Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a special interview with the Turkish television TGRT that Turkey is not a party to the war between Russia and Ukraine and therefore had no place at the meetings in Alaska and Washington, where the conditions for achieving peace were discussed.
„Putin and Trump met in Alaska, and in Washington Trump met with European leaders and Zelensky. This means that Trump met with the warring parties. We are not a party to this war. "Therefore, we should neither be in Alaska nor in Washington," said Hakan Fidan, thus responding to the opposition's accusations.
In the studio, the Turkish Foreign Minister also commented on his conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio today, with whom they discussed finding a solution to the famine in Gaza, as well as the progress of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Hakan Fidan said that Turkey is hopeful about achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine.
"We have many reasons for this hope. During the negotiations in Istanbul, in all three rounds, there were topics on which progress was made. We saw that topics and positions that were put on the table during the third round of negotiations were then confirmed in Alaska. But are there any problems - there are! Previously, the Russians wanted control of four regions and their borders. Now, giving up these demands, they want to remain on the line of contact, with the exception of Donbass. They also want 25-30% of Donetsk to be returned to them and to be in constant contact with Zaporizhia“, Fidan explained.
The other important topic he commented on was the situation in Gaza, for which the Turkish Parliament is convening an extraordinary session on August 29, 2025. Hakan Fidan himself will be heard at it.
“The rhetoric and language of the world on this issue has changed. The positions that could not be changed regarding Israel and Palestine have been blurred. What makes this change possible are the women and children who died there and shed their blood. The genocide in Gaza will not stop suddenly, but this blood is a symbol of the oppressed raising their heads before the world," said the Turkish Foreign Minister.
According to him, the world can already see that "behind the mask of Israel's security, there is a desire to expand its territories".
Hakan Fidan also commented on the role of the United States in the war, emphasizing that it is Washington that can stop Netanyahu. The Turkish Foreign Minister predicted that the issue of support for Israel will have an impact on US domestic policy.
The authorities in Turkey have announced the start of a project to build new bomb shelters in all districts of the country in order for Turkish citizens to be better prepared for emergencies such as wars, natural disasters and radiation leaks, the electronic publication "Daily Sabah" reported.
The initiative for the construction of the new bomb shelters lies with the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also expressed support for the project. In connection with the project, the ministry has assigned the Housing and Urban Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) to build the necessary infrastructure, and work has already begun in some districts, including Ankara, Daily Sabah notes.
Requirements for the construction of bomb shelters are not a new phenomenon in Turkey. According to a regulation introduced in 1987, large buildings in the country must necessarily include shelters for their occupants. However, the implementation of the regulations has been almost completely ignored, and in many cases, the areas designated for the construction of bomb shelters are used as parking lots or storage rooms, Daily Sabah also notes.