Minister Hakan Fidan answer questions on foreign policy

Fidan condemned the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, saying: 'I am deeply saddened by the news of Haniyeh's assassination in Iran. He has never lost hope, even when his family members were killed by Israel. Haniyeh was a symbol of Palestinian resistance. His memory will forever live on in the hearts of Palestinians.' Fidan added. On the possibility of a full-scale war between Lebanon and Israel Fidan commented, 'If Israel wages war on Hezbollah, so does the U.S.. The U.S. does not want such a war before the presidential election, yet, it does not take any action to stop Israel.' on the possibility of Israel officially declaring war on Lebanon. On Israel's atrocities and the possibility of a ceasefire Fidan stated: 'It does not seem likely for Israel to initiate a ceasefire on its own, there has to be a sanction, a hindrance, an accusation. Israel will not stop until global powers like the US and the West impose sanctions. Some countries have already ceased arms trade with Israel, but this was apparently not enough to stop Israel.' 'As Türkiye, we have been continuously speaking out about Israel's atrocities against civilians in Gaza, and how this is a violation of human rights. There needs to be a two-state solution for this bloodshed to never happen again.' 'Israel's daily attacks on Gaza have been normalized, unfortunately. This normalization is dangerous. We are not at all likely to see a ceasefire. There is nothing forcing Israel into a ceasefire.' On Israel's attempt to vote Türkiye out of NATO 'This is not a feasible possibility. Türkiye's NATO membership cannot be questioned in such a situation. Türkiye does not stand alone in its stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, there are other countries standing up against Israel as well, but on different scales. Spain, Ireland, and Norway have officially recognized Palestine as a state.' Fidan remarked on the possibility of Türkiye losing its NATO membership. On Mahmoud Abbas' visit to Türkiye 'Palestinian President Abbas is expected to arrive in Türkiye on August 14-15. What is important for us is to give a message to the world about the situation in Palestine.' Fidan said. On the ongoing ICJ case against Israel Fidan also mentioned the International Court of Justice case against Israel, saying: 'In a week, Türkiye will file an application for permission to intervene in the case. This will be the first time Türkiye has submitted any written document to the ICJ in history. This has never happened before.' 'We stand with Palestine. Our application is a 40 page document, we are working diligently to take a stance against Israel before the ICJ. Israel will have nowhere to run if enough well-prepared applications for intervention' On the Türkiye-Syria normalization process Fidan discussed the current Turkish-Syrian relations, and informed: 'We are currently scheduling a leaders' level meeting with our Syrian counterparts. For now, there are no definite dates as to when the meeting will be held. Syrian diplomats are open to negotiate, and we have not received any preconditions from them so far. After all, this is why negotiations exist— if both sides had already met each other's preconditions, there would be no need to negotiate in the first place.' 'They take the refugees back and neutralize the terrorists in their region, we withdraw our forces. We need them to establish a strong administration in the region so that Türkiye will not take any more refugees, and there will be no more threats to our national security. If they have preconditions, so do we.' Fidan explained. He further remarked: 'The meeting between Erdoğan and Esad will probably be held outside Türkiye or Syria, but we have not decided on the location yet. The Russians want Iran to be involved, but our main priority is to make sure a meeting is held. Bringing two sides together is not the same as mediating between them. Both have their own nuances.' On the future of the Syrian National Army 'Making peace with the opposition is the Syrian regime's responsibility. We can encourage them to do so, but we cannot force them. We cannot disregard the opposition by siding with the regime either, that is not possible. What we want from the regime is for them to address the opposition, identify the problems, and start negotiating with the opposition to solve them.' said Fidan. On future relations with Iran 'We have a well-established relationship with Iran. A different government will not make a considerable change in this relationship. We are trade partners, and our borders are secure. However, the rising tensions in Lebanon have significance. After all, Hezbollah essentially means Iran.' On the issue of Türkiye-Armenia borders 'There are ongoing negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We need to prepare for a positive outcome, that is what we are currently working on. If there is a positive outcome, we might open our border gate.' Fidan stated. On the Russo-Ukrainian war He concluded his remarks by commenting on the war between Russia and Ukraine. 'There might be less armed conflict until the U.S. elections are over, but I am not sure if a ceasefire is possible. There is growing public awareness. This war has been ongoing for 2,5 years, and both sides are at their limits. Everyone has seen how far things can go without using nuclear weapons. Now, it's time to make assessments.' Fidan said.