By Merve Aydogan
HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Türkiye on Thursday welcomed the "long-overdue" Gaza ceasefire and urged the international community to safeguard the truce and support humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.
"Türkiye welcomes the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza and calls for the full and immediate implementation of the ceasefire agreement," Türkiye's deputy envoy to the UN, Asli Guven, said at a Security Council session on Palestine, adding that the "foremost priority, as the international community, must be to preserve this long-overdue and hard-achieved ceasefire at all costs."
"It is imperative to prevent ceasefire violations and settler violence in the West Bank," she said, noting that "attacks and destabilizing policies towards Lebanon, Syria, and the broader region must stop."
Guven stressed that "the Middle East cannot endure a persistent cycle of prolonged warfare. Disputes must be solved through diplomatic engagement and negotiation, not through force.
"Our second priority must be to ensure the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza and to initiate reconstruction efforts without further delay, in close coordination with the United Nations and its relevant agencies, including UNRWA."
Highlighting Türkiye's efforts in humanitarian support to Gaza, she pledged that Türkiye will "continue to provide substantial humanitarian assistance to Gaza in the period ahead and stand ready to contribute to reconstruction efforts, in close cooperation with the international community."
Noting the importance of long-term political arrangements, she also said: "It is essential to define and operationalize the arrangements for 'the day after,' as underlined in the ceasefire agreement, including the governance of Gaza, an international stabilization force, and the creation of a credible political horizon, in coordination with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people."
She further affirmed Türkiye's commitment to a two-state solution, and said: "Lasting peace in the Middle East can only be achieved through a political solution based on the two-state vision and pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent, sovereign, and geographically contiguous State of Palestine."
"Türkiye reaffirms its commitment to actively contribute and extend its support throughout the implementation phases of the ceasefire agreement. We will continue to support and mobilize all efforts toward the attainment of a lasting peace in the Middle East," Guven added.