted by the Arab League. We support the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and borders based on 1967. We call on the international community to give every kind of support to establish peace,” Fidan underlined.
The minister continued to say that "Israel's aggressive stance is causing regional instability and global lawlessness. However, Israel's 80 years of violence against Palestinians has not yielded results. Palestinians have not left their homeland. They have not given up on their cause."
“The permanent cease-fire has to be established as soon as possible. The entrance of uninterrupted humanitarian aid to Gaza must be ensured,” he said.
The minister elaborated that the group focused on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, efforts to reestablish the cease-fire and developments in the territories under occupation.
“We discussed the regional consequences of Israel's increasing aggression and the steps that can be taken by the international community to ensure lasting peace and establish a two-state solution,” he added.
Fidan indicated that the foreign ministers of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain and Indonesia, the secretaries general of the OIC and the Arab League, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China, Russia, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Slovenia, Nigeria and the European Union attended the talks which took place in an “extended” format.
Emphasizing the two-state solution would also ensure Israel's security, Fidan said, adding: "We call on Israel to immediately declare a cease-fire and make peace with the Palestinians."
Türkiye will continue to raise the issues of the Palestinian people on every platform, he said.
The Contact Group was formed at an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, last November. It has been actively engaged in diplomatic initiatives across various international capitals to find a solution to the ongoing Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.
Türkiye has been a fervent critic of Israel, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide and criticizing Western nations for backing Israel.
In May, Türkiye suspended trade with Israel, citing its assault on Gaza, and in August, formally applied to join South Africa's initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Ankara is a firm supporter of the two-state solution with the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as an independent Palestine’s capital.
Fidan himself has led an intense diplomatic push for Ankara’s aims to facilitate a cease-fire in Gaza, uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to the enclave and necessary steps toward a two-state solution.
On the other side, the fourth edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2025) is witnessing a notable Arab presence.
Representatives from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Tunisia have been participating.
The forum is taking place amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East driven by Israel's ongoing war on Gaza since October 2023, continued Israeli violations of Lebanese and Syrian sovereignty, and escalating tensions in the Red Sea involving the U.S. and Yemen's Houthi group.
