Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, and the UAE on Monday concluded a four-way memorandum of understanding for cooperation on the “Development Road” project.

The memorandum was signed at the Republican Palace in the capital, Baghdad, under the patronage of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani.

The Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Oraloglu, the Iraqi Minister of Transport, Razzaq Muhaibis Al-Saadawi, the Qatari Minister of Transport, Jassim bin Saif Al-Sulaiti, and the Emirati Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Muhammad Al-Mazrouei, participated in the signing ceremony.

President Erdogan arrived in Baghdad on Monday morning, accompanied by a large number of Turkish ministers, to meet with Iraqi officials.

The “Development Road” project is a land and railway road extending from Iraq to Turkey and its ports, with a length of 1,200 kilometers inside Iraq, and aims to transport goods between Europe and the Gulf countries.

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Turkey ranked first in the world among the countries sending the most aid to the Gaza Strip, which is subjected to an Israeli war and siege.

Israeli Ministry of Defense data showed on Monday that the aid sent from Turkey to Gaza amounted to 26 percent of the total aid that entered the Strip.

According to the same data, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey shared first place with the same percentage.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came in second place with 15 percent, followed by Qatar with 7 percent.

In addition, Türkiye donated 7 ambulances out of 74 that were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip.

Also, 3,204 sick and wounded people, along with 725 companions, were evacuated from the Gaza Strip to receive treatment abroad, coordinated by Turkey, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey continues to provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in coordination with Egypt since the start of the Israeli attacks.

On the other hand, Turkey continues its assistance to the sick and wounded who were unable to obtain health care after the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Many countries of the world sent humanitarian aid to Gaza through Egyptian territory, but Israeli obstacles led to the cessation of most of this aid on the Egyptian side.

Israel also ignores international calls to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border gate with Egypt.

The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza for 6 months has left more than 100,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and massive destruction and famine that have claimed the lives of children and the elderly, according to Palestinian and UN data.

On the eve of Eid al-Fitr, Israel continues the war despite the Security Council issuing an immediate ceasefire resolution, and despite its first appearance before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing “genocide.”

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Turkey ranked second in the list of countries sending the most humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in light of the continuing siege and Israeli attacks.

According to data from the “Coordination Unit of Government Activities in the Territories” of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the UAE ranked first with 26 percent of the total aid directed to Gaza, despite Israel continuing to obstruct its entry except in small quantities, followed by Turkey with 23 percent.

Saudi Arabia came in third place with 16 percent, then Qatar with 8 percent.

Since March 26, Turkey has donated 9 ambulances out of 21 that were sent to the sector, taking first place in this regard, followed by Kuwait with 8 ambulances.

It should be noted that Turkey continues to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza in coordination with Egypt since the start of the Israeli war on the Strip on October 7, 2023.

Many countries in the world sent humanitarian aid to Gaza through Egyptian territory, but due to Israeli obstacles, most of it is still stuck in Egypt.

Israel restricts the entry of aid into Gaza, which led to a scarcity of food, medicine and fuel supplies and created a famine that began to claim the lives of children and the elderly in the Strip, which is inhabited by about 2.3 million Palestinians, including about two million displaced as a result of the war, and which Israel has besieged for 17 years.

Several international bodies are pressuring Tel Aviv to increase the number of aid arriving into the Gaza Strip through land crossings to provide urgent and urgent life-saving needs for the Palestinians.

Since October 7, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that has left tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, according to Palestinian and UN data, which led to its appearance before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing “genocide.”

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On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Istanbul.

The meeting took place at Wahiddin Palace in Istanbul and was attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the head of the Intelligence Service, Ibrahim Kalin, and the US Ambassador to Ankara, Jeffrey Flake.

Earlier on Saturday, Fidan and Blinken held a meeting in which they discussed “the war in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis, the process of Sweden joining NATO, and bilateral and regional issues,” according to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Yesterday, Friday, Blinken arrived in Turkey at the beginning of a Middle Eastern tour to discuss developments in the war on Gaza.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement Thursday that Blinken will discuss a number of critical issues with his counterparts over the course of a week in Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the West Bank.

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The year 2023 witnessed intense diplomatic activity by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which he conducted 21 foreign visits to 15 countries, attended 7 international summits, and focused his efforts to ensure peace.

Erdogan intensified his international contacts after the parliamentary and presidential elections last May, and put the Gaza issue on his agenda in all his meetings with leaders since October, with the start of the Israeli attacks.

It also hosted many foreign leaders during the year, including the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, the President of the Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.

