Both leaders said they agreed “to avoid steps” that further threaten Middle East stability three months into the Hamas-Gaza war, despite their nations’ controversial role in the armed conflict.
Turkey, which supports “a two-state solution to end” the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has condemned Israel for its attacks on Hamas targets in Gaza.
Erdogan called for an immediate ceasefire and backed legal steps for Israel to be tried for “genocide.”
He earlier compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Germany’s wartime dictator Adolf Hitler, who oversaw the murder of some six million Jews and others he didn’t like.
Erdogan said he and Raisi discussed in Ankara this week ending Israel’s “inhumane” attacks on the Gaza Strip and the need for “fair and lasting peace” in the region.
Unlike its Western allies and some Arab nations, NATO alliance member Turkey refused to call Hamas a “terrorist” group. However, it recently killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped some 250 others in Israel.
The October 7 atrocities led to a retaliatory Israeli military campaign on Gaza, which continues today.
Iran leads what it calls the Axis of Resistance, a loose coalition that includes Hamas and armed Shi’ite Muslim groups around the region that militarily confronted Israel and Western allies.
However, “We agreed on the importance of refraining from steps that will further threaten the security and stability of our region,” Erdogan stressed.
He added they also agreed to continue cooperation against “cross-border threats” without elaborating.
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