Turkey strongly condemned Israel's decision to announce the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for "persona non grata" and pledged full support for Lebanon. This was stated in a statement by the Directorate of Communications of the Turkish Presidency, published after the meeting of the National Security Council of Turkey, Turkish media reported, quoted by BTA.
The meeting in Beştepe Palace, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, lasted until late last night.
The Communications Directorate published a five-point statement on the main issues discussed at the meeting.
The declaration states that Turkey reaffirms its support for Lebanon amid the “inhuman” attacks by Israel that resulted in the deaths of vast numbers of people and the displacement of tens of thousands in less than two weeks.
Turkey's National Security Council condemned Israel for declaring the UN Secretary General “persona non grata”, calling it yet another example of Israel's disregard for international law.
The Council pointed out that Turkey is making great efforts to end the “genocide” against the Palestinian people by calling for an immediate ceasefire and lasting peace in the Palestinian territories. The Council called on the international community, in particular the UN Security Council, to take swift action to prevent the spread of the conflict in the region.
The statement released after the meeting stated that operations against terrorist organizations in Syria will continue without interruption and stressed that all threats to national security will be eliminated.
Turkey's commitment to cooperate with Iraq against threats from terrorist organizations such as the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) and its affiliated groups was also confirmed.
The Council also highlighted Turkey's commitment to promoting the achievement of lasting stability in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.