Hakan Fidan: We have evacuated 1,149 of our citizens to date

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in his speech on his Ministry's 2024 budget at the TBMM General Assembly, noted that the international system has been drifting in uncertainty and instability for a long time, and that the increasing geopolitical and geo-economic competition among major powers has further deepened this uncertainty and instability.

Pointing out that the Ukraine War has brought conventional warfare back to the European continent, Fidan said that while the war was ongoing, Israel's attacks on Gaza began, and this new development has deeply shaken the region, including Turkey, and the global system.

Drawing attention to the tensions in Syria, Iraq, Libya, the Caucasus, and the Balkans, as well as coups and other political crises on the African continent, Fidan stated that these developments have made the picture in the region even more complex.

Fidan said, "An independent foreign policy centered on Turkey has transformed our country into an actor that determines the international agenda and creates influence in critical geographies."

Stating that they classify their strategic goals into four main areas, Fidan said, "These goals are: to strengthen regional peace and security, to expand the institutional foundation of our foreign relations with new alliances and partnership mechanisms, to develop economic development and prosperity in our region, and to influence the transformation of the global system..."

Fidan reported that they conduct foreign relations in a holistic manner, including security, intelligence, technology, economy, trade, energy, transportation, and culture.

"WE HAVE LONG ADOPTED THE PRINCIPLE OF BEING THE VOICE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE"

Drawing attention to Israel's attacks on Gaza, Fidan said, "The war crimes committed in Gaza are breaking the hearts of everyone with a conscience. We have long adopted the principle of being the voice of the Palestinian people. Today, under the leadership of our President, we are mobilizing all our resources to stop this brutality. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the oppression in Gaza are deeply affecting the entire region and global balances. More than 20 thousand innocent civilians, 70 percent of whom are children and women, have been deliberately killed in Gaza."

Fidan said that hospitals, schools, places of worship, and infrastructure in Gaza have been razed to the ground, and bombs are being dropped incessantly on 2.5 million people.

Emphasizing that they find it equally grave that some Western countries openly support Israel in committing massacres and war crimes, Fidan assessed, "In essence, the biggest obstacle to the resolution of the Palestinian issue is the unconditional support currently provided by the US to Israel. Unfortunately, the political systems of America and some Western countries are designed on the basis of remaining blind and deaf to all of Israel's unlawful actions. This approach of the West has led to the deviation of the moral compass and has damaged the legal principles and values that keep the international system standing."

Fidan stated that under these conditions, it has become more valuable than ever for Turkey to pursue a rational and effective foreign policy committed to moral values.

Hakan Fidan said, "This is the reason why we are raising our voice against the oppression in Gaza. No matter the cost, we will never hesitate to call 'right' right and 'wrong' wrong. We have always stood by our Palestinian brothers and sisters, and we will continue to stand by them in the coming period."

Fidan noted that they have been conducting intense diplomatic traffic since the first day of the attacks in Gaza, mobilizing regional and global mechanisms, and in this context, they continue to make international initiatives together with their colleagues in the Contact Group established as a result of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League Extraordinary Joint Summit.

Pointing out that for the first time, a joint platform has been established where Islamic countries will follow up on the decisions they have taken, unlike in the past, Fidan said, "The Contact Group has enabled Islamic countries to act together and take diplomatic initiatives by displaying a common stance. In this way, we have gone beyond condemnation, the sentiments and expectations of our societies regarding the Palestinian issue have been conveyed directly to the interlocutors, pressure has been created on prominent actors, including the West, and the international community has been forced to take a stance."

Fidan pointed out that the problem cannot be solved without ending the Israeli occupation, that a sovereign and independent Palestinian state must be established as soon as possible, and that it has now become a strategic necessity for regional countries to be partners in the solution.

Emphasizing that the guarantor mechanism they have brought to the agenda as Turkey aims exactly for this, Fidan said, "As Turkey, we have delivered 2,500 tons of humanitarian aid to date. In addition, we delivered 1,107 tons of aid to the El Arish port together with Kuwait. We brought 283 cancer patients and the wounded to our country. Our efforts to establish a field hospital in Gaza are also ongoing. To date, we have carried out the evacuation of a total of 1,149 people from Gaza. The evacuation procedures for our remaining citizens and their family members are also continuing."

