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U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration that he will not allow West Bank annexation represents "a historic turning point" in American-Palestinian-Israeli relations, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during a live broadcast on TRT Haber late Saturday.
"President Trump's declaration that he will not allow the annexation of the West Bank actually became a historic turning point in terms of relations in the America, Palestine and Israel triangle and in terms of the message America gave to the Islamic world and the rest of the world on the Palestine issue," Fidan said.
The foreign minister warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "always has the possibility of sabotaging" Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan, stating Türkiye needs America's seriousness and determination on this matter.
"The diplomatic focal point for us is actually keeping America on this line. That's why it's really important for certain leaders, together with our president, to advise Trump on this point, to keep him on track for world peace and regional peace," Fidan said.
Fidan revealed that eight Muslim countries, representing the Islamic world, met with Trump in New York, where leaders told the U.S. president that Netanyahu "must be stopped."
He noted that Trump has taken ownership of the problem, which is significant for regional stability.
Following a phone call from Trump requesting attention to the Hamas ceasefire issue, Hamas issued a positive declaration regarding Trump's proposal six to seven hours after the conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Fidan said.
The minister praised Hamas's negotiation technique and response format as "commendable," saying it showed an approach that seeks compromise, respects the mediator's efforts, but clearly expresses what the Palestinian people cannot accept.
Fidan congratulated participants in the Global Sumud Fleet, calling it "a noble action" aimed at raising international awareness about the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
"This is a noble action. Creating international awareness to prevent the Palestinian cause and the ongoing genocide in Gaza is currently our greatest weapon. We are openly doing this in international diplomacy," Fidan said.
Türkiye coordinated with 16 countries on Sept. 16 to issue a joint declaration supporting the fleet, creating international pressure and ensuring participants were not abandoned.
Turkish naval forces and aerial monitoring units coordinated with Spain, Italy, and other regional naval forces to ensure navigation safety, Fidan said.
After activists were detained, Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) contacted Israeli authorities and secured their release.
Fidan said other countries also requested Türkiye's assistance, which was provided.
Fidan outlined Türkiye's vision for regional cooperation, stating that the fundamental issue behind decades of conflict lies in the regional countries' inability to establish collaboration between themselves.
"We need a regional stability pact, platform, agreement, or convention. Its first purpose is not deterrence. Its second purpose is deterrence. Its first purpose is to make the trust of regional countries toward each other absolute," Fidan said.
President Erdogan is leading this initiative, the minister noted, emphasizing that external actors often leave the region in worse condition than when they arrived.
Addressing criticism regarding defense industry statements, Fidan strongly condemned what he called disinformation campaigns.
"A discussion area has emerged that does not see and disrespects the effort that made our localization and nationalization possible. I frankly, strongly reject and condemn this," Fidan said.
The minister highlighted Türkiye's progress in increasing defense localization rates from 20% to 80% through years of work by thousands of engineers.
Fidan confirmed Türkiye has successfully lifted sanctions from Canada, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium, with significant progress in Germany and partial progress in the United States.
"While I'm trying to remove these sanctions, if the other side cannot provide me with a logical explanation for any reason and we cannot advance the issue, my national security requires obtaining this from elsewhere, and this counterpart must know this," Fidan said.
The Turkish minister also announced that Syria's People's Assembly elections will be held through delegates on Wednesday (Oct. 8), calling it "an important step" in Syria's institutionalization following the government's declaration.
"The YPG must now openly state its intention and reach an agreement with Damascus," Fidan said regarding threats to Syria's territorial integrity.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani will also be visiting Türkiye on Wednesday, Fidan announced.
He stressed that Israel poses the most significant potential threat to Syria's stability and that Ankara cannot accept any fait accompli that would lead to the country's partition.
"Everything on the other side of our border in Syria is directly related to our national security," Fidan said.
The foreign minister provided an update on Russia-Ukraine peace efforts, noting that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin recently met in Alaska to discuss critical issues.
"The problem is now clear. There's a 25-30% portion in Donetsk that the Russians haven't taken. What will happen there? The Russians want to take it. The Ukrainians say, 'This is ours, very important for our territorial integrity, we have no chance of giving any place without fighting,'" Fidan explained.
He expressed hope that a breakthrough could occur in the coming months, adding that President Erdogan has said from the beginning that "this absurd war must stop as soon as possible."
Fidan characterized Erdogan's Washington visit as "a historic visit in terms of leaders' diplomacy" in Türkiye-U.S. relations, noting that the two leaders rose above negative environmental conditions to design ties from a strategic perspective.
"President Trump's respect for our president and our president's importance given to this relationship and respect are extraordinarily important," Fidan said.
He concluded by stating that strong leaders act uncompromisingly in their countries' interests, and when they meet, they understand and respect each other, trying to create cooperation.
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