Blinken, Fidan discuss crisis in Mideast, bilateral ties in Ankara

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the capital Ankara as part of a diplomatic effort aimed at addressing the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Blinken's tour of the Middle East took him from Israel to Jordan, the occupied West Bank, Cyprus and Iraq, where he sought support for the Biden administration's proposal for "humanitarian pauses" in Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

The Nov. 6 meeting in Ankara came amid escalating tensions, with Israeli troops surrounding Gaza City and cutting off the northern part of the Hamas-ruled territory.

Blinken and Fidan refrained from making statements as they posed for photographers before their formal discussions. Notably, Blinken did not meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been openly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to diplomatic sources, Fidan stressed to his U.S. counterpart the need to "prevent Israel from targeting civilians in Gaza and to declare a full ceasefire immediately."

Blinken said they discussed steps to reduce civilian casualties.

Türkiye and Jordan have already taken diplomatic action, recalling their ambassadors to Israel in protest of the country's moves in Gaza.

In a joint news conference in Amman on Nov. 4, the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers, alongside Blinken, condemned Israel's actions, stating that the conflict had exceeded the bounds of self-defense and now amounted to collective punishment against the Palestinian people.

Following his talks in Türkiye, Blinken is scheduled to travel to Asia, where the Gaza conflict will likely feature prominently alongside other international crises.

Events in Japan, South Korea and India will address not only the Gaza situation but also Russia's war in Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

During his Middle East tour, Blinken also engaged in discussions with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank before heading to Baghdad for talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

The region has seen a surge in attacks by Iranian-allied militias, with U.S. forces intercepting a one-way drone attack targeting American and coalition troops near their base in neighboring Syria.

A written statement from the Turkish ministry late on Nov. 4 stressed that discussions between the two ministers will include the situation in Gaza, regional issues and bilateral relations.

Türkiye has been urging the U.S. and other world powers to press on Israel for a ceasefire and start talks for a comprehensive and lasting solution to pave the way for a two-state solution.

In his messages in the region, Blinken rejected the calls for a ceasefire but at the same time urged Israel for a pause in its offensive to deliver humanitarian assistance into the enclave. He also stressed that the U.S. is in favor of the two-state solution with an independent Palestine.

Ankara has also proposed a new mechanism of guarantors who would assure the fulfillment of a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine after the end of the armed conflict. It said it could be one of the guarantors of Palestine.

Recently, Fidan spoke over the phone with his Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts, Sameh Shoukry and Eymen Safadi, separately on Nov. 5. The ministers exchanged views on what could be done for the cessation of the armed conflict and reaching an immediate ceasefire.

Fidan and Shoukry also discussed the ongoing efforts for the continuation of the interrupted flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.