Turkey Takes a Stand: Fidan Urges Global Action to Halt Israel’s Arms Purchases
Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan spoke at the joint press conference held after the Third Türkiye-Africa Partnership Ministerial Review Conference held in Djibouti. Noting that they are facing many problems in different regions and that many problems beyond conflict await solutions, Fidan said, “We have to find solutions to many issues such as food security, debt crisis and climate change. However, unfortunately, the current international system cannot give us this opportunity. Global organizations, II. They were designed for the period after the Second World War. They do not reflect today’s reality. They are not fair, effective and inclusive enough. We believe it is imperative to change this system which reproduces historical injustices. “And this inevitable change will happen under African leadership, something that the current international system ignores,” he said.
“Our cooperation with Africa has acquired a multi-dimensional nature“
Noting that Turkey wants to walk this difficult path together with the African continent, Fidan said, “We base our relations on mutual respect and trust. In every step we take, we operate with the understanding of equal partnership and mutual benefit. We want to increase the wealth of this continent, not decrease them. We believe that African solutions must be found for African problems. Our aim is to ensure that the projects we develop make permanent and sustainable contributions to Africa. “We implement our Africa policy with a holistic approach that includes the work of our public institutions, the private sector and non-governmental organizations,” he said.
“Our total direct investments in African countries were more than 7 billion dollars.”
Noting that cooperation with Africa has acquired a multi-dimensional character, Fidan said, “Currently we have 44 embassies and 6 consulates general in Africa. The number of embassies of African countries in Ankara has reached 38. The leader who has visited Africa the most from outside the continent is our President. Our organizations such as TIKA, Yunus Emre and Maarif Foundation carry out many projects throughout Africa. Our developing cooperation with Africa is also finding its reward in the economic field. Our total trade volume, which was 5.4 billion dollars in 2003, has increased almost 7 times and reached 35 billion dollars in 2023. Our total direct investments in African countries exceeded 7 billion dollars. Turkish companies have undertaken more than 1800 projects worth about 85 billion dollars. Of course, we are not satisfied with these numbers. “As our President said, I hope we will continue to explore new areas of opportunity together with our African partners in the period to come,” he said.
“We share our experiences in the fight against terrorism”
Touching on the issues discussed at the conference, Fidan said, “We believe that our conference has gained significant momentum with the African Union. Within the scope of the conference III. We followed the decisions we made at the Türkiye Africa Partnership Summit. We evaluated the progress made on the targets included in the Joint Action Plan 2022-2026. We also had the opportunity to discuss the preparation of the 4th Türkiye-Africa Partnership Summit, which is planned to be held in 2026. It was also agreed to establish a joint monitoring and evaluation group to monitor the activities we will implement with the African Union. “The joint statement and Joint Action Report 2022-24 that we adopted as a result of the conference will guide our work in the future,” he said.
Stressing that Turkey wants peace and stability in Africa, Fidan said, “For this purpose, we extend a helping hand to our friends who ask for support from us. We share our experiences in the fight against terrorism. “We carry out mediation activities,” he said.
“Netanyahu’s intention is to eliminate the two-state solution completely.”
Noting that regional and international developments, especially the Middle East, were also discussed within the framework of the conference, Fidan said, “The Netanyahu government has become a source of threat not only to the countries of the Middle East but also at the level worldwide. Netanyahu, who is continuing the genocide in Gaza at all costs, intends to completely eliminate the two-state solution. We also see that efforts are being made to spread the war to other places, especially Lebanon. “Together, we must prevent Israel from further violating international law,” he said.
Noting that the Republic of South Africa is leading the case filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice, Fidan said, “It is extremely important for African countries to become the global voice of conscience. Türkiye fully supports this initiative. On this occasion, I would like to share with you an initiative pioneered by Turkey. Right now, Israel is able to terrorize the region because it can get weapons and ammunition from other countries. We must stop Israel from buying arms and ammunition. We have to constantly raise our sensitivity on this issue on all platforms. We must repeat at every possible opportunity that selling weapons to Israel means participating in genocide. With this understanding, we wrote a joint letter calling on all countries to stop selling arms and ammunition to Israel. This letter, which has 54 signatories, was sent to the United Nations (UN) on November 1. “This time, I would like to thank the African countries and other members of the international community who supported this initiative,” he said.
Fidan said, “With this conference, we have once again shown our collective political will to further develop the partnership of Türkiye and Africa in all fields. “I would like to express my gratitude once again to my dear friend and brother, Mr. Yusuf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti, for their hospitality,” he said.
“We started a process to ease tension between Ethiopia and Somalia”
Answering a question at the press conference about the steps taken by Turkey to establish lasting peace in the region, Fidan said, “Turkey’s African policy is a holistic policy. It includes areas of economic, social, education and health development, as well as security, counter-terrorism and regional peace and stability. Unfortunately, we see through bitter experience that some development problems, especially in Africa, arise from conflict. These are essentially the same in our region. “We, as Türkiye, are doing our best to end the conflict in the countries that have law with us,” he said.
Stressing that they have started a process to resolve the tension between Ethiopia and Somalia, Fidan said, “You know the Ankara Process. We had 3 meetings since July. The foreign ministers of the two countries, two in Ankara and one in New York, are in July, August and September. Now, there is a perspective, a framework that we have developed. We are trying to make this suitable for both parties. In fact, when we get to the heart of the matter, the issue is both a historical issue and a current issue. Of course, both leaders need to shed some of the weight they carry from history and make decisions in line with today’s needs. “As Turkey, we are trying to provide a facilitating role in this regard,” he said.
Stating the need to recognize Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Fidan said, “Ethiopia needs to open to the sea commercially through peaceful means. Ethiopia is a landlocked country with a very large population. Its trade takes place entirely by sea. So they need access to the sea. Unconditional recognition of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia. “We are working with the parties to implement a framework agreement based on this,” he said.
Noting that he had the opportunity to discuss these issues with his Djiboutian colleague, Fidan said, “As you know, Djibouti has a border with Ethiopia. Ethiopia currently conducts its maritime trade, importing and exporting, through the ports of Djibouti. I believe that the information we received here will be effective in terms of the ideas we will develop in our future meetings, especially regarding Ethiopia and Somalia. “We will continue to work on this issue,” he said.
“If the war continues, there will be no place to live and no people left to live.”
Fidan said, “As in the case of Somalia and Ethiopia, we are closely following the issue of Sudan, the civil war and the conflict in Sudan. Unfortunately, these developments are very sad developments for us. Especially the human dimension has reached an unbearable point. The losses of civilians and millions of displaced people, the civilian population currently unable to access water, food and medicine, should not escape the attention of the international community. Just as we focus on Gaza, we also need to help the hungry, thirsty and defenseless people in Sudan. We need to start mobilizing together for Sudan on this issue, especially in terms of humanitarian aid. “Turkey provides humanitarian aid, we send it to Port Sudan and other places regularly, but as I said, we need to do this at an international level without interference,” he said.
“As Türkiye, we conveyed that we are ready to do everything we can.”
Noting that what is more important is that the conflict ends, Fidan said, “We are in touch with both sides on this issue. In addition, we are following the Jeddah process, initiated under the leadership of Saudi Arabia and the USA, very closely. This process has held some meetings so far. It started with a few countries, then it included Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. But so far, there has been no development that will enable the parties to stop the war. We hope, I hope it will happen soon. We, as Türkiye, conveyed to our friends in the Jeddah process that we are ready to do everything we can on this issue. “But beyond that, we talk to both sides and make the necessary suggestions,” he said.
Emphasizing that the conflict has caused destruction to Sudan’s infrastructure and superstructure, Fidan said, “We convey in the loudest possible tone that if the war continues, there will be no place to live and no people left to live. But as I said, our priority at the moment is to wait for the ongoing process to bear fruit. “Perhaps, depending on the process, we can find a new dialogue format,” he said.