The war in Gaza and Turkish-American relations as an extension of the impact of the crisis in the Middle East was the dominant theme in the interview granted by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, to the Turkish television network NTV.

The head of Turkish diplomacy also argued that “Turkey is an economic and political giant in its region”, which “has a very broad agenda” and sees “peace as the most important stage of security”.

Referring to the war in Gaza, Hakan Fidan said that “the US fully supports Israel. We also support Palestine. This is a point of contention.”

Giving Turkish foreign policy elements of diplomatic behavior of a big state, he said: “Big states have a characteristic, you have to see this. Can they distinguish between subjects? Do they fight on issues they disagree on and continue to work together on issues they can work together on? And for us there are areas in which we do not agree with the US, in which we try to find a solution through discussion, but also areas in which we cooperate.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister argued that “it is not possible for Israel to commit genocide with such audacity, without the military support of the USA. The president of the United States himself said this.”

“At the point where we have reached, we agree on the need for a ceasefire. It is being worked on. I discussed this matter with my American counterpart today. We agree that in the absence of a two-state solution, this problem is a pathological situation that will continue to exist,” Mr. Fidan pointed out.

He also claimed that “many countries are reluctant to take action against Israel”, attributing this behavior “to the perception imposed by the US and the West and the limitations they impose on themselves”, before adding that these countries “need some leadership. We try to do this with great sensitivity.”

On the ceasefire in Gaza, the Turkish minister said that “Qatar and Egypt worked hard” and Turkey made the necessary efforts, maintaining contact with Hamas.

Hakan Fidan accused Israel of being “the thorn” in not wanting a permanent ceasefire. “Hamas is also demanding a ceasefire in exchange for agreeing to release the hostages. Israel does not accept this. Israel was continuing these negotiations because it expected Hamas to refuse. It turned out that Israel does not want a ceasefire,” he said.

He said he had spoken with his counterparts in the US and Qatar, as well as with the leader of Hamas, about the ceasefire. “We’re where we were last week, we’re deadlocked,” he said. He argued that the U.S. should pressure Israel, but “as we head into elections, there is a lot of backlash from a section of public opinion.”

Hakan Fidan also referred to the new structure of the Turkish Foreign Ministry: “In the new restructuring, we have classified some geographical areas on a smaller scale. We made Latin America a separate general address. We are increasing the number of headquarters in Africa to three. We established a general directorate for the Turkic states. These are topics related to geography. It is necessary to bring new industries into the equation. Issues related to consulates and Turkish citizens, we have created a separate general address for them. Our goal is to manage the issues that are important to us in a more focused way.”

Referring to the Kurdish PKK organization, Hakan Fidan said that Turkey and Iraq “have come a long way in the fight against terrorism.” As he said Iraq has oil and resources but cannot solve basic problems like water, health and infrastructure. “It is not possible for these to improve in a country where armed groups are roaming. We said that if you are with us, let us destroy the terrorist organizations together. Terrorism is also hindering Iraq’s development,” he said.

Finally, when asked about the development of artificial intelligence, Hakan Fidan said that it is a matter that he personally follows and this technology offers possibilities that Turkey wishes to integrate into the intelligence services. “Artificial intelligence will offer a lot in the field of intelligence. It will change the data in the analysis of the information”, he emphasized and pointed out the need for Turkey to prepare from now on.