With his re-inauguration as president of the country at the end of last May, Erdogan began his foreign visits, and his first stops were to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Azerbaijan on June 12. He also attended 7 summits within the scope of his foreign visits,

Last July, Erdogan made five foreign visits, including a visit to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, on the 10th of the same month, to attend the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, which was held on July 11.

Erdogan also visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the Emirates on July 17, 18, and 19 in his Gulf tour, from which he went again to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on July 20 (he visited it in the second week of June).

Erdogan also visited Hungary on August 20 to attend the celebrations of the Hungarian state’s founding day and some events at the World Athletics Championships, then headed to the Russian city of Sochi on September 4, at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for a one-day working visit.

The Turkish President also participated in the G20 Leaders Summit in India on September 8, and followed it by attending the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, from September 16 to 20.

In this context, Erdogan conducted a one-day working visit to the Nakhchivan region (belonging to Azerbaijan) on September 25, at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Peace diplomacy for Palestine

Erdogan intensified his international contacts after the Israeli attacks on Gaza that began on October 7, putting Gaza on the agenda in all his meetings with leaders, introducing intense peace diplomacy.

The Turkish President made 6 visits last November, which included Kazakhstan to attend the tenth summit of the Organization of Turkic States on November 2. In his speech at the summit, he said that “acting in unity and solidarity like the Turkish world will facilitate the path to a ceasefire first and then to lasting peace.” “.

During his visit to Uzbekistan on November 8 to attend the 16th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization, Erdogan explained that “the Israeli government violated all the values of humanity and destroyed schools, mosques, churches, hospitals, universities and civilians.”

For the second time during the year, Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia on November 11, to attend the extraordinary joint summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League held in Riyadh to discuss the Israeli war on Gaza.

Erdogan said during the summit that “in the Islamic world, we cannot of course leave our Palestinian brothers helpless,” and called for “the establishment of a fund within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for the reconstruction of Gaza.”

After the re-election of President Erdogan, dozens of state leaders visited Turkey to attend the inauguration ceremony that was held on June 3. The same month also witnessed Erdogan hosting the President of the Emirates, and later he hosted the Ukrainian President, the President of Algeria, and the Palestinian President.

During the year, Erdogan also hosted the President of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Austrian Prime Minister, Karl Nehammer, and met with the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, and other leaders, leaders, and prime ministers.

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Dania Zafer, Executive Director of the Gulf International Forum, based in the United States, said that the Gulf states view Turkey “as a soft power and a hard power as well.”

This came on the sidelines of her participation in the forum of the English-speaking Turkish channel TRT World, which was recently held in Istanbul.

The forum was held on December 8 and lasted for two days under the slogan: “Prospering together: responsibilities, actions and solutions.”

Zafer said that there has been a shift in relations between Turkey and the Gulf states in recent years, and in this context, she indicated a rapprochement in Turkey’s relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

She confirmed that actors began to follow more “pragmatic” policies, and said: “After the Arab Spring, we are entering a new era in which everyone consolidates their gains and minimizes their losses.”

She noted that Turkey’s relations with the Gulf region will advance “very positively,” and that Turkey enjoys strong investment relations with the region.

Zafer pointed to the Turkish influence in the region, and said: “The Gulf countries view Turkey as a soft power and a hard power as well.”

Referring to the “strong relations” between Turkey and Qatar, Zafer said: “Turkey has a very close historical and current alliance with Qatar.”

The Executive Director of the Gulf International Forum added: “Qatar considers Turkey its most important security partner.”

Zafer believed that the United States “reduced its role in the region,” and said that “the Gulf states see Turkey as a potential partner for security in the region.”

She pointed out that there was a positive atmosphere in the Middle East regarding “reducing tensions and integration” until recently.

She added: “But the superficiality of dealing is one of the most important problems, especially when it comes to dealing with the major conflicts in the region.”

She pointed out that the Gaza war broke out “as a result of the failure to address some of the root causes of conflicts in the region.”

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the massacres of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the Gaza Strip entered history as a disgrace.

This came in statements made by President Erdogan to reporters on board the plane during his return from the Emirates, which he visited on Friday, to participate in the Global Climate Action Summit within the framework of the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).

Erdogan added, “The massacres of Netanyahu’s government in Gaza entered history as a disgrace, and this stain also stained the foreheads of the countries that supported him without restrictions and conditions.”

Regarding the Israeli attacks on Gaza, President Erdogan said: “What we see is a massive act of terrorism. It is state terrorism. We cannot remain silent about this state terrorism.”

Erdogan stressed that Western countries, with the exception of some “brave” countries such as Spain, are not fulfilling their responsibilities in opposing injustice.

