For the first time in 13 years, Turkey’s foreign minister will attend a ministerial meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on Tuesday, as relations between Turkey and the League show signs of improvement. A Turkish diplomatic source revealed the agenda will focus on the ongoing Gaza war and Ankara’s ties with the regional organization.
Turkey has vocally condemned Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza and recently supported efforts to hold Israel accountable at the International Court of Justice for alleged genocide. Relations between Ankara and the Arab League have been strained in recent years, particularly with members like Syria, but Turkey has been rebuilding ties with key states like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Turkey’s participation in the upcoming meeting is seen as part of its broader efforts to strengthen cooperation in the region. The country joined a joint contact group formed by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the Gaza war, seeking to contribute to diplomatic solutions.
According to the Turkish diplomatic source, the invitation to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan underscores Turkey’s growing regional role and its desire to foster deeper institutional ties with the Arab League. The source emphasized that Turkey’s relations with Arab League members could pave the way for “concrete future cooperation and solutions to regional problems.”
Ongoing negotiations between Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for a free trade agreement are expected to conclude by the end of the year. Meanwhile, President Tayyip Erdogan has called for an alliance of Islamic nations to counter what he describes as Israeli “expansionism.”
Turkey’s last appearance at an Arab League meeting dates back to 2011 when then-Prime Minister Erdogan addressed the group’s ministers in Cairo.