We will follow up to make cease-fire in Gaza permanent: FM Fidan

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reaffirmed the strong bond between Türkiye and Azerbaijan during a joint press conference with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku.

In a press conference in Baku with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, “We are pleased that a cease-fire has been reached (in Gaza). In the following process, we will follow the implementation of all stages of the agreement, making the cease-fire permanent and delivering urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

The ministers then faced the camera for a joint press conference. “We have always stood by each other in all bad times with all our strength.”

During his remarks, Fidan emphasized the timeless nature of the Turkish-Azerbaijan partnership, stating, “You can walk the most hard paths only with your brothers and sisters. This is the essence of our cooperation with Azerbaijan. With this understanding, we stood by Azerbaijan during the 30 years of occupation in Karabakh. Azerbaijan has always stood by Türkiye in our most difficult days.”

“Our states and our peoples never hesitated. With all our means and with all our strength, we always stood by each other in all the bad times. Türkiye stood by Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan stood by Türkiye. It will always continue like this from now on. From now on, we will continue to walk the same path as two brothers.”

Critical energy, connectivity projects

Fidan stressed the importance of maintaining joint efforts in energy and transportation, noting their critical contribution to Europe’s energy security.

“The Igdir-Nakhchivan Natural Gas Pipeline has added a new dimension to our energy cooperation. Additionally, we aim to realize the Türkiye-Azerbaijan electricity interconnection as soon as possible,” he said.

Highlighting infrastructure development, Fidan added, “The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway’s seamless operation at full capacity is vital. We also plan to bring the Kars-Nakhchivan railway project to life in the shortest possible time.”

Gaza cease-fire and regional peace efforts

Fidan expressed Türkiye’s commitment to supporting lasting peace in Gaza following the recent ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

“The end of the 15-month-long atrocities is significant for us. We hope that humanitarian aid will reach all parts of Gaza, displaced Palestinians can return home, and a two-state solution can be implemented for lasting peace,” he said.

He further remarked, “We welcome the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. We will closely monitor efforts to ensure its permanence and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

In particular, the indiscriminate killing of civilians and children every day, the indiscriminate killing of journalists and United Nations aid workers, of course, does not only wound the human conscience.

In other words, whatever value the international system has, both institutional and semantic, has caused it to collapse. Now, of course, it is important for us that this stops at this point. We hope that this ceasefire will continue.

Humanitarian aid will be allowed to reach all parts of Gaza without interruption. It is important that the Palestinians in the south of Gaza who have been displaced, driven from their homes, squeezed into a certain corner, return to their homes. I hope this will happen as soon as possible. Because we are in winter conditions. There are currently 2 million people who are in the open, in tents, in the cold, without food and medicine. It is important that they return to suitable conditions.

In this regard, Türkiye will of course do its best together with the international community. I hope this will be the last tear. From now on, we will quickly heal our wounds, implement a two-state solution and normalize the region. Especially the two-state solution phase is a difficult, long step. It is a step that some people definitely do not want. But everyone knows that without this, both Israel, Palestine and the region will not be safe and stable.

After today, we will continue to do our best for more humanitarian and developmental aid.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

South Caucasus and beyond

Fidan also discussed ongoing peace efforts in the South Caucasus, stating, “The agreement announced on January 16 for Azerbaijan-Armenia delimitation commissions to begin work is a critical step. Achieving peace and stability in the South Caucasus benefits everyone.”

Fidan pointed to upcoming trilateral and multilateral cooperation initiatives, such as the Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Trilateral Meeting on January 29.

“Türkiye-Azerbaijan brotherhood continues to support regional peace and stability. A strong Azerbaijan is a strong Türkiye, and a strong Türkiye is a strong Azerbaijan,” he said.

Emphasizing that Minister Bayramov informed him about the point reached in the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process: “We understand Azerbaijan’s justified concerns. The agreement reached on January 16th for the Border Delimitation Commissions of Azerbaijan and Armenia to start working is an important step. Peace and tranquility in the South Caucasus is in everyone’s interest,” Fidan said.

“We also discussed the Russian-Ukrainian war. Since day one, we have expressed the need to end the war through negotiations as soon as possible and we have made efforts in this direction.”

“We support all initiatives to achieve a just and lasting peace. I would like to underline once again the importance of the involvement of both sides in these initiatives. We are ready to play a facilitating role, as we have done before when the necessary conditions are met,” Fidan concluded.

Azerbaijan’s efforts for Syria

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov highlighted Azerbaijan’s readiness to support Syria’s reintegration into the international system. “Türkiye and Azerbaijan’s diplomacy is fully prepared to support Syria’s new administration. We will continue our humanitarian aid to Syria and ensure that displaced people receive the support they need,” he said.

Bayramov also emphasized the importance of Gaza’s ceasefire, stating, “The establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza is a significant event. We hope that all parties adhere to the agreement.”

“We did not have diplomatic relations with Syria since 2012. During this time, our relations with the Assad regime were nonexistent. After the new developments, our Deputy Foreign Minister visited Syria in coordination with Türkiye and met with the Foreign Minister. Our embassy in Syria will resume its activities as soon as possible,” Bayramov concluded.