Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s desire to act as a guarantor for a two-state solution to resolve the Palestine-Israel conflict, as he hailed Qatar and Egypt's efforts to reach a cease-fire amid Israel's ongoing massacres in the Gaza Strip.
“Without implementation of the two-state solution immediately, a fourth Gaza war is inevitable,” he said. “We will be entangled in lingering conflicts,” he warned.
Speaking in an interview with broadcaster Sky News Arabia, Fidan stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a “different agenda” and cease-fire in Palestine was against Netanyahu’s political ambitions.
Noting that a two-state solution is the only way to ensure the security of Palestinians and Israelis, Fidan said it must be done for the safety of the entire region.
“The lesson of our recent history is that If we do not implement the two-state solution now, there will be a fourth Gaza war in the future. Or a fifth West Bank war or a seventh Jerusalem war. Therefore, we must learn from the events and implement the two-state solution as quickly as possible,” he said.
The top Turkish diplomat also said Ankara was holding discussions with Hamas leaders, and the intelligence service of the Palestinian group and the Foreign Ministry are conducting frantic diplomatic efforts.
“Our goal is to end this war and this massacre as quickly as possible,” he said.
Fidan rejected reports claiming that Hamas representatives would have to leave Türkiye and Qatar as part of a larger agreement.
Better ties with Arab nations
Pointing to Türkiye’s efforts to building stronger relations with Arab countries, Fidan said Ankara calls for establishing a cooperation framework for regional security.
In an interview with Sky News Arabia on Wednesday, Turkey's Foreign Minister said that Ankara is ready to initiate dialogue “at any level” with Damascus and that preparations are under way to welcome Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to Turkey.
“Our relations with our Arab brothers have reached a truly excellent level. Disagreements are normal, but countries must manage these differences wisely within a specific strategic framework,” said Fidan.
“We in Türkiye want to create a mechanism to develop our relations to an advanced level and avoid other crises, especially security. We have a vision to solve the security problem in the region from its roots, specifically by establishing an alliance with Arab countries.”
The minister also spoke about the threat of terrorist group PKK to Syria and Iraq. He underlined that Türkiye has to fight PKK/YPG in Syria and may help give back energy resources the terrorist group seized in Syria back to the people of Syria. On PKK’s presence in Iraq, Fidan said it was spreading like “cancer” and the terrorist group became a national security problem for Türkiye’s neighbor.
