Minister Fidan: “Netanyahu is constantly opening new fronts in the region and trying to draw Iran into this war.”

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. Fidan stated, “Israel, which continues to commit genocide in Gaza, is also continuing to soak Lebanon in blood. Netanyahu is constantly opening new fronts in the region. He is trying to drag Iran into this war.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who came to Istanbul for the 3+3 South Caucasus Regional Cooperation Platform meeting, held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Fidan in Sarıyer today. After the meeting, they held a joint press conference. In his statements during the press conference, Fidan said, “Our region is facing a significant threat. Israel, which continues to commit genocide in Gaza, is also continuing to soak Lebanon in blood. Netanyahu is constantly opening new fronts in the region. He is trying to drag Iran into this war.”

“It is possible to increase the wealth of our people by doing more trade between our countries.”
At the beginning of his speech, Minister Fidan thanked his Iranian counterpart for his participation, stating, “We want to further develop our cooperation in the South Caucasus with a regional ownership approach. I would like to thank my valuable brother Araghchi and my other counterparts once again in your presence for their participation. We welcome the positive messages from the newly established Iranian government regarding bilateral and regional cooperation. We also share this vision of prioritizing relations with neighbors. Turkey and Iran are two ancient civilizations of the region. Our fundamental goal is to contribute to the peace, prosperity, and stability of the region. Today, we had the opportunity to thoroughly discuss the steps we will take in bilateral relations and our goals with my valuable counterpart. We decided to make the high-level cooperation council we established in 2014 more effective. It is possible for us to increase the wealth of our people by doing more trade between our countries. As Turkey, we are ready to demonstrate the necessary political will for this. Our President’s declaration of will on this matter was also accepted by my counterpart yesterday. We want to make the necessary infrastructure investments and transform the region, which includes our border provinces, into a trade basin. We need to open new border gates. We need to renovate the existing border gates and roads and increase their capacities. There have been steps that should have been taken in transportation, customs, and border security for many years. It truly requires a very systematic effort. We must resolve the issues we are facing without further delay.”

“Today, extensions such as PKK and PJAK are common enemies of both countries.”
Emphasizing the need for joint steps in the fight against terrorism, Minister Fidan stated, “Another area where we need to take determined and strong steps together is the fight against terrorism. Both countries have suffered greatly from terrorism for many years. Today, extensions such as PKK and PJAK are common enemies of both countries. There is a consensus between Turkey and Iran on this matter. We must turn this common stance into a joint struggle. As neighbors and brothers, we should fight against terrorism together. We will continue to address this issue at all levels.”

“The risk of war spreading to the entire region should never be underestimated.”
Minister Fidan emphasized that Israel should abandon its aggressive stance, stating, “We are not against the peaceful and civilian use of nuclear energy. We believe that a solution to the nuclear issue can be found through dialogue and negotiation. In our discussions today, we also evaluated regional issues. Our region is facing a significant threat. Israel, which continues to commit genocide in Gaza, is also continuing to soak Lebanon in blood. Netanyahu is constantly opening new fronts in the region. He is trying to drag Iran into this war. He is threatening to strike Iran’s oil and nuclear facilities. Israel’s aggressive stance is forcing Iran to take steps toward legitimate self-defense. Israel must put an end to its actions and rhetoric that openly violate international law. I want to reiterate the warning we have made since the beginning of the crisis. The risk of war spreading to the entire region should never be underestimated. We are in a situation of tension that could have very serious global repercussions. Regional countries and external actors must avoid taking irreversible steps. As Turkey, we do not want war in our region. We advocate that a rational and cool-headed approach is necessary in this matter. A ceasefire should be urgently declared in Gaza to reduce the current tension. Israel must cease its attacks on Lebanon. Israel must abandon all forms of aggressive behavior and provocation. Turkey and Iran will exist in this region forever. We will continue our efforts to develop our bilateral relations in all areas and increase our cooperation on regional issues. Recent developments have further increased the importance of this cooperation.”

“The spread of war in the region is a serious threat.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in his statement, said, “We held detailed discussions regarding regional issues. We addressed the continuation of the Zionist regime’s crimes, including the killing of women and children in Gaza and Lebanon, and discussed the approach of the Zionist regime to expand the scope of the war. As two countries, we believe in the necessity of stopping the genocide in Gaza and Lebanon as soon as possible, and that all countries, especially Islamic countries, should use all their political and economic capacities and tools to stop the war machine of the child-killing Zionist regime. The occupying regime has turned our region and the world into a powder keg that seriously threatens peace and security due to its expansionist policies. The spread of war in the region is a serious threat. No one other than the Zionist regime desires this situation in the region. We have always emphasized that we support peace. Additionally, we have stated that we are ready for any scenario. The Israeli regime is the greatest threat to world peace. Unfortunately, international institutions, especially the United Nations, have been unable to take initiatives to prevent Israel from committing these crimes. This has not been sufficient. Especially in Western countries, the United States, by providing Israel with weapons, financial, and intelligence support, has emboldened Netanyahu in the massacres he is committing. The spread of tension to Lebanon is extremely concerning. The Israeli regime does not recognize any limits to its war crimes. We support a permanent and immediately applicable ceasefire. We emphasized that the rights of the people of Gaza and Lebanon must be restored as soon as possible.”

“The Hamas delegation really discussed with us how more humanitarian aid can be provided to these brothers and how more international mobilization can be created.”
Minister Fidan stated, “As Turkey, since the beginning of the war, we have increased our humanitarian aid activities. So far, the total aid we have sent to Gaza has exceeded 84,000 tons. As you know, we went to the Rafah Border Gate and Egypt in the past months, and we saw how the aid was coming, being stored, and systematically delivered in El Arish. However, due to the closure of the Rafah Border Gate, unfortunately, the aid sent there can only be transported very slowly. The daily number of 30 trucks, as I mentioned, is not a large number. This humanitarian aid issue is important; we discussed what more can be done regarding this and what should be done. Then we discussed what is being done regarding the ceasefire negotiations, where we stand, and as you know, the Netanyahu Government is not very interested in the ceasefire. But we talked about where Hamas, the other side of the war, stands, especially after the recent developments, and we discussed it in depth.”

After the joint press conference, Minister Fidan answered questions from the press. Regarding the meeting he held yesterday with the President of Hamas’ Shura Council and members of the Hamas Political Bureau, Minister Fidan stated, “Another important issue is the unity among Palestinians. You know about the matter of Hamas, Fatah, and the gathering of other Palestinian organizations, and we received information about how this internal reconciliation process and the national unity process are progressing. They had last met in Cairo, as you know. I would also like to thank our Egyptian counterparts for their support for the internal reconciliation process among the Palestinians along with Turkey. As you know, the better the internal reconciliation process is, the better the Palestinians will be able to ensure their unity and solidarity, and their positions will be better represented, and it will be more difficult for them to be occupied, displaced, and subjected to inhumane treatment. Therefore, we consider the Palestinian internal reconciliation to be very important and strategic.