He continued, “We were not unjust in any period of history, and we did not accept injustice. That is why our foreheads are white, but the faces of those who are silent today are black.”

He stressed that the world “will never forget the indifference of these countries and international organizations, and they will pay the price for their silence for years and generations. We will do our utmost to ensure that the International Criminal Court punishes this genocide.”

The Turkish President pointed out that “Israel’s rulers, who have long promoted themselves as victims of genocide, have turned into killers, like the killers of their ancestors.”

He continued: “They will not be able to erase this from people’s minds, historical records, and consciences.”

Regarding the position towards the Hamas movement, Erdogan said: “I still stand by my opinion. I can never consider Hamas a terrorist organization, no matter what others say.”

Regarding holding those responsible for the massacres accountable, Erdogan said: “We expect from the International Criminal Court that the perpetrators of genocide and the butchers of Gaza, led by Netanyahu, receive the necessary punishment.”

President Erdogan said: “We hope that the decision that will be issued will satisfy those waiting for justice. We will pursue this case at the highest level.”

He continued: “We want all Israeli officials involved in this genocide to be tried and punished. The world has a duty to do so.”

The Turkish President pointed out that Israel will be held accountable sooner or later for the genocide it is committing.

He added: “Those who are afraid to speak out against the oppressor will certainly feel ashamed to remain silent. This is what I mean when I say: We are not beholden to anyone.”

He stressed that Turkey will continue to make its efforts in all forums to end the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and ensure a permanent ceasefire.

The Turkish President stated that from the beginning he supported a permanent ceasefire instead of a “humanitarian truce.”

He added: “What the situation has become as a result of the lawless Israeli approach has shown once again that we were right in our fears. There was an opportunity for peace and unfortunately we have lost it at the present time due to the intransigent Israeli approach.”

He continued: “I hope that we will once again get the opportunity for permanent peace that we are waiting for, and we will not give up the pursuit of peace. We continue our contacts with heads of state and government, and we expressed this opinion to our interlocutors during our meetings (at COP 28). We want to continue striving with them and we hope that we will obtain a result”.

President Erdogan pointed out that the efforts of the ministerial delegation formed by a decision of the Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh have begun to achieve results.

The delegation includes the Foreign Ministers of Turkey Hakan Fidan, Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan, Egypt Sameh Shukri, Qatar Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman, Jordan Ayman Al-Safadi, Palestine Riyad Al-Maliki, Indonesia Retno Marsudi, and Nigeria Yusuf Maitama Togar.

The Arab-Islamic delegation conducted a tour to the capitals of the five permanent members of the Security Council with the aim of building an international consensus to end the war on Gaza.

President Erdogan continued: “Western countries that support Israel constantly ask the question, ‘What will we do about the Hamas threat?’ Instead of the two-state solution, we say: If we focus now on the two-state solution, the mutual threats will also disappear.”

He touched on the final statement of the emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Riyadh last November, indicating that settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories were described as “terrorists” for the first time at the Islamic Cooperation Summit.

He pointed out that the only thing Westerners cannot currently defend is “murders committed by settlers.”

“Even the Americans are openly criticizing these illegal actions,” Erdogan said. “We can start by abandoning the term settler and using and spreading the description of terrorist occupier” when describing irregular settlers.

He stressed that the homes, lands and workplaces seized by these people were “private property” of the Palestinians.

On Friday morning, a temporary truce between the Palestinian resistance factions and Israel ended, concluded with Qatari-Egyptian mediation and lasted for 7 days, during which prisoners were exchanged and humanitarian aid was brought into the Strip, which is inhabited by about 2.3 million Palestinians.

On October 7, Israel launched a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving massive infrastructure destruction and tens of thousands of civilian casualties, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to official Palestinian and UN sources.

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The American newspaper “Politico” included Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom it described as a “mediator”, among “the most powerful figures in Europe 2024.”

The newspaper prepared a list of 28 names from Europe for “Europe’s Most Powerful Personalities 2024” and classified them into 3 separate categories.

The Turkish president ranked fifth in the “Doers” category, and the newspaper described him as a “mediator.”

The newspaper mentioned in a profile of the Turkish president published on its website that he had sought to present himself as a “strong geopolitical leader” for a long time, and had survived a failed coup attempt in 2016.

It reported that Erdogan “recently made the most of the two biggest geopolitical crises, which are the Russian-Ukrainian war and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.”

His role in Ukraine and Gaza

It added: “Erdogan is one of the few people who have connections to the Kremlin and the Ukrainian president’s office at the same time, and he has assumed the mediation role since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his forces to Ukraine in 2022.”

It also pointed out that the Turkish President led the grain shipping agreement through the Black Sea and strove hard for its continuation.

