Turkish FM Fidan: Turkic World cannot turn its back on Gaza tragedy

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated, "The Turkic World cannot turn its back on the humanitarian tragedy happening in Gaza. Israel's attacks on our Palestinian brothers and sisters since October 7 violate international law in every respect."

Minister Fidan spoke at the Informal Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held in the city of Shusha, Azerbaijan.

Minister Fidan said, "Shusha is a symbol of Azerbaijan's glorious victory in the 44-day homeland war. I bow with respect before the memories of our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for this victory and express my gratitude to our esteemed veterans."

Fidan noted that the Turkic World has become a focal point in international politics, saying, "To prevent the infiltration of global power competition into our region, we must close ranks and use our resources for our collective prosperity. With this awareness, regional ownership and regional cooperation constitute the two fundamental principles of our joint efforts."

He pointed out that the OTS, which is rising as a respectable platform in the "unbalanced" current world order, offers significant opportunities to strengthen ties further.

Fidan emphasized the need to develop educational activities and youth projects, stating, "We must establish alphabet unity as soon as possible."

Highlighting the need to build the necessary legal groundwork to advance cooperation in areas such as connectivity, energy, finance, trade, defense industry, and new technologies, Fidan said, "We should evaluate emerging opportunities in our region within this framework."

"Helping our kinsmen preserve their identities is our responsibility to our history"

Fidan expressed the benefit of working within the organization to develop institutional relations with countries ready to share a bond of heart and destiny with Turkey. He continued:

"I believe it would be beneficial for our organization to establish liaison offices in important centers and appoint contact embassies. We also need to include our brothers who wave the flag of Turkish culture and identity beyond our borders on our agenda. I find it extremely valuable that the 'Turkic World Charter,' conceptualized by (Uzbekistan) President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and planned to be adopted at the Bishkek summit, references this issue. Helping our kinsmen preserve their identities in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and various regions around the world is our responsibility to our history."

Fidan noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Ahıska Turks, an inseparable part of the Turkic World, and said, "We will continue to follow the processes for our Ahıska brothers' return to their homeland in Georgia and obtaining citizenship as we have done so far. I thank all the OTS countries and their peoples for embracing our Ahıska brothers. We see the benefit of encouraging kin communities, especially those of Turkish origin, to establish contact with cooperation organizations under the OTS umbrella."

Fidan emphasized that since the end of the Second Karabakh War in November 2020, there has been a historic opportunity for sustainable peace in the South Caucasus. He said:

"This opportunity is important not only for the countries in the region but also for regional and global security, as currently closed regional transportation routes will finally open. We sincerely hope that the ongoing negotiation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia will soon result in the signing of a peace agreement.

In this context, we especially appreciate Azerbaijan's strong determination and positive approach to finalizing the agreement. We are dissatisfied with the biased attitude of some Western countries, which openly favor Armenia and ignore Azerbaijan's concerns. As the Turkic World, I want to emphasize once again that we must fully support brotherly Azerbaijan to successfully complete this process."

"We call for support for the Turkish Cypriots to regain their inherent rights"

Fidan pointed out that another issue requiring the responsibility of the Turkic World is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). He said, "We attach great importance to establishing direct contacts with the TRNC, which became an 'observer member' of the OTS in 2022. We prioritize the TRNC's high-level and appropriate representation within the OTS. The participation of President (Ersin) Tatar in today's summit and our esteemed colleague Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu's presence at this meeting are extremely important."

Fidan expressed his confidence that the OTS would support the TRNC's representation in the same way at the Bishkek Summit. He continued:

"We believe that you will not hesitate to take steps in this direction despite all pressures. We call on all our brothers to support the Turkish Cypriots, an inseparable part of the Turkic World, to regain their inherent rights. In this regard, I invite you to increase your commercial relations with the TRNC to end the unjust and inhumane isolation they have faced for decades. Establishing a trade office in the TRNC will be an important step in this direction.

Likewise, the visit of more official delegations and tourists from your countries to the TRNC will provide significant support to our Turkish Cypriot brothers. In this context, considering the initiation of direct flights to Ercan Airport, which is a fully equipped international airport, would be beneficial. We expect you to invite TRNC officials, especially President (Ersin) Tatar and Foreign Minister (Tahsin) Ertuğruloğlu, to your countries for contacts."

"We believe efforts towards lasting peace should be expanded on a broader basis"

Fidan pointed out that the Russia-Ukraine War, entering its third year, has turned into a "proxy war." He said:

"In the current strategic landscape, neither side prioritizes anything other than further armament and a more aggressive military stance. As Turkey, we believe efforts towards ending the war and achieving lasting peace should be expanded on a broader basis. A peace platform that prioritizes diplomacy, prevents deepening polarization, and has high participation and representation quality needs to be established. As countries affected by various aspects of the war, we must work together in this direction with a complementary understanding."

Fidan emphasized the importance of close contact with brotherly countries regarding Afghanistan, saying, "Nearly three years have passed since the Taliban took control in Afghanistan. As the Turkic World, we attach special importance to being in close contact with you, our brothers, on the issue of Afghanistan, which concerns us all closely." He expressed his belief that a "stable Afghanistan, at peace with itself and its region," is in the interest of the entire international community.

Fidan highlighted that Turkey maintains practical and constructive relations with the interim administration to convey its messages on inclusive governance and respect for fundamental human rights, especially for women. He stated, "At the same time, I want to declare once again from here that we are ready to take concrete steps and work together with our brotherly countries, especially those bordering Afghanistan, on combating terrorism, border security, and organized crime."

Fidan also commented on the Israel-Palestine issue: "The Turkic World cannot turn its back on the humanitarian tragedy happening in Gaza. Israel's attacks on our Palestinian brothers and sisters since October 7, 2023, violate international law in every respect. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has the opportunity to make a legal contribution to the overdue resolution of the Israel-Palestine issue with its ruling in the South Africa-Israel Genocide case. The advisory opinion the ICJ will give regarding Israel's actions in the occupied Palestinian territories will also make a significant legal contribution to the Palestinian issue.

As Turkey, we have contributed to the advisory opinion process by presenting our views in both written and oral stages. On May 1, we announced that Turkey decided to exercise its right to intervene in the South Africa-Israel genocide case. We hope to see the support of all OTS members for the genocide case before the ICJ. We are also closely following the process carried out before the International Criminal Court concerning the Palestine issue."

Foreign Minister Fidan concluded his speech with the following: "Dear brothers, I want you to know that I am honored to work closely with you to build our future within the framework of our common vision. I have full confidence that the visibility of the OTS on the international stage will continue to rise daily. May our unity and solidarity be everlasting."