Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, chairing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers' Annual Coordination Meeting in New York on Friday, warned of what he described as "two urgent risks" facing the region.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly high-level week, Fidan said the first danger is "the genocide in Gaza and Israel's efforts to annex the West Bank and forcibly displace Palestinians".
The second, he said, is "Israel's calculated expansionism and destabilisation strategy that threatens the security and stability of our entire region".
Fidan said Israel has become "a rogue actor blinded by the dreams of 'Greater Israel' under the Netanyahu regime", and called on OIC countries to adopt a common stance.
He urged members to intensify joint efforts to stop international arms shipments to Israel and to strengthen legal action by supporting proceedings at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
He also called for seizing the recent momentum behind recognition of Palestine to secure full UN membership for the State of Palestine and stressed the need to expose Israel's crimes before the international community.
Turning to Syria, Fidan said its stability is inseparable from that of the wider region and emphasised the importance of halting "Israeli crimes" there. He added that reconstruction will be an area where Syrians will particularly need OIC support.
The foreign minister also highlighted rising anti-Muslim hate, citing continuing racist acts targeting Muslim communities, and called for a collective response.
Fidan also underlined the central place the island of Cyprus and Western Thrace hold in Türkiye’s foreign policy.
He urged OIC members to support the inherent rights of Turkish Cypriots and engage with them directly.
Fidan said that the Muslim Turkish Minority in Western Thrace and the Turkish population of Greece's Dodecanese Islands continue to face serious violations preventing them from enjoying even basic rights and freedoms.
