Fidan to lead call for unified action on Palestine at Arab League Council

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Cairo to attend the 162nd Ordinary Council of Foreign Ministers of the Arab League (AL), which starts on Tuesday, the ministry has announced.

Fidan is expected to address key regional issues, with a particular focus on Gaza, as well as strengthening relations between Türkiye and the Arab League.

His speech will highlight Türkiye’s active role in fostering stability, peace, and prosperity both in its immediate geography and the broader region, underlining Ankara's increasing contributions through a robust, effective, and determined foreign policy.

Fidan’s address is also expected to underline the significance of Palestine and other critical regional matters, which remain high on Türkiye’s foreign policy agenda.

Türkiye’s rapidly evolving relations with Arab countries have not only helped in finding solutions to regional challenges but have also opened up new opportunities for cooperation and mutual benefit.

Türkiye is prioritising the development of institutional ties with the Arab League and improving coordination on important issues.

Enhancing Türkiye-Arab League ties

Recent milestones in Türkiye’s relations with the Arab League include the previous foreign minister's visit to Cairo in October 2023, during which he met with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Recently, political consultations took place in Ankara in February 2024 between Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz and AL Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki, who later participated in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Türkiye's formal engagement with the Arab League began in 2003, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2004 between Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the League's Secretariat.

The Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum Framework Agreement was established in 2007, further solidifying relations.

In 2011, then-prime minister and now President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also delivered a speech at the opening session of the council, underscoring Türkiye’s enduring commitment to Arab world diplomacy.

The statement made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in November 2023 remains valid amid the Israeli war on Gaza.

"We affirm that it is impossible to achieve regional peace while overlooking the Palestinian cause or attempting to ignore the rights of the Palestinian people," President Erdogan said.

"We stress that the Arab Peace Initiative, backed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League, is an essential reference to this end," he said.

Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed nearly 41,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children.