Foreign Minister Fidan warns those who turn a blind eye to Netanyahu

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Rome, the capital of Italy. The ministers held a joint press conference following their private and delegation-level meetings. Stating that they exchanged views with Tajani to improve cooperation on bilateral and regional issues, Fidan said, "We are determined to further deepen our strategic partnership with Italy. As you know, our President and Italian Prime Minister Meloni have expressed their will in this regard in the strongest terms many times. We are also taking concrete steps to contribute to the prosperity and security of our countries by working on various projects."

"OUR GOAL IS TO INCREASE TRADE VOLUME TO 40 BILLION DOLLARS"

Stating that Turkey and Italy are also carrying out work that will benefit other countries in the region, Fidan said, "In our bilateral relations with Italy, areas such as trade, energy, defense, migration, and the fight against organized crime come to the fore. Our trade volume has exceeded 32 billion dollars. Our goal is to increase this to 40 billion dollars, hopefully. We are also very pleased with our cooperation in the defense industry. The recent acquisition of Italy's long-established aviation company Piaggio Aerospace by the Turkish firm Baykar, as well as its partnership with the Italian defense industry company Leonardo, sets an example for our region. Likewise, the progress made regarding the procurement of Eurofighter is extremely important for our countries."

"WE ARE DETERMINEDLY FIGHTING AGAINST IRREGULAR MIGRATION"

Emphasizing that the Mediterranean is in a key position for Europe's energy security and connectivity, Fidan said, "Developing our cooperation in these areas will provide great benefits at both bilateral and regional levels. On the other hand, the activities foreseen in our maritime jurisdiction areas must be carried out in a way that respects sovereign rights, in accordance with international maritime law, and in effective coordination. We are very pleased with the sensitivity Italy shows on this matter. Today, we also evaluated the irregular migration mobility in the Mediterranean. As Turkey, we are determinedly fighting against irregular migration. As a result of our efforts, the pressure on the Eastern Mediterranean migration route, in particular, has decreased significantly. We will continue our joint work with Italy on this issue as well," he said.

"FULL MEMBERSHIP TO THE EU CONTINUES TO BE A STRATEGIC GOAL"

Stating that full membership to the EU continues to be a strategic goal for Turkey, Fidan said, "Our expectation from the EU in this process is not to adopt a biased attitude based on narrow political calculations and to develop a vision for Turkey that includes steps to revitalize the EU membership process. Italy's support for our country's EU membership is a manifestation of a strategic and long-term perspective. We expect this understanding to be adopted by all EU members."

Fidan added, "We also share a common vision with Italy on strengthening European defense. It should not be forgotten that a sustainable and deterrent security architecture can only be possible with the full participation of Turkey, which has the second-largest army in NATO."

Noting that they also discussed regional and international issues extensively with Tajani, Fidan said, "In this context, we evaluated our common will and efforts towards establishing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Turkey has made a concrete contribution by hosting the direct negotiation process between the parties. We are ready to continue our facilitating role in the coming period and to make every effort to end the war."

COMMON POSITION ON LIBYA

Minister Fidan said, "Today, we also evaluated current developments in Africa. We want to support prosperity and stability in Africa. To this end, we discussed what kind of work we can do in light of the priorities and expectations of the countries on the continent. We reiterated our common position on continuing the political process in Libya and encouraging the actors on the ground to engage in dialogue. The permanent maintenance of Libya's unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty, stability, and security is of importance. As Turkey and Italy, we will continue our work in this direction," he said.

Touching upon the situation in Gaza and Israel's attack in Doha, Fidan said, "The main issue on the international community's agenda is the genocide Israel is committing in Gaza and the expansionist policy it is pursuing in the region. With the attack in Doha, Israel has violated the sovereignty of another country. I would like to emphasize once again that we are in full solidarity with Qatar in the face of this vile attack. Qatar is a country that pursues a peaceful foreign policy and successfully carries out mediation activities. The extension of Israel's expansionist policy to Qatar should serve as a wake-up call for those who turn a blind eye to Netanyahu. We invite the international community to take the necessary measures against Israel."

Stating that it is gratifying that many Western countries decided to recognize Palestine during the UN General Assembly, Fidan said, "Our President will participate in the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in the coming days. We will continue to strive to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and find a permanent solution to the Palestinian issue in the activities to be held in New York."

When asked about the possibility of Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Khalifa Haftar visiting Turkey during the press conference, Fidan said, "As you know, Turkey has reached the same level of relations with the East in recent years as it has developed with the West. In this context, there were visits by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aguila Saleh, to Ankara. It has been the case that Haftar has been hosted in Turkey, held meetings, and was welcomed on various occasions. Currently, there is no visit by General Haftar to Turkey on our agenda, but it would be a normal matter if it were to happen."

"ISRAEL'S EXPANSIONISM IS GROWING"

When asked whether European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's announcement that she would propose some sanctions against Israel was sufficient and how he evaluated the international community's reaction, Fidan replied that they were seen to be insufficient in terms of the results they produced. Fidan said, "As of today, the genocide created by systematic starvation in Gaza continues. Israel's expansionism and threat in the region are growing. This means that international pressure is not enough and has not reached a deterrent point. But even if it is late, we see a great awakening in the international public opinion. While the awakening and internal conflict in the international system are proceeding differently, the international public is making faster progress at this point. We see that the illusion that Israel has created over the years in front of the eyes of the international public is gradually lifting. We see that its true face and true intentions are being revealed. The whole world sees how all the rules that humanity considers sacred are being violated one by one, how they are being eroded, and how there is no concern while doing this. The world, especially Western society, is in a conflict within its own values. I think the conflict between the places Israel occupies and its own values will bring greater consequences. But when we look at it in terms of results, the international community and the international system need to do more. Especially the European Union, other countries, and the United Nations need to take more advanced decisions to stop Israel. Otherwise, we may face the total collapse of the international system, which has already been largely bypassed."

When asked for his comment on the airspace violation in Poland, Fidan said, "As you know, an extraordinary meeting was held at the level of permanent representatives at NATO regarding Article 4. Here, our permanent representatives and the permanent representatives of NATO member countries discussed the issue thoroughly."

Expressing his hope that this incident would not be repeated, Fidan said, "But I cannot help but say this. From the very beginning of this war, we have insistently and repeatedly emphasized that there is a risk of the war spreading and that it must be stopped as soon as possible. We did not just emphasize it; we took initiatives at various levels for this. We hosted peace talks, ceasefire talks, and prisoner exchanges, and we will continue to do so. While doing this, we expressed our greatest concern at the beginning of this war, just as we did at the beginning of the Gaza War. Turkey is a competent country in the region, a responsible country. It can see the dangers. We have convictions about what other kinds of dangers a current danger can bring, and unfortunately, this is happening in every subject. We underlined that one of the biggest risks of this war, which started three and a half years ago, was the risk of spreading and that it should be stopped as soon as possible. We stand in the same place today. Peace talks and ceasefire talks should be continued from where they left off. We, as Turkey and Italy, have a common view that this war should be stopped as soon as possible. I discussed this with my esteemed colleague. This does not only threaten regional security; it is also a major threat to global security. As NATO member countries, we are doing our duties and tasks. We are holding our negotiations and consultations. But on the other hand, it is obvious that more effort needs to be put into stopping this war, into stopping the war between Ukraine and Russia as soon as possible. I would like to underline this once again."

News Source: İHA