Follow-ups - FiMED

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressed that a lasting solution to the Palestinian cause requires the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, on the 1967 borders, calling for a firm international stance in support of the rights of the Palestinian people and in the face of Israeli violations.

Fidan's position came during a speech he delivered on Thursday at the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), held in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, where he participated on behalf of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Fidan stressed that the continuation of Israeli violations against the Palestinians contradicts the principles of peace and mutual confidence on which the conference is based, affirming the need to take a clear stance in support of the rights of Palestine, a CICA member, and to confront what he described as ongoing injustice and grave violations.

He said that Israel, despite its membership in the conference, pursues a systematic policy of repression that violates the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, considering that the current phase requires more decisive action to protect these rights.

Turkey and other delegations withdraw during Herzog's speech

In a protest step, representatives of more than ten countries left the summit hall as Israeli occupation President Isaac Herzog began delivering his speech.

Palestinian reports said that Fidan and the accompanying Turkish delegation rose from their seats and left the hall on Thursday afternoon, at the same time as representatives of other countries withdrew, in a stance that reflected political rejection of the Israeli official's participation amid the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

Fidan had arrived in Baku on Wednesday to take part in the summit's proceedings, which Azerbaijan is hosting as the conference's rotating chair.

CICA and Asian cooperation

The conference comprises 28 countries and aims to enhance dialogue, cooperation and confidence-building among Asian states. According to data cited in reports, member states cover about 90 percent of Asia's area and more than half of the world's population.

Turkey is one of the conference's founding states, hosted its third summit in Istanbul in 2010, and held its rotating chair between 2010 and 2014.

The Turkish stance comes amid the continuation of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, and escalating attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, alongside continued international disagreement over ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state in accordance with United Nations resolutions.