13.08.2026 23:00
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in his statement following his meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, evaluated developments in the region, particularly in Gaza and Libya. Fidan said that if Israel does not take steps in the second phase of the ceasefire, "As Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt, there will be radical steps we must take. This is our duty to our nation, our people, and to Palestine."
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, within the scope of his visit to Egypt, spoke at a joint press conference held after his meeting with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty.
“THE UNITY AND INTEGRITY OF LIBYA IS EXTRAORDINARILY IMPORTANT NOT ONLY FOR LIBYANS BUT FOR THE ENTIRE REGION” Recalling his recent visit to Libya, Fidan stated that their visions regarding this country overlap. Fidan noted that he met with relevant parties in Libya and held lengthy talks, saying, "Türkiye and Egypt think alike regarding Libya's unity, integrity, sovereignty, and indivisibility." Stating that a decision was made to turn this common thought into common action, Fidan emphasized that Libya's unity, integrity, and sovereignty are extraordinarily important not only for Libyans but for the entire region. Fidan said that issues in Sudan were also discussed with his Egyptian counterpart, expressing that they are seeking solutions to the problems.
“WE AGREED ON TAKING SERIOUS MEASURES” Stating that the drama in Gaza and how a solution could be found to it were discussed in the meeting, Fidan said, "We see that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his team are increasingly escalating policies that trample human dignity and are in an attitude that almost provokes the entire international community."
Fidan said, "This problem has turned into a security issue that concerns not only Gaza, the Middle East, and the region, but the entire international community; this provocative, inflammatory policy that tramples human dignity followed by Netanyahu and his friends."
Noting that as regional countries, what could be done together with the international community was discussed, Fidan said, "We agreed on taking more serious measures. We reviewed our views again and emphasized our determination, especially regarding the delivery of aid, preventing the targeting and killing of Palestinians, and adhering to the articles of the Gaza Peace Plan."
“IF ISRAEL DOES NOT TAKE A STEP, THERE WILL BE RADICAL STEPS WE, AS TÜRKİYE, QATAR, AND EGYPT, MUST TAKE” Referring also to Israel's rejection of the 15-point plan announced by the Peace Council regarding the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, Minister Fidan said: “We see that Netanyahu and his friends have no connection with this peace agreement. Now, at the point we have reached, we are evolving into a very critical stage. We have conveyed this to the other members of the Peace Council, primarily to our friends there, especially the USA. Even though the Palestinian side has kept its commitments in the transition to the second phase, Israel's failure to take a step from now on may push us, the other mediators, to take a joint radical step regarding this process. In this regard, we of course expect the USA to apply the necessary pressure on Israel. Otherwise, as Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt, there will of course be radical steps we need to take on this matter. This is our debt to our nation, our people, and to Palestine.
It is not acceptable that the Palestinian side has fulfilled its duties despite the difficulties, and Israel has not changed its intentions in any way. We know that the international community and other countries, as well as international organizations, especially the UN, are extremely sensitive and attentive to this. Due to the ongoing strait issue in the Gulf, the attention of people and countries is currently there; I am sure that once it ends, other countries will also throw themselves into this with all their might”
“AS TÜRKİYE, WE FAVOR POLICIES THAT PRIORITIZE COOPERATION IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN” Minister Fidan said, \"As you can see, we continue our work in all dimensions of our bilateral relations in cooperation. Through mutual visits and joint exercises, our relations in the military field are also becoming increasingly comprehensive. As Türkiye, we favor regional policies that prioritize reconciliation and cooperation instead of polarization and conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean. In this context, we wish to develop the maritime relations between Türkiye and Egypt, two countries with long coastlines in the Eastern Mediterranean, in a way that benefits both countries.\"
