Turkey – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his US counterpart Joe Biden that the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown at every step that it does not want to achieve peace and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This came during a phone call between them on Thursday, according to a statement issued by the Presidency of the Communications Department of the Turkish Presidency.
The statement explained that Erdogan and Biden discussed during the phone call bilateral relations, the Gaza Strip file, and the prisoner exchange process that took place in Turkey.
He added that Erdogan confirmed to Biden that the scenes of applause for Netanyahu during his speech in the US Congress caused deep disappointment in Turkey and the world.
Erdogan stressed that the assassination of the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian factions, Ismail Haniyeh, dealt a severe blow to the ceasefire efforts, and that Israel is working to spread the ongoing conflict in Gaza to the entire region.
Regarding Turkish-American relations, Erdogan indicated that Ankara is doing its utmost to improve them in all areas, and that it will continue to do so.
The statement said that Biden thanked Erdogan for his efforts in ensuring the implementation of the prisoner exchange process that took place in Türkiye.
It is noteworthy that Turkish intelligence succeeded in coordinating the largest prisoner exchange between 7 countries in recent years, which included 26 prisoners.
Security sources told Anadolu Agency on Thursday that the operation included the release of Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
As part of the operation, 10 hostages, including two children, were transferred to Russia, 13 hostages to Germany, and 3 hostages to the United States, according to the sources.
Anatolia
#Erdogan #Biden #Netanyahu #administration #ceasefire #Gaza
2024-08-02 20:38:58
