Türkiye says allegations about Hague Group Statement are 'unfounded'

ISTANBUL

Allegations that Türkiye did not support a joint statement issued by the Hague Group after a meeting in Colombia on July 15-16 are "unfounded" and aimed at disinformation, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

"As anyone with experience and knowledge in such matters would know, participation in decisions and joint statements adopted at international meetings typically follows a set timeline," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that the countries may approve the joint statement prepared at the end of the Bogota meeting until Sept. 20 and that currently, only 12 of the 30 countries present at the meeting have declared their participation.

Some of the issues included in the joint statement require inter-institutional coordination due to Türkiye's international legal obligations, the ministry said, adding that in this respect, all relevant institutions and organizations must complete the necessary preparations before participating in the joint statement.

In fact, Türkiye is already implementing almost all of the measures mentioned in the statement, the ministry said, underlining that Türkiye, as it has done before, will continue to strongly support all initiatives that protect Palestinian rights.

"We advise against approaching Türkiye’s Gaza policy with a mindset rooted in misinformation or ill intent," it added.