​​​​​​​ANKARA/ISTANBUL 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday that “issues concerning Palestine cannot be discussed without the Palestinians,” after the cancellation of visas for Palestinian officials who were set to travel to the US for the 80th UN General Assembly in New York.

During his visit to the Turkish Press Federation in Ankara, Fidan responded to a question about the cancellation of the visas, including for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who was scheduled to attend the meeting later this month.

Emphasizing that the issue is sensitive, Fidan said: “From the very first day, we have been working very intensively.”

He explained that every year in September, all states present their statements on current issues within the framework of the UN General Assembly. “This year, with the initiative of certain countries and with Türkiye's support, it was decided to hold a conference on Palestine at the UN."

"Some major Western countries, primarily France and Belgium, that have not yet recognized Palestine as a state have declared that they will take steps toward recognizing it," he said.

Fidan underlined that the cancellation of visas, including Abbas, had two technical aspects: “It’s not that Palestine cannot participate as a state. As you know, Palestine has a permanent mission there. The permanent representative can participate in the General Assembly sessions on behalf of the State of Palestine."

He added that the issue is unavoidable under the UN Charter, but since visas were denied, Abbas may not be able to attend.

When the announcement was first made, the seven-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation–Arab League Contact Group quickly released a statement calling the decision wrong and insisting it should be corrected, he said.

Fidan stressed that, upon the instructions of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, two separate efforts were underway: “First, an intensive effort within our own ministry -- what kinds of alternative measures could be applied? What options exist? We presented this extensive work to our president as well. We had several alternative proposals regarding this matter.”

Fidan stated that talks were held with Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Oman.

"We have consulted with all the relevant actors and observed the following: our Palestinian brothers, in particular, are committed to ensuring that this program in New York is not disrupted and that activities related to the recognition of the State of Palestine can take place,” he said. “However, what our Palestinian brothers consider most important at this point is the recognition of the State of Palestine, particularly by permanent members of the Security Council such as France and the UK."

"They see this as a priority benefit for the Palestinian cause. We have made our internal assessments on this matter. We presented it to our president in detail. While neighboring Arab countries are also highly critical, they believe that the greater benefit lies in the recognition of the State of Palestine by other actors, and therefore support continuing with the program in New York,” he said.