Erdogan discusses Israeli-Palestinian conflict with NATO chief, Zelensky

Istanbul, Oct 22

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip in separate phone calls with NATO chief and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Turkish presidency said.

During the phone call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Erdogan urged the West and the rest of the world to "take action as soon as possible to end the humanitarian tragedies" unfolding in Gaza, the presidency said in a post on social media platform X.

The Turkish leader held Western countries' attitude responsible for increasing human rights violations in Gaza and warned that their failure to stop Israel would lead to "irreparable consequences", Xinhua news agency reported.

Erdogan discussed with Stoltenberg the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to innocent civilians, according to the presidency.

With Zelensky, Erdogan also talked about the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians and the humanitarian crisis in the region in addition to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the presidency said.

President Erdogan stated that it is possible to resolve conflicts in the region, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, through peaceful means, and that Turkey will continue to make every effort to achieve this, according to the presidency.