Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan: 'Turkey is on the side of those who want to stop the war'

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answered journalists' questions at the train station in Przemysl, Poland, ahead of his critical visit to Ukraine on July 15-16. Giving clear messages regarding the fight against FETÖ on the 10th anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt, Fidan also spoke about Turkey's peace-oriented diplomatic efforts and the intensive shuttle diplomacy it has been conducting regarding the Russia-Ukraine war.

Stating that he would travel to Kyiv by a 10-hour train journey because the airspace is closed, the highlights from Minister Fidan's statements are as follows:

"FETÖ IS A STRUCTURE WHOSE USEFUL LIFE HAS EXPIRED"

Touching upon the international fight against FETÖ on the 10th anniversary of the treacherous July 15 coup attempt, Minister Fidan emphasized that the organization can no longer be anything more than a pawn for global powers:

"FETÖ is now a structure whose useful life has expired. Despite this, it continues its struggle against the state and the leader elected by the people in cooperation with dirty international power centers. The masses, who are practically held hostage by the organization's leaders and living in exile abroad, need to break out of this illusion, wake up, and revolt against the organization. As long as this base does not revolt, the organization will continue to market them to foreign intelligence services."

Stating that the state returned to its original codes after being cleansed of FETÖ, Minister Fidan said, "In our previous duties and in this duty, we work day and night so that FETÖ cannot find shelter anywhere it goes in the international arena and cannot continue its illegitimate and espionage activities."

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: "THERE ARE TWO TRACKS, WE ARE ON THE SIDE OF STOPPING IT"

Reminding that he met with his Russian counterparts and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, Fidan stated that he would now meet with Zelensky and Ukrainian officials in Kyiv following the NATO Summit that took place immediately after and the Coalition of Volunteers meeting he attended in Paris yesterday.

Drawing attention to two different perspectives in the global approach to the war, Fidan summarized Turkey's position with these words:

"There are generally two ways of approaching the war on the European side: 'How to support war efforts' and 'How to stop the war'. Since the first day, under the leadership of our President, Turkey has been making an intense effort in the 'How to stop the war' track."

Reminding of the Istanbul talks that Turkey hosted previously, its facilitation activities, and the Grain Agreement that ensured the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, Fidan stated that these gains should be built upon and advanced.

"MY VISIT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS"

Noting that the visit to Ukraine is an important step to resolve the deadlock on the ground, Foreign Minister Fidan concluded his words by saying, "We will receive the opinions of our Ukrainian colleagues and President Zelensky firsthand in Kyiv and convey our President's messages and our own observations. I sincerely believe that this trip will make a positive contribution to the diplomatic efforts being carried out to stop the war."