U.S. Secretary of State Blinken: We are very close to a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his last official visit to France before leaving office. Following his meetings here, Blinken held a joint press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot.

"WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO A CEASEFIRE AND HOSTAGE EXCHANGE AGREEMENT"

Speaking about the ongoing massacres in Gaza, Blinken stated, "We are very close to a ceasefire and an agreement on hostages in the Middle East." He added, "I hope we can achieve this in the time we have left (in office), but if we cannot, the plan that President (Joe) Biden has put forward for a ceasefire-hostage agreement will be handed over to the next (Donald Trump) administration. And when we achieve this agreement, and we will, I believe it will be based on the plan that President Biden presented to the world in May."

"IT COULD BE A BRIDGE TO PERMANENT PEACE"

Moreover, Blinken mentioned that recently more than a third of Israeli forces withdrew from southern Lebanon and expressed his belief that the ceasefire "could be a bridge to permanent peace."

"A REAL HOPE HAS ARISEN IN SYRIA"

Stating that "a real hope" has emerged after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, Blinken expressed that the U.S. and France will continue to work together for a "sovereign and prosperous" Syria.

"TURKEY HAS LEGITIMATE CONCERNS REGARDING PKK AND TERRORISM"

Additionally, Blinken stated that Turkey has legitimate concerns regarding the PKK and terrorism and emphasized that the U.S. is working very closely with its ally Turkey.

"TRUMP'S GREENLAND CLAIMS ARE NOT A GOOD IDEA"

Regarding the statements of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that Greenland should be under U.S. control, Blinken remarked that this is "clearly not a good idea" and will not happen.