Turkish foreign minister emphasizes urgent need for 'full cease-fire' in Gaza for regional peace

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday met with UK’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron and emphasized the urgent need for a "full cease-fire" in Gaza to attain a lasting peace in the Middle East.

During the meeting held at the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s representative office in Istanbul, Fidan said that a cease-fire in Gaza and a two-state solution should be implemented for permanent peace in the region.

Regional issues, particularly Gaza, and bilateral relations were discussed during the 90-minute one-to-one meeting.

Cameron also expressed his satisfaction that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the presidential decree on Sweden's NATO accession, and approved the relevant protocol.

During the meeting, the importance of the security of the Black Sea was also discussed.

The two ministers reaffirmed their determination to strengthen bilateral relations between Türkiye and the UK in all areas, especially in trade, economy and defense industry, the sources added.

As part of his regional tour, Cameron visited Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and Qatar before arriving in Türkiye.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The Israeli response has killed 26,083 Palestinians and injured 64,487 others. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while more than half of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.