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Global tourism has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, with international arrivals reaching 96 percent of its 2019 figures this January-July, according to a U.N. Tourism report released on Thursday. 

Nearly 790 million tourists traveled abroad in the first seven months of the year, up 11 percent from 2023, the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer data showed.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sept. 18 participated in a high-level meeting of a delegation jointly designed by the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League to address the Gaza war.

The delegation dubbed the "contact group" comprises foreign ministers from Türkiye, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia and Nigeria.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Cairo on Wednesday to meet top Egyptian officials to discuss and push efforts for a possible cease-fire in Gaza.

The visit marks his 10th trip to the Middle East since Israel launched its deadly war on Gaza on Oct. 7.

Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief, Ibrahim Kalın, recently held talks with leaders of Hamas' political bureau in Ankara, focusing on the latest developments in the negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gathered with his counterparts from the Gaza Contact Group in Madrid on Friday, emphasizing the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and continuity in humanitarian aid distribution.

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 US Department of Defense has awarded a contract valued at nearly 1.2 billion dollars to the American company Raytheon for the production of AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) missiles. The contract also covers the supply of these missiles to several foreign military clients, including Bulgaria.

Türkiye is showing interest in offshore gas fields in Egypt, with plans to supply hydrocarbons using Turkish Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) vessels, as stated by Türkiye's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar on Wednesday.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has indicated that a temporary ceasefire with Hamas could be achievable, though he emphasized that concluding the ongoing conflict remains a separate challenge.

European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that the bloc does not have a unified position on the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.