Austrian foreign minister hails Türkiye's efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war

By Merve Berker and Emre Basaran

ANKARA/ ISTANBUL (AA) - Austria's foreign minister on Tuesday voiced appreciation for Türkiye's efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as hope that Ankara would also mediate on other issues, such as in the South Caucasus.

"We already know that Türkiye has undertaken a great burden in terms of refugees and irregular migration," Alexander Schallenberg said in the Turkish capital, speaking at a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan following their meeting.

Urging greater support for Ankara on these matters, he pointed out the need for security cooperation as well.

Schallenberg stressed that Türkiye, while "surrounded by a ring of fire either on the East or the Sahel region," bears a "very important role and responsibility."

- Israeli attacks on Gaza

On Türkiye's role in the Middle East, the Austrian top diplomat said the country's word "carries weight" in the region, referring particularly to events in the Gaza Strip between Palestinians and Israel.

Touching on the issues of ensuring humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, which has been subject to intense Israeli attacks and blockade for over seven months, and the release of hostages held in the enclave, he reaffirmed Vienna's stance for a two-state solution.

"Austria has been chasing this solution for decades," he emphasized, calling on all "smart actors in the region" to cooperate on this issue.

"We all know that we are on the edge of a cliff," he warned, adding that "every single wrong step may have dire results."

"Not just the region itself but the whole of Europe, as well as Türkiye, may also be affected by this," he said.

Despite warnings from Israel's allies, including the US, Tel Aviv insists on continuing its attacks on Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge since Oct. 7 last year.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian group Hamas, which killed some 1,200 people. More than 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and almost 79,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities in Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza.

International organizations, including UN agencies, have demanded a cease-fire in Gaza and increased humanitarian aid access to address medical shortages, hunger, thirst, and hygiene deficiencies leading to diseases in Gaza.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.