OMM Redaksiyası
Türkiye promoted dialogue over conflict, diplomacy over crisis and cooperation over division during the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level week in New York, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Fidan said he participated in more than 40 bilateral meetings and multilateral gatherings during the week, with Palestine remaining a central focus of Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts.
He said the Turkish delegation raised Israel’s policies in Gaza, which Ankara describes as genocidal, as well as its occupation and annexation activities, at every meeting it attended.
In his 16th address to the General Assembly, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again drew international attention to the plight of the Palestinian people, Fidan said.
Erdogan also held 16 bilateral meetings, attended a high-level event on climate action and a just transition, and joined a meeting with US President Donald Trump and Gulf Cooperation Council leaders on regional issues. He also met Turkish citizens in the United States, Turkish and American businesspeople, and representatives of US think tanks.
Palestine and regional diplomacy dominate meetings
Fidan said he met foreign ministers from Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in an eight-country format to discuss Palestine.
He also participated in meetings on last year’s New York Declaration and a comprehensive peace plan, held four-way talks with the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and took part in trilateral discussions with his Syrian and Saudi counterparts.
Under the Mecca Alliance framework, Fidan held further consultations with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. As chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers, he also presided over its annual coordination meeting in New York.
Türkiye co-hosted a meeting with the United States on “International Support for Peace, Unity and Prosperity in Libya”. Fidan added that regional and global developments were discussed at an informal meeting of the Organization of Turkic States’ Council of Foreign Ministers.
He also attended the 30th MIKTA foreign ministers’ meeting ahead of Türkiye taking over the group’s chairmanship in 2027.
Türkiye reiterates support for UN reform
Fidan said Türkiye contributed to UN discussions on migration, development, humanitarian assistance, climate change and food security during the high-level week.
Turkish officials also attended meetings on the Rohingya issue, the Alliance of Civilizations and Crimea. Türkiye hosted a meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation.
Fidan stressed the need for common international responses to shared challenges and reiterated Ankara’s view that regional problems should be addressed through regional ownership rather than by seeking solutions elsewhere.
He said Türkiye again expressed its long-standing support for reform of the UN system. Ankara also presented its priorities and initiatives for the COP31 UN Climate Change Conference, which Türkiye will host and chair in November.
Fidan says Israel faces growing international isolation
Israel is facing increasing international isolation as diplomatic efforts turn opposition to its actions into concrete measures and policies, Fidan said.
“Thanks to diplomatic efforts, Israel’s oppression and massacres no longer go unanswered to the same extent as before. It now has to pay a very heavy price for every action it takes,” he said.
Fidan cited proceedings involving the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court as examples of mounting pressure on Israel.
He said Erdogan’s meeting with Trump and Gulf leaders focused on obstacles facing the Gaza peace plan launched last year, including Israel’s alleged failure to comply with its provisions, as well as continuing tensions in the Gulf.
Erdogan also presented Türkiye’s proposals for regional peace, including the situation in Gaza, the threat posed by Israeli expansionism and efforts to resolve the deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz, Fidan added.
Mecca Defense Alliance seeks secretary-general
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are continuing work to establish the institutional structure of the Mecca Defense Alliance, with the goal of appointing a secretary-general within two weeks, Fidan said.
Pakistan has proposed a candidate who is likely to receive the other member states’ approval, he said. Further appointments are expected after the secretary-general takes office.
The three countries also discussed military threats facing Saudi Arabia, including attacks by the Houthis from the south and other attacks from the north. A military-technical assessment meeting was held in Riyadh on Friday with the participation of Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.
Fidan said he spoke with Bayraktaroglu to coordinate military assessments with the political approach and briefed Erdogan on the matter.
Diplomatic efforts continue over Strait of Hormuz
Fidan said he discussed Iran’s latest proposal with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, including Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
He said he had also received initial indications of the US response, but stressed that diplomatic efforts had not yet produced a breakthrough.
“The positive thing is that efforts are continuing. The negative aspect is that they have not yet yielded any results,” Fidan said.
Referring to a telephone conversation between Erdogan and Trump, Fidan said Türkiye wanted diplomacy to continue without a renewed outbreak of hostilities. He added that Türkiye’s Gulf partners, which have been directly affected by the crisis economically and militarily, shared Ankara’s preference for a diplomatic solution.
Türkiye may reduce military presence at Bashiqa
On Iraq, Fidan said Baghdad had adopted a policy aimed at disarming all armed groups in the country, including the PKK and affiliated groups operating in the Sinjar region.
The issue was discussed during Erdogan’s meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaydi at the Turkish House in New York, he said.
“We are very pleased to see that the Iraqi side has set a political objective of disarming all armed groups in the country. This is a vision we support,” Fidan said.
Türkiye’s military presence in Iraq, particularly at the Bashiqa base, was established for counterterrorism purposes in cooperation with Iraqi authorities, he added.
As Baghdad implements its roadmap to eliminate terrorism and disarm armed groups, Türkiye could gradually reduce and eventually end its military presence at Bashiqa, Fidan said.
