UPDATE 2 - Türkiye’s foreign minister holds bilateral talks in Antalya

ADDS DETAILS ON MEETING WITH PALESTINIAN COUNTERPART

By Esra Tekin and Mehmet Sah Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, the Foreign Ministry said.

Fidan met Xavier Bettel, Ignazio Cassis, Jeenbek Kulubaev, his counterparts from Luxembourg, Switzerland and Kyrgyzstan, respectively.

He also held talks with secretary general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Helga M. Schmid.

Meetings were also held with Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov, Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic, North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani and Malaysian Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Fidan also met Namibia's International Relations and Cooperation Minister Peya Mushelenga, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, and Kosovo Diaspora's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz.

Fidan, according to diplomatic sources, told Maliki that Ankara's strong support for Palestine will continue.

He stressed the need for Israel to cease its attacks and declare a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, and said that no alternative other than a two-state solution to the conflict was acceptable.

The minister also stressed the importance of delivering humanitarian aid to the enclave without interruption.