FM Fidan highlights peace efforts with Syria, criticizes Israel’s stance on cease-fire

Negotiations between Syria and Türkiye have been conducted at various levels in the past, and Ankara is committed to achieving peace in the region, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday.

Fidan made these remarks during a joint news conference in Istanbul with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, who is visiting Türkiye.

Fidan emphasized the importance of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s call for peace in neighboring Syria, urging that it be taken seriously. He reiterated that Ankara is not altering its stance on the Syrian opposition.

These statements followed Erdogan’s recent comments that Fidan and other Turkish diplomats are working towards a possible presidential meeting between Erdogan and Syria’s Bashar Assad, the first such meeting in over a decade.

Addressing cease-fire talks between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel, Fidan stated that Hamas accepting conditions on a cease-fire is perceived by Israel as a “weakness” and “surrender,” describing this perspective as “highly dangerous.” He expressed the need for increased pressure on Israel, a point that Erdogan has also emphasized.