Türkiye, U.S. stress civilian safety, uninterrupted aid delivery in Gaza

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) shakes hands with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ankara, Türkiye, Nov. 6, 2023. Türkiye and the United States on Monday agreed on the importance of ensuring uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the safety of its civilians. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

ANKARA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye and the United States on Monday agreed on the importance of ensuring uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the safety of its civilians.

In a meeting between Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the two diplomats agreed on the importance of preventing harm to civilians and ensuring the continuous and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid, the state-run TRT broadcaster quoted anonymous Turkish diplomatic sources as saying.

In the meeting, Fidan emphasized that "Israel should be prevented from targeting civilians and displacing people in Gaza, and a full ceasefire should be declared immediately," said the sources.

"During today's meeting, the need to work together for a two-state solution was also emphasized," said the diplomatic sources.

Bilateral and regional issues, along with NATO's expansion process within the framework of Sweden's membership were also discussed in the meeting, the TRT reported.

Blinken visited Ankara as part of his regional trip in the Middle East that included Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Iraq, where he met with senior officials to discuss developments in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Israel-Hamas conflict, raging for nearly a month, has led to the deaths of more than 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza, while in Israel, more than 1,400 people lost their lives.