Turkish top diplomat to attend key Gaza meet in Madrid

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a key meeting of the Gaza Contact Group, established by two main Islamic organizations, in Madrid, where efforts for giving an end to the Israeli offensive through a permanent agreement and recognition of Palestine as a full state will be discussed.

The group, comprising Türkiye, Palestine, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia and Nigeria, was set at an extraordinary summit of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in November 2003 with the purpose of ending the war in Gaza and launching a new process for a permanent peace based on two-state formula.

Along with the foreign ministers of the Contact Group, top diplomats from Norway, Slovenia and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will also attend the meeting, according to diplomatic sources.

The meeting will focus on ending the Israeli attacks on civilians through a permanent agreement, the recognition of Palestine as a state and revival of the process for a two-state solution to the decades-old problem. The Contact Group is expected to be received by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid, the sources said.

Türkiye's main goal is to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza uninterruptedly and start talks for a two-state solution. These messages have long been conveyed by Fidan during his intense diplomatic activity.

Fidan is expected to underscore the importance of the involvement of more countries in the ongoing case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as well as Palestine's full membership to the U.N. General Assembly.

He will also call on the international community that the recognition of Palestine as a state by more countries will be very significant in finding a...