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Türkiye's Fidan to start diplomatic tour in UK, France to address Gaza crisis

Turkish top diplomat is expected to visit the UK and France along with an Arab-Islamic ministerial delegation which was established at a joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Riyadh.

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Türkiye led the efforts to establish the Arab-Islamic ministerial delegation at the joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Riyadh earlier this month. /Photo: AA

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit the UK and France along with his counterparts from Arab and Islamic states to discuss the crisis in the besieged Gaza, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

An Arab-Islamic ministerial delegation, which includes Fidan, was established under a decision at a joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Riyadh earlier this month to engage in diplomatic contacts addressing recent Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza.

The delegation is formed by the foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Indonesia, Nigeria and Palestine as well as the OIC secretary-general.

They went to China on Monday in their first visit to the five permanent member countries of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The efforts to establish the delegation at the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit were led by Türkiye.

Fidan: Türkiye continues peace efforts in Gaza, Ukraine

Due to a prior commitment to participate in the 2023 budget of the Foreign Ministry and related institutions at the Planning and Budget Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Fidan was not able to join the delegation during the visit to China.

The Turkish foreign minister, along with his counterparts, is expected to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron on November 22.

Since Israel started bombing Gaza after a surprise October 7 attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 9,000 women and children, and over 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures by Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut off Gaza from fuel, electricity and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a trickle.

The Israeli death toll is around 1,200, according to official figures.