MERSIN, TURKEY: Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater participated in the Port of Mersin in bidding farewell to a Qatari-Turkish ship loaded with 1,908 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians besieged in the Gaza Strip.
The Qatar Fund for Development contributed 1,358 tonnes, and the Disaster and Emergency Management Department of the Republic of Turkey contributed 550 tonnes of the ship’s load.
In a speech on the occasion of the aid ship’s departure from the Turkish port to Gaza, Al Khater said that on this day another image of the close fraternal cooperation between Qatar and the Republic of Turkey is evident.
She added, "Together we are witnessing the departure of a ship from the Port of Mersin to the Port of Al Arish in the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt, carrying more than 1,900 tonnes of humanitarian and relief aid to our brothers in the Gaza Strip who have been struggling for seven months with the horrors of killing, forced displacement, and hunger, and writing in letters of light the stories of steadfastness, sacrifice, and redemption. Stories that inspired the whole world, east and west, and history will remember them, generation after generation.”
She pointed out that this ship is the latest link in a series of established and ongoing cooperation between Qatar and Turkey in all fields that serve common interests and enhance security, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.
She stressed that the flow of humanitarian aid in a sustainable and unhindered manner to the entire Gaza Strip is a humanitarian duty and a legal obligation that falls primarily on the occupation forces, according to the Fourth Geneva Convention.
She pointed out that the Israeli occupation forces' bombing of the municipality of Rafah and their invasion of the land crossing stopped the entry of humanitarian aid and that the killing and intimidation caused the re-displacement of those who were displaced to those areas, a displacement imposed by the occupation forces themselves."
The Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the launch of the ship expresses the joint Qatari-Turkish vision regarding the catastrophic and unprecedented humanitarian situation in the sector and the need for concerted regional and international efforts to address it by all means.
She also stressed the need to take the necessary measures for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, in addition to stopping the policy of collective punishment, and stopping the use of food and aid as a weapon in this war, as well as providing full protection for civilians in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law.
She said that Qatar is still continuing its mediation efforts in partnership with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, release prisoners and detainees, ensure the arrival of more humanitarian aid, and protect civilians in the Gaza Strip, paving the way for the launch of an operation. A serious policy that leads to a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.
She pointed out that Qatar appreciates the great humanitarian and development efforts made by the Republic of Turkey in the Gaza Strip and at the regional and international levels to consolidate the foundations of security and stability. In this regard, she stressed that the cooperation between Qatar and Turkey in many other files will benefit millions around the world.
At the conclusion of her speech, the Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed pride in Qatar at the level of growing strategic relations with the Republic of Turkey, explaining that these relations derive their strength from the spirit of brotherhood, solidarity, mutual support and commonalities between the two brotherly peoples.
Attending the aid ship’s departure ceremony on Wednesday were Turkish Deputy Minister of Interior Münir Karaloğlu, and Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yasin Ekrem Serim, in addition to Okay Memiş, Head of AFAD, and a delegation from Qatar Fund for Development.
