Turkish foreign minister engages in diplomacy for Gaza peace in Oslo talks

By Muhammet Tarhan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, within the framework of efforts to end the war in Gaza and achieve a lasting peace, held talks Friday in Oslo, upon the invitation of the Scandinavian and Benelux countries, along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League Contact Group.

According to diplomatic sources, the visit included Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha and members of the Contact Group.

In addition to Fidan, the meeting was attended by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, the foreign ministers of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, Luxembourg, and Norway, as well as Jukka Salovaara, Undersecretary of the Finnish Foreign Ministry.

The meeting called for an immediate and full cease-fire in Gaza, the protection of civilians and the unimpeded entry of urgent humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.

Highlighting the importance of holding Israel accountable for violations of international law in Gaza, the Contact Group emphasized the need to create serious political conditions for the establishment of a Palestinian state along 1967 lines.

Traditionally. among countries providing the most humanitarian aid to crisis regions, the Scandinavian and Benelux countries, together with the Contact Group, hold an influential position on international law and humanitarian law.

- Visit significant in increasing number of EU countries supporting Palestine

The visit is also significant in increasing the number of EU countries supporting Palestine, especially those unable to call for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Denmark, Finland and Sweden, among the countries contacted, did not support Palestine in a vote at the UN General Assembly in October. But in a Dec. 12 vote, the Netherlands, which abstained, expressed sensitivity on Gaza.

The meeting of the Contact Group was useful in conveying the sensitivity of the Netherlands on the Gaza issue and in making the stance for countries that cast a neutral vote Tuesday.

While some of the countries have witnessed an increase in anti-Islamic acts, discussions were crucial in reiterating the message of combating extremist groups and inter-community peace.

- Countries not distancing themselves from Israel's oppression are becoming isolated

Dialogue between the Contact Group and Scandinavian and Benelux countries indicates an increased awareness in Western Europe of oppression in Gaza and Palestine.

But the demand by the Contact Group for a complete cease-fire and the start of the peace process, emphasizing peace, justice and a lasting solution, has allowed expectations for a swift resolution to gain resonance worldwide.

The Contact Group no longer represents only the OIC and the Arab League but conveys the stance adopted by the majority of the world public.

The Contact Group, by drawing attention to the situation in Gaza in all its clarity, exerts pressure on countries unquestionably supporting Israel to change their stances. As a result of the efforts, countries that do not distance themselves from Israel's oppression are becoming isolated.

- Previous meetings of Contact Group

In the past four weeks, the Contact Group held meetings in Beijing, Moscow, London, Paris, Barcelona, New York, Washington, Ottawa and Geneva.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi; in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov; in London, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron; in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna; in Barcelona, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares; in New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres; in Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken; in Ottawa, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and in Geneva, officials from UN agencies were met.

The group participated in the 8th Regional Forum for the Mediterranean on Gaza in Barcelona on Nov. 27 and attended a meeting of the UN Security Council at the ministerial level in New York on Nov. 29, discussing the latest developments in Gaza.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul