Wadephul travels to Ankara
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is travelling to Turkey for his first official visit – with difficult issues on the agenda: Gaza, Syria, Russia and Ukraine.
Ankara (dpa/d.de) – What next for the Gaza Strip? German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on Turkey to put pressure on the Islamist Hamas in view of the fragile ceasefire. Speaking before his departure for his inaugural visit to Turkey, Wadephul said Ankara had a “responsible role” to play. The trip will include a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
The minister said there was considerable potential for cooperation in foreign policy and praised Turkey’s role as mediator in what he described as the “historic ceasefire” for Gaza. Both countries were pushing for full access for humanitarian actors to relieve the worst suffering, he said, and working together to ensure that the 20-point peace plan was fully implemented.
Wadephul also stressed that both sides shared the goal of a secure and stable Syria, thereby enabling the voluntary and safe return of migrants. He called Turkey one of the guardians of Europe’s external borders.
Another shared objective, Wadephul added, was a swift end to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. He said he saw Istanbul as a possible venue for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.