Turkish foreign minister discusses Syria, Gaza, Ukraine with US counterpart in Munich
In first face-to-face meeting, Fidan shares with Rubio steps that could be taken in fight against ISIS terror group, sources say
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and discussed the situation in Syria and Gaza, among other issues, diplomatic sources said.
During their first face-to-face meeting, which came on the margins of the 61st Munich Security Conference, Fidan shared Türkiye's views on the steps that countries in the region could take in the fight against ISIS (Daesh) terror group.
Fidan emphasized the importance of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved to establish regional peace.
Latest developments regarding the possibility of establishing peace between Ukraine and Russia were also discussed in detail.
According to the State Department's statement of the meeting, Rubio "emphasized the need for close cooperation to support a stable and unified Syria that is not a threat to the United States, Türkiye, or the region."
"The Secretary noted Türkiye’s leadership in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, our joint efforts to support a just and lasting peace in the South Caucasus, and our shared objective of ending Russia’s war on Ukraine," the statement said.
The two diplomats also discussed ways to further strengthen US-Türkiye relations, their "shared interests in the region," and growing bilateral trade, it added.
Fidan also held separate meetings with his UK counterpart David Lammy and German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on the sidelines of the conference, discussing bilateral and regional issues, including the need for a permanent truce in Gaza as well as the developments in Ukraine and Syria.
The Turkish foreign minister also met his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, discussing the situation in Syria and Türkiye-EU relations as well as the Ukraine war.
Fidan told Barrot that joint efforts should be made to ensure security and stability in Syria, adding that Türkiye will continue to fight against terrorist organizations such as PKK and ISIS in the strongest way possible.
He also held talks separate talks with his Romanian counterpart Emil Hurezeanu and Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg.
Fidan and Schallenberg discussed bilateral ties and regional security issues during their meeting.
The meeting between Fidan and Hurezeanu, meanwhile, discussed regional issues, including security of the Black Sea region.
Fidan also met with his Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen, according to the the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
