UPDATE - Türkiye to act together with Egypt against forced displacement of Gazans: President Erdogan

UPDATES WITH MORE QUOTES FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Türkiye will act together with Egypt against the forced displacement of Gazans from their own lands.

Calling his recent visits to the UAE and Egypt “very successful,” he stressed the need to “close ranks” to stop bloodshed in Gaza.

“We discussed in detail not only trade and investments with the heads of state but also the Palestinian issue. We have decided to strengthen our cooperation with both countries,” he said.

Noting that Türkiye has been sending humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza since Oct. 7, Erdogan said that Ankara has always coordinated with Egyptian authorities for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

During Ramadan, he said, Türiye has a “brotherly responsibility” to extend more helping hands to Gaza.

“Israel is forcing the people of Gaza to surrender through hunger, our goal is to achieve an immediate cease-fire and ensure uninterrupted humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Erdogan said.

In order to make Türkiye’s Century to be the “century of peace,” there is no choice but to improve relations with “our friendly and brotherly countries,” the president added.

Erdogan said that Türkiye’s sole aim in foreign policy is to increase the number of “friends as much as possible.”

“We are obliged to unite with brother countries if we want to thwart the imperialist powers' games in our region. Instead of getting stuck in differences of opinion, we must focus on areas of cooperation. We are all aware of this truth: there is no mercy without unity,” the Turkish president said.