It noted that after the Hamas attacks on the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip on October 7, Erdogan again wanted to play the role of “mediation.”

It explained that he held de-escalation talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as the leaders of Egypt, Lebanon and Qatar.

Erdogan later sided with Palestine, describing Israel as the “occupier,” and stressing that “the West is the real culprit behind the massacre taking place in Gaza,” according to Politico.

“European officials are discussing ways to enhance cooperation with Erdogan”

The newspaper reported that Erdogan tried to bring himself back into the European Union’s orbit and used Sweden’s membership path in NATO to “depart” from the long-stalled path of Turkey’s membership in the European Union.

It pointed out that European Union membership is not currently being discussed in Turkey, and added: “However, European Union officials are looking for ways to enhance cooperation with Erdogan. This can be considered another geopolitical victory for the Turkish leader.”

In the same category, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ranked first, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ranked second, French President Emmanuel Macron ranked third, and the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, ranked fourth.

Erdogan was followed by European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, far-right Marine Le Pen, who competed in France’s presidential elections last year, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, and Britain’s main opposition Labor Party leader, Keir Starmer.

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Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Yasin Akram Sarim said that his country will continue its initiatives in all platforms in order to reach a solution regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip.

This came in press statements from the Rafah crossing in the Egyptian city of Al-Arish on Monday, according to what Turkish diplomatic sources reported.

The sources indicated that Sarim and Deputy Interior Minister Munir Karaloglu held discussions in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, with the relevant deputies of the Egyptian Foreign Minister, officials in the Red Crescent, and the authorities concerned with disasters and emergencies in Egypt.

It indicated that the Turkish officials then went to the Rafah crossing in Al-Arish, where Turkish aid arrives, in preparation for its entry into the Gaza Strip.

At the crossing, Sarim and Karaloglu met with employees of the Turkish Embassy in Cairo supervising the procedures for evacuating Turkish citizens from Gaza through the crossing, and they met with some of the citizens who were evacuated today.

Sarim stressed that Turkey has been working from the beginning to help people in Gaza and remove Turkish citizens from the region.

He said: “We are continuing our efforts in every platform to solve the problem.”

Sarim expressed his thanks to the Egyptian authorities for their cooperation, adding: “We have brothers in Gaza waiting to be evacuated, and we are continuing our work without interruption to ensure their exit as soon as possible.”

He stressed that Turkey will continue to do its utmost to ensure that the Palestinians obtain the peace and stability they deserve.

On November 24 of this year, a temporary humanitarian truce between Israel and the Palestinian factions entered into force at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) for a period of 4 days, subject to extension, under Qatari, Egyptian and American sponsorship.

The agreement included an exchange of prisoners and the introduction of humanitarian, relief, medical and fuel aid to all areas of the Strip, which is inhabited by about 2.3 million Palestinians.

On October 7, the Palestinian resistance launched an attack on the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip, during which it killed more than 1,200 Israelis, wounded more than 5,000, and captured about 239, while Israel launched a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving massive infrastructure destruction and tens of thousands dead and injured. Civilians, most of whom are children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to official Palestinian and UN sources.

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The Turkish Foreign Ministry described the temporary humanitarian truce agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip as a “positive development.”

The ministry said in a statement published on Wednesday: “We consider the agreement between the two parties to declare a humanitarian truce for a period of 4 days in Gaza, where attacks by Israeli forces have continued for more than 6 weeks, as a positive development in terms of reducing bloodshed to some extent.”

It stressed that Turkey is awaiting “full” compliance with the agreement, which stipulates the release of some hostages and detainees and an increase in the volume of humanitarian aid allowed to enter Gaza.

It expressed her hope that the humanitarian truce would help “to completely end the clashes as soon as possible and begin a process towards establishing a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.”

It expressed Ankara’s appreciation for the efforts made by Qatar to reach this agreement.

At dawn on Wednesday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that a humanitarian truce agreement had been reached in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Hamas movement, through joint mediation with Egypt and the United States, and the timing of its start will be announced within 24 hours.

The Qatari Ministry said that the agreement includes the exchange of 50 Israeli prisoners, including civilian women and children, in the Gaza Strip in the first stage in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, provided that the number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement.

On October 7, Hamas captured about 239 Israelis from Israeli settlements and military points around Gaza, including high-ranking soldiers, and wants to exchange them with more than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

Since the same day, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving more than 14,128 Palestinians dead, including more than 5,840 children and 3,920 women, in addition to more than 33,000 injured, 75 percent of whom are children and women, according to the government media office in Gaza. .

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