Fidan pushes for immediate Gaza ceasefire in Madrid talks

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gathered with his counterparts from the Gaza Contact Group in Madrid on Friday, emphasizing the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and continuity in humanitarian aid distribution.

Ministers from Muslim and European countries along with the European Union's foreign affairs chief gathered to discuss how to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Together, we want to identify the concrete actions that will enable us to make progress towards this objective," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social network X.

"The international community must take a decisive step towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East," the premier added.

Sanchez welcomed Fidan and other participants at his official residence before the start of the meeting at the foreign ministry in central Madrid, hosted by his top diplomat Jose Manuel Albares.

Diplomatic sources indicated that Türkiye's main objectives are to stop the ongoing violence in Gaza and maintain a steady flow of humanitarian aid, alongside advocating for progress toward a two-state solution. 

"The implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to ensure a just and lasting peace in the region through the peaceful and secure coexistence of the state of Palestine and the state of Israel," Albares told a news conference.

In attendance were Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia — all members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza — as well as the heads of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The European Union was represented by its foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell as well as the foreign...