Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the Gaza Strip has turned from the largest open prison into the largest open cemetery in the world as a result of the war launched by Israel against the Palestinians.
This came in a speech he delivered during a symposium in the Chinese capital, Beijing, where he arrived on Monday as part of an official visit at the invitation of his counterpart, Wang Yi.
The Turkish minister added that the suffering of the Palestinian people is not new and did not begin since last October 7, but rather extends over many years.
He explained that there is no safe area in Gaza, which is "witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe in full view of all of us."
He stressed that since October, Turkey has continued its efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire, prevent the expansion of clashes, and deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip continuously without interruption.
He pointed to a Turkish-Chinese consensus regarding the necessity of establishing an independent, sovereign and unified Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital within the 1967 borders.
On another level, Fidan warned of the dangers of terrorist organizations in the region, most notably the PKK/YPG/YPD, ISIS, and Gulen terrorist organizations.
He pointed out that the terrorist organization "YPG/PKK" continues to exploit Iraqi and Syrian lands to carry out its attacks against Türkiye.
On another level, the Turkish minister said that relations with Central Asian countries constitute one of the most prominent directions of Turkish foreign policy.
Turkish-Chinese relations
Regarding relations between Ankara and Beijing, Fidan pointed to the “rich cultural and historical ties” between the two countries, stressing that they constitute the “foundation of the solid partnership” between them.
He pointed out that the roots of technological exchange between Turkey and China extend back to the Ottoman era, when the Ottomans used to send ambassadors and envoys carrying pistols to the Asian country to promote it there.
The minister expressed his welcome to see Turkish-Chinese relations developing continuously, especially after the announcement of the "strategic partnership" between them in 2010.
He pointed out that China is Turkey's largest trading partner in Asia, and the third largest in the world, indicating that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries broke a record by exceeding 48 billion dollars during the year 2023.
Fidan also touched on the customs union agreement between Turkey and the European Union, indicating that his country is distinguished by a geostrategic location that extends from Europe to the Middle East, and to North Africa and Central Asia.
He stressed that Turkey's geographical location also allows access to a population of 1.5 billion, and a market size estimated at 28 trillion dollars, through flights that do not exceed 4 hours.
In a related context, he stressed the importance and necessity of Turkish-Chinese cooperation regarding global supply corridors, especially the harmonization of the Turkish “Middle Corridor” project and the Chinese “Belt and Road” initiative.
He stated that the "Middle Corridor" shortens the distance between Europe and Asia by land by two thousand kilometers, and by sea by 15 days.
He pointed out that these factors make the alignment between the Middle Corridor and the Belt and Road a natural matter.
It is deeply devastating.
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