Fidan, Lavrov discuss Gaza, Ukraine war in New York

The top diplomats of Türkiye and Russia have held a meeting in New York to discuss the ongoing wars between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and between Russia and Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov came together late on Jan. 22 in New York where they will attend a special meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Palestine, according to a post by the Turkish Ministry on X.

It did not give details about the content of the exchange between the two ministers. Apart from the regional conflicts, the two ministers were expected to highlight a number of bilateral issues, including the future meetings at the leaders' level.

The Russian media has reported about a prospected visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Türkiye for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 12. If realized, it will be Putin's first trip to Türkiye after Moscow staged the war against Ukraine in February 2022.

The U.N. Security Council meeting comes against the backdrop of a surge in violence in the region, with the Palestinian militant group reporting a death toll exceeding 25,000 in the Gaza Strip since its cross-border attack on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli offensive has resulted in an alarming 85 percent of Gaza's population being internally displaced, coupled with severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine. More than half of the enclave's infrastructure is now damaged or destroyed, according to the U.N.

Key agenda items included the immediate establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza, escalation of humanitarian aid efforts, the release of hostages taken by Hamas and exploring avenues for a two-state solution to achieve lasting peace in the region.