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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Karmod, a leading Turkish company in the pre-construction sector, announced that it will undertake the construction of residential camps for workers of the NEOM city project in Saudi Arabia.

The company’s general manager, Abdullah Yuger, said in a statement on Wednesday that they are excited to contribute to the smart city project in Saudi Arabia through its prefabricated buildings.

He explained that they have completed the project studies phase and have begun moving to the production phase, noting that the buildings planned for engineers and workers can accommodate 500 people, in addition to the dining halls.

He added that the production of the pre-buildings will be completed in a short time to be shipped by sea to the project site.

The NEOM region is a Saudi project for a cross-border city, launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017, and extends over an area of 460 km on the Red Sea coast.

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On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held two separate meetings with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, and his French counterpart, Stephane Ségournet.

Turkish diplomatic sources reported that Fidan’s meeting with Bin Farhan and Sigourney came within the framework of the meeting of foreign ministers of the G20 countries in Brazil.

In his meeting with his Saudi counterpart, the Turkish Foreign Minister discussed the steps that countries in the region could take to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution.

The two ministers also discussed bilateral and economic relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia and cooperation in the field of defense industries.

In another meeting, Fidan and Sigournet discussed regional issues and Turkish-European relations, according to the same sources.

Fidan stressed the need to take urgent steps to prevent the situation in Gaza from deteriorating further.

He pointed out that it is necessary for the international community to act unitedly on this issue.

Fidan also pointed out the need to end the war in Ukraine within the framework of the territorial integrity and political unity of Ukraine.

In addition, he stated that it would be a strategic mistake to keep Turkey’s EU membership process separate from other candidate countries.

The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting began on Wednesday in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro and will last for two days.

The meeting will address several issues, most notably the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, and tension in the Middle East.

The G20 is an intergovernmental forum primarily concerned with economic issues. It includes the twenty largest economies in the world, and its membership is 19 countries and the European Union.

The member states are: Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy and Japan.

As well as South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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Oil prices fell at the beginning of weekly trading on Monday by 2.6 percent compared to the close of the Friday session amid weak global demand for crude.

On Sunday, Saudi Aramco reduced the official selling price of its key Arab Light crude to a premium of $1.50 per barrel above the regional index for February.

This compares to a premium of $3.5 for the current month, which is the lowest level since November 2021.

Aramco’s decision comes after weak spot price differences for Middle Eastern crudes due to China’s weak appetite and increased global supplies, according to an analysis published by Bloomberg earlier today.

By 11:46 GMT, futures prices for Brent crude for March delivery fell by 2.6 percent, or $2.15, to $76.56 per barrel.

The significant reduction in official oil prices by Saudi Arabia reinforced signs of weakness in the global oil demand market in major markets, led by China.

Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of crude oil in the world, with a daily average of 6.6 million barrels compared to 7.5 million barrels per day in normal circumstances, but the Kingdom participates in the OPEC+ alliance agreement to reduce production.

Last year, oil recorded its first annual loss since 2020 as production expanded from outside OPEC+, and traders looked forward to a slowdown in demand growth, including from the main importer, China.

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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 meeting began between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his American counterpart, Antony Blinken, in Istanbul.

And it was said on Saturday that the meeting would be held between Fidan and Blinken at Wahid al-Din Palace.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to receive the US Secretary of State later.

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

Also it is also expected that Fidan and Blinken will discuss the Israeli attacks on Gaza, regional issues, and bilateral relations.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement on Thursday that Blinken will discuss a number of critical issues with his counterparts.

The discussion will take place over 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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The Saudi Ambassador to Turkey, Fahd bin Asaad Abu Al-Nasr, said on Thursday that the inauguration of the “Tashir” center in Turkey for visa granting services for visiting the Kingdom keeps pace with the development of fraternal relations between the two countries.

This came in a speech delivered by Abu Al-Nasr during a ceremony held at the Saudi Embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, to launch the work and services of the Saudi Visa Services Center “Tashir” affiliated with the Saudi Company for Visa and Travel Solutions in Turkey.

Abu Al-Nasr said, “In this period, the inauguration of a visa center in the Republic of Turkey came to keep pace with the great development in the strong fraternal relations between the two countries in all fields.”

He expressed his hope that “this step will contribute to creating a qualitative shift in consular services to the public and facilitating the procedures for obtaining entry visas to the Kingdom according to the latest technologies and the easiest means and in a short period.”

According to Abu Al-Nasr, the “Tashir” Center will be “a transit gate that opens new horizons about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the brotherly people of Turkey,” hoping that the center will be “an additional link that strengthens the historical bilateral relations” between the Kingdom and Turkey.”

He also praised “the diligent work of those in charge of the Tashir Center and the spirit of cooperation and coordination from all concerned parties, which produced fruits that raise the level of services provided to Turkish citizens.”

In this context, Abu Al-Nasr stressed that the Saudi Embassy in Turkey “is fully prepared to provide support to the center and to facilitate the tasks assigned to it.”

During his speech, he recalled the Kingdom’s announcement of “adding Turkey to the category of countries eligible to obtain an electronic visit visa (e-visa) and obtaining it within minutes, either through the website, by visiting a visa center, or upon arrival at one of the ports, which allows its holder to come to the Kingdom for the purpose of tourism and performing Umrah.” And visiting the Prophet’s Mosque.”

On October 21, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Saudi Arabia included Turkey among the list of countries that grant its citizens an electronic visa when visiting the Kingdom for tourist purposes, starting from October 17.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry pointed out at the time that previously, Turkish nationals were required to obtain a “visa sticker” when visiting Saudi Arabia for tourist purposes.

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