Foreign Minister Fidan: "On the Gaza issue, we are now at a point where humanity has completely failed its test"
Foreign Minister Fidan: "On the Gaza issue, we are now at a point where humanity has completely failed its test"
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, "On the Palestine issue, on the Gaza issue, we are now at the point where words no longer suffice. Humanity has completely failed its test. All foreign ministers are aware of this. We have reached the end of the road in terms of what can be achieved through the tools of diplomacy. From now on, different actions and measures need to be taken, and the international community – not the system, but the people – must show greater reaction."
Following the 21st Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), convened at Turkey’s call, Minister Fidan made a statement. He said, "As the acting chair of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, I called for this extraordinary meeting due to the unbearable levels of hunger in Gaza. We held our meeting with record participation. Truly, the statements made during the closed session, as well as the topics addressed in bilateral talks, showed that the determination, unity of thought, and solidarity of Islamic countries in solving the Gaza issue in particular, and the Palestinian issue in general, have been taken to a further level. This was an important step."
"We will go to the UN High-Level Week with one voice, one heart"
Emphasizing that the meeting had established unity within the Islamic world regarding Palestine, Fidan said: "We deliberately aimed to hold this meeting before New York. Because going into the UN General Assembly week – where all countries participate – with the Islamic nations taking a joint stance, overcoming differences, forming a united position, and presenting new proposals as the bearers of this cause, was very important for us. Of course, these are issues that involve the intricacies of international diplomacy. There are matters of rhetoric, new steps that the international community may take, and how far countries can push certain boundaries. Today, in our closed session, we discussed these issues in great detail, and in the end, we adopted a resolution of significant substance, which we hope will have great impact, unanimously by all countries. Considerable effort went into preparing this decision. I would like to thank my colleagues at the ministry who worked tirelessly on this. Thankfully, Turkey’s perspective, together with its allies, gained general acceptance here. And now, God willing, we will go into the United Nations High-Level Week with one heart and one voice."
"We are now at the point where humanity has completely failed its test"
Underlining that diplomacy is no longer a solution in the Gaza Strip, Fidan said: "We are now at the point where words no longer suffice in the Palestine issue, in the Gaza issue. Humanity has completely failed its test. All foreign ministers are aware of this. We have reached the end of the road in terms of what can be achieved through diplomatic tools. From now on, different actions and measures must be taken, and the international community – not the system, but society itself – must show greater reaction. Because when it comes to Palestine, when it comes to Gaza, the system has completely collapsed. Surely, the most direct way to stop the suffering in Gaza at this stage is for the ongoing negotiation processes to yield results. But while we would like to remain hopeful, it is clear when we look at Netanyahu’s current policies that they have nothing to do with reaching an agreement. His strategy is entirely based on buying time and advancing his military agenda and policies. Most of the Islamic world already has no relations with Israel. They do not recognize it. Except for one or two countries, there is no trade either. In such an equation, while the voice that emerges from here carries great significance for us, for our societies, for the Islamic nations, in practice it falls somewhat short of creating an effect. Therefore, the countries that support Israel economically, politically, and militarily taking a stand against it would, in practice, serve as a much greater brake on Israel. Thus, we are keeping on the agenda the strategy of developing policies and exerting pressure through relations with the countries that support Israel. This is an important strategy for us. Because many of the 57 countries around the table have very serious economic, political, and security ties with the West and the US. These relations must now, at some point, be used to curb Israel. There are various ideas on this, which we discussed among ourselves."
