Turkey says Israel leading Middle East to ‘total disaster’

ISTANBUL: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday accused Israel of leading the Middle East towards “total disaster” by attacking Iran on June 13.
Iran and Israel have been at war for nine days after Israel, claiming the Islamic republic was on the brink of acquiring a nuclear weapon, launched a massive wave of strikes on its arch-rival, triggering an immediate response from Tehran.
“Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbour,” Fidan told a meeting of top diplomats of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.
“There is no Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni or Iranian problem but there is clearly an Israeli problem,” he said.
He called for an end to the “unlimited aggression” against Iran.
“We must prevent the situation from deteriorating into a spiral of violence that would further jeopardise regional and global security,” he added.
Speaking after Fidan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Western leaders of providing “unconditional support” to Israel.
A trenchant critic of Israel’s actions in both Gaza and Iran, Erdogan called for “high-level peace talks” between Tehran and the United States, according to his office, adding that Turkey was ready to play a “facilitator” role to help bring an end to the war.
Tehran, however, has for the time being refused any return to the negotiating table with the United States on its nuclear programme for as long as Israel maintains its attacks on Iran.
Erdogan, who met Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of Saturday’s meeting, said Turkey would not allow borders in the Middle East to be redrawn “in blood”.
“It is vital for us to show more solidarity to end Israel’s banditry — not only in Palestine but also in Syria, in Lebanon and in Iran,” he told the OIC’s 57 member countries.
The OIC, founded in 1969, says its mission is to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony”.
According to Qatar’s foreign ministry, Araghchi also met the Gulf state’s top diplomat in Istanbul, who said he was working to bring the sides “back to the path of dialogue”.

Turkiye’s Erdogan warns OIC against ‘new Sykes-Picot order’ in Middle East

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned against a “new Sykes-Picot order” in the Middle East and called for stronger solidarity among Islamic nations to counter Israeli actions and regional destabilisation.
“We will not allow the establishment of a new Sykes-Picot order in our region with borders to be drawn in blood,” Erdogan said at the 51st Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.
He described the conditions in Gaza as worse than those of Nazi concentration camps, noting that “2 million of our sisters and brothers in Gaza have been struggling to survive under these conditions for 21 months.”
Erdogan expressed confidence in the resilience of the Iranian people amid the current conflict. “We have no doubt that the Iranian people, with their solidarity in the face of difficulties and strong state experience, will hopefully overcome these days,” he said.
He also urged Islamic countries to stand firm against Israel’s actions beyond Gaza. “We must show greater solidarity to stop Israel’s acts of banditry not only in Palestine but also in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran,” Erdogan added.
Welcoming Syria’s reintegration into the OIC, he emphasised: “Syria needs the support of all of us, the entire Islamic world, to protect its territorial integrity, national unity, and achieve lasting stability.
Erdogan’s remarks came amid growing calls for Islamic cooperation in response to escalating conflicts across the region.
The special session of the 51st OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is expected to focus on Israel’s recent strikes against Iran, including Thursday’s attack on the Khondab nuclear site in Arak.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 57 member states, has long served as a political and diplomatic forum for Muslim countries.–NNI