Fidan, Guterres discuss Lebanon, Ukraine conflicts
ANKARA
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a phone call Wednesday to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and Ukraine, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
The call comes amid escalating tensions in Lebanon, where Israel has intensified attacks in recent weeks, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and injuries to U.N. peacekeepers. The discussion also touched on Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its third year.
The two officials also discussed the long-standing Cyprus issue.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar announced Tuesday that his next meeting with Guterres would include representatives from both Türkiye and Greece.
Tatar's statement came after an informal dinner at U.N. headquarters with Nikos Christodoulides, leader of the Greek Cypriot administration.
The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Türkiye intervened as a guarantor power following a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island. Intervention came after years of ethnic tensions that forced Turkish Cypriots into enclaves for safety.
The TRNC was established in 1983, but remains recognized only by Türkiye. The Greek Cypriot administration joined the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots rejected a U.N. reunification plan.
Türkiye maintains support for a two-state solution on Cyprus, based on sovereign equality and equal international status.
Arab League secretary-general meeting
Fidan also met with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
No further information was given about the meeting.
Earlier, Aboul Gheit was also received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the presidential complex in Ankara. During their talks, Erdoğan stressed the need to impose "a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel to increase pressure."
Last November the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation formed a Gaza Contact Group to help stop the war in Gaza and achieve lasting peace in the enclave, which now has been battered for over a year by a devastating Israeli offensive, killing over 42,000 people and injuring more than 99,000.