"OUR COMMITMENT TO SYRIA'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND POLITICAL UNITY IS FULL"

Explaining the main elements of Turkey's policies towards Syria, Fidan said, "Our commitment to Syria's territorial integrity and political unity is full. Our fight against terrorist organizations, primarily the PKK/YPG, will continue. We attach importance to preventing the flow of migration from Syria to our country and ensuring the voluntary return of Syrians in our country. We support political processes, including the UN Security Council resolution, to ensure internal peace in Syria. In line with these goals, we continue our efforts both on the field and at the table. We are carrying out our struggle to prevent the formation of a terror state in northern Syria. We will continue to emphasize to all our interlocutors, especially the US, that supporting the PKK/YPG/SDG terrorist organization under the guise of fighting DAESH is a strategic mistake."

Fidan said that the fight against the PKK terrorist organization and its extensions is continuing in Iraq without slowing down, and that they do not hesitate to implement the security measures they deem necessary.

Minister Fidan stated that their primary priorities in Libya are to protect the country's unity and integrity and to prevent the country from being dragged into conflicts again, saying, "We will continue to develop our dialogue with all segments in the east, west, and south of Libya. We will soon reactivate our Consulate General in Benghazi."

Reminding that Turkey's alliances and bilateral relations in the Euro-Atlantic geography have been one of the important topics of Turkish foreign policy for the last 70 years, Fidan noted that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) continue to participate in NATO's activities, and that the final decision regarding the Protocol on Sweden's Accession to NATO will be made by the Grand National Assembly.

Touching upon NATO's policies, Fidan said, "When we look at the policies implemented by some NATO countries in recent years, the support given to the PKK/YPG in Syria and the sanctions imposed on Turkey in the defense industry create a contradiction. We not only voice this contradiction on every platform, but we also explain that it creates geo-strategic risks and undermines the security of NATO countries."

Fidan emphasized that they are determined to advance the integration process with the EU, but that the EU must also show the necessary will for this.

Fidan continued his words as follows:

"It is essential for some members of the EU to get rid of the lack of strategic vision and common sense stemming from narrow interest calculations. Unfortunately, the EU does not take the encouraging steps for Turkey that it takes for other candidate countries. I believe that if the Union takes concrete steps to revive our country's membership process, this will create new opportunities for both sides. However, the EU seeing Turkey as a rival rather than a partner and some of our NATO allies not taking our security sensitivities into account is leading our country to develop more capabilities and alternative strategies. This is not a preference for us, but has become a necessity for the survival of our state and nation."

Touching upon Turkey's relations with Egypt, Fidan stated that they are making special efforts to develop and deepen relations with Egypt and Gulf countries in line with the goal of strengthening the environment of stability and prosperity in the region.

"WE ARE DEVELOPING OUR RELATIONS WITH BROTHERLY AZERBAIJAN IN EVERY FIELD"

Pointing out that the historic peace opportunity that emerged between Azerbaijan and Armenia after the Second Karabakh War has been further strengthened, Fidan said, "We are developing our relations with brotherly Azerbaijan, which we have elevated to the level of alliance, in every field. We are supporting the reconstruction and revitalization of the lands liberated from occupation. We will continue to carry out the normalization process we have started with Armenia in close coordination with Azerbaijan, taking into account regional developments."

Fidan warned that some third countries heating up and bringing back to the agenda baseless claims regarding the 1915 events would sabotage the normalization process, noting that these countries are not doing Armenia any favors.

Touching upon relations with Iran, Fidan said, "The 3+3 Regional Cooperation Platform, which we pioneered together with Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus, met for the first time at the level of Foreign Ministers in Tehran. We will organize the next meeting in our country within 2024. Iranian President Mr. Raisi will visit our country soon on the occasion of the 8th Meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council."

Fidan stated that Turkey's weight in Africa, which has a special place in its foreign policy, is gradually consolidating, and that the cooperation continuing with the continent in every field from security to health is being maintained on the basis of equal partnership and mutual benefit.

Stating that they are deepening economic relations and increasing political dialogue with the People's Republic of China, Fidan reminded that while doing so, they also emphasize their sensitivities regarding the protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms of Uyghur Turks on every platform.

Fidan said that within the framework of the strategy of influencing the transformation of the global system, they follow developments all over the world with a holistic perspective.

Reminding that Turkey is among the top 5 countries with the widest foreign representation network in the world with its 261 foreign missions, Fidan noted that in this way, they protect the interests of citizens living abroad and provide consular services at the highest standards.

Fidan noted that they offer over 70 types of consular services to citizens at foreign missions, and that the number of consular transactions they have carried out since the beginning of 2023 has reached 3 million.

News Source: AA