"Israel is taking steps to kill the idea of a two-state solution"
When asked about how the process should be interpreted in light of the UN declaring famine in Gaza, ceasefire efforts, and some countries announcing recognition of Palestine at the UN, Fidan said: "On the Palestine issue, we are faced with an inverse correlation, which is quite interesting. The diplomatic efforts we initiated – particularly through the joint OIC-Arab League contact group in which Turkey participates, a group of seven countries – have been significant in shaping and guiding the rhetoric in the international arena regarding the recognition of the State of Palestine. Now, while Palestine is being recognized as a state, genocide in Gaza continues, and Gaza is subjected to a policy of depopulation. This is, of course, a great contradiction. On the one hand, you recognize Palestine as a state, while on the other, you allow the destruction of its essential human element in Gaza. This is a contradiction. Our first objective was the recognition of Palestine as a state. Why was this important? When this war first broke out on October 7, we said: as long as the occupation of Palestine continues, as long as Israel’s oppression continues, and as long as Palestinians are denied an honorable, sovereign, and intact state, this will not be the first or last war in the Middle East. In fact, the risk of escalation was real. Therefore, while focusing on stopping the war in Gaza, we also brought to the agenda the urgent need to revive the two-state solution and make a serious push toward its realization. The strategy we put forward was largely adopted by other countries because it represents the permanent solution. One must keep the permanent solution on the agenda while trying to contain the crisis in Gaza. Initially, the international community – particularly the West – resisted this approach, but later accepted it, seeing no other alternative. And we have reached that point now. But here we see something else: while the international community, under the leadership of the OIC, has made progress in this regard, Israel has been taking steps aimed at killing the idea of a two-state solution. The international community is now holding its own governments accountable on this issue, especially in the West, where many countries, under pressure from their public opinion, are moving toward recognizing Palestine. No one wants to be complicit in this historic massacre, this genocide. But unfortunately, for some countries, it is too late. They were on the wrong side of history when Jews were subjected to genocide, and they are on the wrong side of history again when Palestinians are subjected to genocide. These are conscious positions – there is no mitigating excuse here. Our civilization and our history, thank God, judge the act itself, not the perpetrator or the victim. Oppression is oppression, no matter who suffers it. Oppression is oppression, no matter who commits it. That does not change."
Bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit
Responding to a question about bilateral meetings he held on the margins of the summit, Fidan said: "As you know, we have important agendas with Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Iran. We also have significant agendas with Africa. Since the early 1990s, Gambia has been a country in which Turkey has made substantial investments in the fields of military, economic, and technical cooperation. We have good ongoing relations with Djibouti as well. These were issues concerning Africa. With Iran, we discussed the ongoing nuclear negotiations and general assessments regarding the post-war period. Iran has a path it is pursuing with Europe concerning nuclear talks, and there are also suspended negotiations with the US. Recently, we held a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as you know, where we discussed this matter as well. Based on some comments that emerged from that meeting, we had the opportunity to evaluate this new agenda. In Iraq, there are elections in October, and before the elections, there are important issues regarding bilateral cooperation initiated under Prime Minister Sudani’s tenure. These include cooperation on water, the Development Road project, counterterrorism, energy cooperation, projects initiated by businesspeople, and a generally dynamic agenda. It is an agenda that is both exciting and challenging, particularly in the field of counterterrorism. We also addressed how the ongoing ‘terror-free Turkey’ process affects these issues and possible developments. With Egypt, we discussed the Gaza issue, potential aid to Gaza, and what the agenda would look like if an agreement is reached. We considered how to bring a new perspective to regional security in light of the last two years as responsible and historic countries of the region. These were the main topics. On Libya, the Mediterranean, and Africa, we exchanged views on how we could cooperate. We also addressed the Sudan issue, and of course, the situations in Somalia and Ethiopia, which are being closely followed. Regarding Syria, I frequently meet with my Syrian counterpart. We discussed his recent meetings in Paris, which were also reflected in the public domain. We also talked about a recent visit to Greece, as well as ongoing bilateral issues between the two countries, how they are progressing, and what we can do. We reaffirmed once again our commitment to Syria’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and security. As we said right after December 8, a chapter has ended in Syria, and a new chapter has begun – but not an easier one. The challenges are greater, the problematic areas more pronounced and clearer. Turkey’s responsibility here is significant. Together with regional countries, we need to work hand in hand to protect the country’s territorial integrity against Israeli attacks, among other issues. We also know that there are various groups inside the country serving the goals of certain international actors. These need to be managed carefully. On the other hand, the country urgently needs investment, improved public capacity, and development of infrastructure. But these will take time. What matters is ensuring the political and security environment in which all this can take place. Sometimes progress is fast, sometimes slow, but it does happen. But when there is hesitation or problems regarding the political and security environment, then the other areas I mentioned also fail to advance. We are fully aware of this. We also discussed how we, together with regional countries, are taking steps in this regard."