Türkiye expects Israel to comply with ceasefire

By Utku Simsek and Yusuf Soykan Bal

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye expects Israel to comply with the ceasefire, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Thursday.

At a weekly press briefing, ministry spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Akturk said that Türkiye condemns Israel’s attacks in Gaza on Jan. 31, which resulted in the deaths of many innocent people, at a time when a permanent ceasefire is expected to be established and Gaza is anticipated to be stabilized again.

Pointing out that Israel’s attacks on Lebanon also hinder stability and the establishment of lasting peace, Akturk said, “Our expectation is that Israel will abide by the Peace Plan adopted by a UN Security Council resolution, comply with the ceasefire, and allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.”

- Türkiye closely monitors developments in Syria

Responding to a question regarding the situation in Syria, the ministry, in a statement, said that Türkiye welcomes the Jan. 30 agreement signed between the Syrian government and the terrorist organization YPG/SDF.

“We are closely monitoring the process on the ground. We once again emphasize the importance of implementing the integration in a manner that strengthens Syria’s unitary structure and the principle of ‘one state, one army,’ and we expect all planned activities to be carried out on the basis of transparency and mutual trust,” the statement said.

The statement stresses that Türkiye hopes that the atmosphere of peace, tranquillity, and stability long desired by the people of the region will be established as soon as possible.

“We assess that the appointments to be made within the scope of the integration process will be carried out on the basis of evaluations made by the Syrian authorities with state wisdom and security background checks that will yield positive results,” it added.

- Mutual dialogue necessary for peace and fairness in Aegean

Emphasizing that Türkiye’s position is clear regarding statements by Greek politicians about extending territorial waters in the Aegean Sea to 12 miles, the statement said: “As Türkiye, we argue that a fair, equitable, and international law–compliant sharing of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Aegean can only be possible through mutual dialogue and within the framework of goodwill.”

“Greece’s unilateral actions, claims, and statements that disregard existing disputes and violate the rights of the Turkish side are contrary to international law and unacceptable. These statements do not produce any legal consequences for our country,” it added.

Regarding the military framework agreement between Türkiye and Egypt, the statement noted that the agreement aims “to enhance defense cooperation through the exchange of information and expertise in the fields of military cooperation determined by the agreement.”

- Turkish forces to continue assisting Somalia’s counter-terrorism capacity

The statement also addressed the activities of the Air Component Command in Somalia, saying that the Turkish forces will “continue to contribute to the development of Somalia’s counter-terrorism capacity through military assistance, training, and advisory activities.”

“Our Air Component Command in Somalia has been strengthened with new deployments. These newly deployed elements will also contribute to Somalia’s fight against terrorism,” it added.