Türkiye Reaffirms Strong Support for Palestine at UN General Assembly, Highlights Ceasefire Efforts in Gaza
New York, The Gulf Observer: Türkiye has played a leading role in all discussions on Palestine during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday.
Speaking at the Turkish House (Turkevi) in New York, Fidan emphasized that the Palestinian issue and the situation in Gaza had dominated this year’s assembly, calling it “the most important agenda item of this general assembly week.”
He noted that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was the intellectual initiator of the Gaza meeting, which convened eight leaders from Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states alongside U.S. President Donald Trump.
“As a group of countries with a Muslim population of nearly 800 million, we clearly conveyed to President Trump our expectations regarding Gaza. We stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and reaffirmed that Israel’s annexation of the West Bank is unacceptable. We also rejected any attempt to displace the people of Gaza from their homeland,” Fidan said.
The minister welcomed the recent recognition of the State of Palestine by several Western countries, describing it as “a highly significant development” and a tangible outcome of the work of the OIC-Arab League Joint Contact Group. He reiterated Ankara’s commitment to defending the Palestinian cause on all platforms.
On next steps, Fidan revealed that efforts are underway to finalize a framework paper prioritizing a ceasefire agreement while addressing other issues in parallel. “We will continue to do everything in our power, using all our creativity and strength, on this path,” he said.
Regarding reconstruction plans for Gaza, Fidan clarified that Türkiye has not received any concrete proposals such as the so-called “Blair Plan” prepared by the Tony Blair Institute. Ankara’s focus, he stressed, remains on securing a ceasefire acceptable to both Palestinians and Israelis, with Washington playing a central role.
“Tony Blair may play a role in organizing international aid at some stage, but what we are focusing on is ensuring that after a possible ceasefire, Gaza will once again be administered by the Palestinians themselves,” he said.
Türkiye-U.S. Relations and Regional Issues
Fidan also described President Erdoğan’s visits to New York and Washington as “extremely productive,” noting that talks with U.S. President Trump covered regional and global issues, including Gaza, Syria, the Russo-Ukrainian war, and NATO cooperation.
On Syria, both sides agreed on the need to preserve the country’s territorial integrity and political unity. Fidan stressed that Türkiye is ready to provide political, economic, institutional, military, and security contributions in partnership with regional and international stakeholders to ensure lasting stability.
Turning to defense and economic ties, the minister said both leaders expressed determination to overcome obstacles such as CAATSA sanctions, expand cooperation in the defense industry, and raise bilateral trade to $100 billion.
“The existence of legal restrictions between two NATO allies is a major systemic problem,” Fidan said, noting that Türkiye is also advancing its own defense capabilities while maintaining openness to partnership.
Fidan concluded by affirming that both Ankara and Washington are committed to advancing relations based on mutual respect and shared interests.
