SHOTLIST: - ANTALYA, TÜRKİYE (MAY 15, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL) 1. TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FIDAN ADDRESSING AT PRESS CONFERENCE (Turkish)ANTALYA, TÜRKİYE - MAY 15: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized Thursday that Türkiye will continue to play a crucial role in European security. “As NATO's second-largest military, Türkiye will continue to play a crucial role in the European security architecture through its military capabilities and defense industry infrastructure,” Fidan told a press conference following a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Antalya, southern Türkiye. He emphasized that the discussions in Antalya reaffirmed NATO’s leading role in the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, adding that Europe’s security cannot be considered separately from NATO. Fidan emphasized NATO's strong determination to maintain the spirit of unity and solidarity, which has been its most valuable asset to date. He said efforts must continue to transform this determination into concrete actions. He also noted that the EU has recently announced several defense initiatives, which will only be effective if they are open to all NATO members. “In such a period, our expectation is that all steps in the field of security should be taken without unnecessary repetition, divergence, or detachment from NATO,” Fidan said, adding that they raised these issues in both alliance-wide meetings and bilateral talks. He added that Trump's statements about the US withdrawing from certain aspects of Europe's security architecture, as well as his suggestions for Europeans to become more self-sufficient and share defense burdens more equally, were well received at the meetings. He pointed out that European countries have launched a program to reduce their reliance on the US in defense, focusing on financial aspects such as constitutional changes in Germany, policy shifts in EU institutions, and the removal of debt limits in national budgets. Fidan emphasized that one of Türkiye's strategic political priorities has been to foster its role both in the EU perspective and within NATO. "We do not accept positions that we find lacking, disadvantageous, or harmful to us. We express our objections to these positions. We discuss them in appropriate environments and with suitable methods, and we will continue to do so,” he added. -Istanbul peace talks Fidan said global and regional issues will be discussed at the meeting, noting that efforts to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have intensified and that Türkiye has strong bilateral relations with both countries. "Since the beginning of the war, we have believed that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved through negotiation. As in 2022, we have expressed our willingness to host direct negotiations," he said, emphasizing Türkiye's support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Noting that he would meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the press conference, he said: "These visits alone show that the necessary will for peace is finally emerging. Harmonizing the parties' positions and establishing trust will be a significant step toward peace. I believe we have plenty of reasons to be hopeful. God willing, a just and lasting peace will be established." -Syria Fidan said they discussed the new phase in Syria with their counterparts, agreeing on prioritizing the country's stability and security. He warned that failure to achieve this could result in global repercussions. "Therefore, a joint effort is needed to help Syria overcome its challenges and to rebuild the country. As Türkiye, we continue to work towards the greater integration of Syria into the international community. At this stage, we are pleased to see that these efforts are yielding results,” he said. He emphasized that Israel's attacks, which lack any legitimate justification, pose a serious threat to Syria's stability. "Destabilizing Syria serves no one’s interest. The well-being and security of all components of Syrian society, including the Druze, is the responsibility of the central government. "Since taking office, the Damascus administration has acted carefully regarding inclusivity. Likewise, Syria has maintained a determined stance in combating all terrorist organizations, including ISIS (Daesh). The international community must support this approach. Together with some regional countries, we have begun taking necessary steps to strengthen Syria's capacity to fight ISIS (Daesh),” Fidan said. Referring to the agreement between the Syrian government and the PKK/YPG terrorist organization operating under the name of the SDF, Fidan said, "We had previously stated that, in principle, we viewed positively the terms of the agreement reached between the YPG and the Damascus administration." Fidan stressed the importance of carrying out the agreement's commitments, highlighting key expectations: the YPG's military structure should be dismantled, its members integrated into Syria's national army, borders protected by this unified force, and all ethnic groups, including Kurds, guaranteed equal rights and cultural freedom under a constitutionally inclusive vision for a new Syria. The Turkish foreign minister said these issues were discussed with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaibani, adding: "So far, we have not seen any steps taken by the YPG. We expect these steps to be taken." Fidan added that Erdogan has consistently pushed to lift US sanctions on Syria since President Trump took office and that the two leaders' trusting relationship has had a positive impact. Both President Trump and the new Pentagon leadership have expressed their intentions on this matter, he noted, adding: "With the principle of regional ownership, we are moving forward with a security approach that includes the fight against ISIS (Daesh) and other forms of terrorism, border security, and the principle of not harming neighboring countries. We will closely monitor the implementation of this comprehensive security framework." -Gaza Fidan highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, emphasizing the international expectation that US President Donald Trump will put pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid. He said that, while many lives have been lost in the conflict, the aid blockade is exacerbating deaths due to starvation, malnutrition, and a lack of medical supplies. He emphasized the importance of resolving the humanitarian situation and pursuing a two-state solution for Palestine, stating that it is critical for regional security, Israel, Palestine, and global stability. ”The fact that the entire world understands how necessary this is, yet no one is able to implement it, is, as we have always stated, an issue related to the crisis and blockage in the international system,” he added.