Türkiye, Iran agree on importance of avoiding steps that would threaten regional stability: President Erdogan

ISTANBUL

Türkiye and Iran agreed on the importance of avoiding steps that would further threaten the security and stability of the region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

"We discussed the need to put an end to Israel's inhumane attacks on Gaza and take urgent steps toward establishing a just and lasting peace," Erdogan said at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi following their meeting in Ankara.

Reminding that Türkiye has sent over 30,000 tons of humanitarian aid for Palestinians to Al Arish port in northeastern Egypt, including 26,000 tons of flour, since Oct. 7, Erdogan said: "We reiterated our support for the just cause of Palestine and reaffirmed our commitment to continue collaboration on this matter."

Both presidents also exchanged views on the recent developments in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Caucasus during the meeting, he said.

"The Palestinian issue is in the focus of Türkiye and Iran," he added.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border incursion by Palestinian group Hamas last October, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

About 85% of Gazans have since been displaced, all of them are food insecure and the health system is collapsing. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and ⁠less than half of the aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.

The people of Gaza not only risk being killed or injured by relentless bombardments, but they also run a growing chance of contracting infectious diseases, UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday.