After meeting with his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken, the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, received the head of the EU delegation Nicolaus Mayer Landrut and the ambassadors of the EU member states in Ankara.
Turkey, according to Fidan, plays a crucial role in solving the problems in the surrounding area. "We hope that the EU will approach Turkey with vision and leave aside micropolitical calculations," he said.
He also emphasized that dialogue and cooperation mechanisms with Europe "must become more functional".
Regarding the war situation in Gaza, the Turkish Foreign Minister repeated the same rhetoric about support for the Palestinians: "Attacks targeting civilians are unacceptable, they must stop immediately and a ceasefire declared. Humanitarian aid must be delivered to Gaza without interruption. We must prevent the conflict from reaching the regional level. The peace process aimed at a two-state solution within agreed parameters must begin as soon as possible. In this context, we believe that the guarantee mechanism can be utilized».
He spoke of two standards when referring to the EU: "While some European countries are taking steps to ban pro-Palestine demonstrations, allowing attacks on our holy book, the Koran, on the grounds of freedom of expression is a double standard.».
He also stated that the modernization of the Customs Union and the liberalization of entry visas for Turkish citizens in the Schengen Area are Ankara's priorities.
Source: Protothema.gr