“BOTH THE REGION AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NOW SEE THAT TÜRKİYE AND EGYPT ARE TWO GREAT STATES” Minister Fidan stated, \"Both the region and the international community now see that Türkiye and Egypt are two great states acting with the awareness of the responsibility history and geography have placed upon them. We will continue to carry our relations to the highest level in all areas of cooperation, especially in trade, security, defense, energy, maritime, transportation, connectivity, and other regional cooperation fields. To this end, we are carrying out the necessary coordination with our institutions together as co-chairs of the Joint Planning Group. Today's meeting was indeed productive.\"
“THE MAKKAH ALLIANCE HAS BEEN A HISTORIC MOMENT FOR OUR REGION” Also answering questions from the press members at the meeting, Fidan emphasized that the alliance established with the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement signed between Türkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia is not against any country, saying, \"The Makkah alliance, by its nature, has been a historic moment for our region. Because for many years, the resolution of the policies in our region through some external saviors has always been the norm. In fact, regional countries coming together, embracing their own problems with a spirit of regional ownership and cooperation, and solving the region's problems themselves has been a starting point for us in this regard.\"
Minister Fidan stated, \"Here, with our President's long-term leadership, of course, the friendship he has established with regional leaders over the years, the events and problems he has observed, and our work have produced the following conclusion for us: If we, as regional countries, do not embrace our own issues ourselves, expecting others to bring solutions to any problem on our behalf will be, to put it mildly, naivety. Frankly, in all our meetings over the last three years, especially with Egypt and other major brotherly countries in the region, we have established a unity of thought and concept on this matter.\"
Minister Fidan said, \"As we just saw in regional issues, we are actually acting together on many matters, especially Libya, Sudan, Palestine, and other issues in Africa.\"
Our defense organizations and our defense industry are in magnificent cooperation. In fact, without naming it, we had already started regional ownership and regional cooperation with a new spirit and a new vision a long time ago. Of course, this needed to be institutionalized, a foundation needed to be laid. This foundation, laid by three countries in Mecca, has truly been a historic initiative put forward by our leaders. At this point, of course, we have been discussing this matter with our Egyptian brothers from the very beginning. We are consulting very closely," he said.
"EGYPT IS OUR NATURAL PARTNER, AND WITH GOD'S WILL, IT WILL SOON BE OUR OFFICIAL PARTNER TOO" Minister of Foreign Affairs Fidan said, "Egypt is one of the brotherly countries we primarily consult with on all the security, political, and economic issues we discuss in the region. Egypt is our natural partner, and with God's will, it will soon be our official partner as well."
Minister Fidan stated, "Our quartet group, which we call 'Regional 4', continues its work without slowing down. This is an extremely precious and valuable platform for us. Here, we informally and very swiftly discuss both our mutual relations and regional issues on behalf of our leaders. If necessary, we convey the opinions that emerge here to other countries in the region."
Fidan also noted that they share their messages with other formations outside the region, especially Europe, and said, "I stated at the beginning. This alliance is not against anyone. It is only to underline our commitment to each other's security, sovereignty, and prosperity, and to increase ownership over regional issues. Are there other alliances in the region against us? Yes, there are. In other words, before we signed the Mecca alliance, Israel, the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA), and Greece came together and established a security alliance in the Mediterranean. This is not a situation that anyone is currently highlighting or bringing to the agenda. We all know what the target of this alliance is. That is, there is Türkiye in the north of the Mediterranean, and Egypt in the south. There is an alliance that draws a line down the middle. The purpose of this alliance is clear, and where it is headed is also clear."
"OUR REGION HAS LOST MANY YEARS TO WARS, AND THERE IS A HUGE GAP WE NEED TO CLOSE" Minister Fidan said, "Our alliance, contrary to theirs, is not about any country; it is entirely about creating a platform for cooperation for ourselves, owning the issues, and building deterrence. Our region has lost many years to wars, occupations, and internal conflicts. There is a huge gap we need to close. There is much that countries in the region need to do, especially in terms of development, economic growth, eliminating poverty, and making technology-related investments. For this, security and stability are needed first. This security platform is important for that. Therefore, we started with this. Following this, you will see economic integration, technological moves, major investments, and connectivity projects coming at lightning speed," he said.