Turkish foreign minister to visit Oslo to discuss Gaza cease-fire

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Oslo, Norway on Friday to hold meetings as part of efforts to stop the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Fidan "will visit Oslo on 15 December 2023 to hold meetings within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League Contact Group’s efforts to stop the war in Gaza and to achieve lasting peace," the statement read.

"Along with his counterparts in the Contact Group, Minister Fidan will meet the representatives of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg," it added.

Israel, in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, has killed more than 18,000 Palestinians in Gaza besides leaving a trail of destruction. It has rejected international calls for a permanent cease-fire.