Fidan meets Aliyev at regional summit in Baku

BAKU

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has met with Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev on the sidelines of a regional summit in Baku, reiterating his criticism of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

No details were released about the meeting between Fidan and Aliyev.

Representatives from Türkiye and several other countries walked out of the hall as Israeli President Isaac Herzog began his address at the seventh Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

In his speech, Fidan said all member states must uphold their commitment to peace and mutual trust.

“We cannot maintain this commitment while Israel, a CICA member, violates the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people through a policy of systematic oppression,” Fidan said.

“A lasting solution requires the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he said.

Fidan described CICA as a valuable platform for bridging differences in priorities and deepening mutual understanding. He said the summit should produce a clear road map to make the organization more effective in promoting lasting peace and greater prosperity across Asia.

The summit, hosted by Azerbaijan as the organization’s current chair, is being held under the theme “Stronger CICA: Connectivity, Digitalization and Sustainable Growth in Asia.” It brings together leaders and senior officials from member states, as well as observers and partner countries.

CICA brings together 28 countries and serves as a forum for dialogue on security and cooperation across Asia, a continent with few effective multilateral security organizations. Its members account for about 90 percent of Asia’s land area and more than half of the world’s population.