Türkiye championed dialogue over conflict at UN: Fidan

Türkiye's vision at UN General Assembly

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye championed dialogue over conflict, diplomacy over crisis, and cooperation over division during the UN General Assembly's high-level week in New York, stressing Ankara's commitment to resolving regional and global challenges through diplomatic channels. Speaking at a news conference on Saturday following the busy diplomatic schedule, Fidan noted he had taken part in more than 40 bilateral meetings and multilateral gatherings, with Palestine remaining a central issue on the agenda. "We advocated dialogue over conflict, diplomacy over crises, and cooperation over division," he said, outlining Türkiye's approach to international crises.

Fidan described President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 16th address to the UN General Assembly as a manifesto setting out Türkiye's global vision. Erdogan held 16 bilateral meetings during the week, attended a high-level event on climate action, and participated in discussions with US President Donald Trump and Gulf Cooperation Council leaders on regional issues, according to the foreign minister. He also met Turkish citizens living in the US, business figures, and representatives of American think tanks.

Palestine and regional diplomacy dominate agenda

Fidan said he met with counterparts from Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates in an eight-country format to discuss Palestine, and took part in meetings addressing last year's New York Declaration and comprehensive peace plan. As chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's Council of Foreign Ministers, he presided over its annual coordination meeting in New York, and attended the 30th MIKTA foreign ministers' meeting ahead of Türkiye assuming the group's chairmanship in 2027.

The Turkish delegation raised Israel's policies in Gaza and its occupation activities at every meeting it attended, Fidan said. He noted that Israel is facing growing international isolation as diplomatic efforts increasingly translated international opposition into concrete measures, pointing to legal proceedings involving the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. "Thanks to diplomatic efforts, Israel's oppression and massacres no longer go unanswered to the same extent as before. It now has to pay a very heavy price for every action it takes," he said.

Mecca Defense Alliance and Iraq security

Fidan said Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan are continuing efforts to establish the institutional structure of the Mecca Defense Alliance, with the aim of appointing a secretary-general within two weeks. Pakistan has proposed a candidate likely to be accepted by other member states, he added, noting that further appointments will follow once the secretary-general takes office. The three countries also discussed military threats facing Saudi Arabia, including attacks by the Houthis from the south and other attacks from the north, with a military-technical assessment meeting held in Riyadh on Friday with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.

On developments in Iraq, Fidan said Baghdad had adopted a policy aimed at disarming all armed groups in the country, including the PKK and affiliated groups operating in the Sinjar region. "We are very pleased to see that the Iraqi side has set a political objective of disarming all armed groups in the country. This is a vision we support," he said. He noted that Türkiye's military presence at the Bashiqa base had originally been established for counterterrorism purposes in cooperation with Iraqi authorities, and as Baghdad implements its roadmap to eliminate terrorism, Ankara could gradually reduce and eventually end its military presence there.

Strait of Hormuz tensions and UN reform

On tensions between the US and Iran, Fidan said he had discussed Tehran's latest proposal with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, including Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He said he had received initial impressions of the US response to the proposal but stressed that diplomatic efforts have yet to produce a breakthrough. "The positive thing is that efforts are continuing. The negative aspect is that they have not yet yielded any results," he said, citing a telephone call between Erdogan and Trump to stress that Türkiye wants diplomatic efforts to continue without a renewed outbreak of hostilities.

Fidan said Türkiye also reaffirmed its long-standing support for reforming the UN system during the high-level week, and contributed to efforts on migration, development, humanitarian assistance, climate change, and food security. Ankara also outlined its priorities for the COP31 UN Climate Change Conference, which it will chair and host this November, and co-hosted a meeting with the US on international support for peace and prosperity in Libya.