Sharm el-sheikh: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday attended the signing ceremony of the declaration of intent to end the war in Gaza at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he went at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US counterpart Donald Trump.
According to Anadolu Agency, prior to the ceremony, Erdogan was welcomed by Trump at the International Convention Center, where the Turkish president engaged in a brief conversation with Trump before posing for a photo. Following US President Trump's welcome to the leaders of the participating countries, a family photo was taken, marking the significance of the event.
The ceremony commenced with the arrival of leaders from numerous countries, during which the US president delivered the opening speech. Erdogan, Trump, Sisi, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani then signed the agreement, emphasizing a commitment to "tolerance, dignity, and equal opportunity" for all individuals in the region, regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity. The leaders highlighted a shared vision of peace, security, and prosperity, reflecting mutual respect and a sense of shared destiny.
The agreement acknowledged progress in establishing comprehensive and durable peace arrangements in the Gaza Strip and expressed commitment to fostering friendly and mutually beneficial relationships between Israel and its regional neighbors. The leaders pledged to work together to uphold this legacy, aiming to establish institutional foundations that will enable future generations to thrive in peace.
After the signing, the leaders posed for a souvenir photo before Erdogan departed from Egypt to return to Trkiye. Accompanying him were Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and the president's Chief Adviser on Foreign Policy and Security, Akif Cagatay Kilic.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Friday as part of Trump's plan to end a two-year Israeli war on the enclave. Earlier on Monday, Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails began to be released after Hamas freed all 20 living Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip. Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of more than 67,800 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, leaving the enclave largely uninhabitable.