UPDATE 2 - Türkiye's diplomatic efforts continue for food security, global equality: Foreign minister

UPDATES WITH TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER’S MEETING WITH UN CHIEF, MINOR EDITS

By Esra Tekin, Mehmet Sah Yilmaz, Serife Cetin, Muhammet Tarhan, Can Efesoy

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Türkiye is actively involved in peace initiatives, mediation in Ukraine, food crisis prevention, and regional cooperation while addressing global inequalities.

"Today, Türkiye is engaged in peace efforts, including mediation in the Ukraine war, preventing a food crisis, and participating in the Black Sea Grain Initiative with a multi-layered and multi-stakeholder approach, developing regional economic and political cooperation models, and mobilizing all possibilities to solve global injustices and inequalities,” Fidan said.

He made these remarks at a press briefing at the Turkish House in New York.

Fidan also spoke about his meetings in New York and participation in events related to Ukraine, Karabakh, Syria, climate change, and other issues of regional importance.

He also talked about Azerbaijan's recent anti-terrorism measures in the Karabakh region and said that Baku had “no other choice.”

He said that the measures “opened a new window of opportunity for stability and normalization in the South Caucasus."

"We believe Armenia should make better use of this opportunity while there is still time. We will continue to work with all our strength to establish peace, stability, and prosperity in our neighboring region,” Fidan added.

The Turkish foreign minister emphasized that some of the agreed-upon provisions following the cease-fire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia had not been implemented by Armenia, specifically mentioning the "opening of the Zengezur Corridor" and the "practical establishment of Azerbaijani sovereignty in the area where the Armenian ethnic population lives in Karabakh."

- Meeting with Blinken was ‘candid, constructive’

Fidan described his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as "candid and constructive."

He mentioned that during the meeting, they discussed concrete steps that could be taken in the future to elevate relations between the two countries to a higher level.

"It's no secret that we have some disagreements with the United States on certain issues. We address these within the framework of a serious alliance relationship and on the basis of mutual respect. Of course, we also discussed regional issues such as Sweden's NATO accession process, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and Karabakh,” Fidan said.

He also noted that Türkiye, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has long advocated for the reform of the UN Security Council.

Speaking about Türkiye’s relations with Greece, Fidan said a decision was taken in a meeting between the leaders of the two countries to resolve issues with mutual respect and goodwill.

The Turkish foreign minister highlighted areas of cooperation, including economic opportunities in the Aegean, increased state-to-state and people-to-people contacts, and joint business activities.

“We see that the Greek side is approaching the issue in a very constructive and well-intentioned way. I frankly think that this approach will produce more concrete results in the coming days. I think that during the visit of our President to Thessaloniki in December, we will see the embodiment of these works of ours,” Fidan said.

He also met with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi and Australian counterpart Penny Wong in New York on the sidelines of the 78th General Assembly session.

Fidan and Marsudi discussed bilateral relations between both nations including trade and economy, and defense industry cooperation. Both ministers also talked about the Black Sea Grain Initiative during their meeting.

He also participated in the Foreign Ministers' meeting of MIKTA, an intercontinental informal consultation and coordination platform consisting of Türkiye, Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Australia.

Fidan also held a phone call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Later, he met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss recent developments in Ukraine, Black Sea Grain Initiative and Cyprus issue, the ministry said on X.