President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday convened the presidential cabinet for a meeting focusing on six critical topics, including Israel’s war on Gaza.
The cabinet will tackle Israel’s brutal offensive on the blockaded Palestinian enclave, which has killed at least 41,000 people since Oct. 7 last year, and occupational policies in Palestine, as well as recent attacks on Lebanon.
The ministers will discuss steps to stopping inhumane attacks on Palestine and Lebanon, restraining Israel and preventing the war from spreading across the region.
Israel said earlier this month that it was shifting its focus from Gaza to securing its northern border with Lebanon. Israel's strikes on Lebanon have killed hundreds and forced hundreds of thousands more to flee their homes, and left people across the region fearful of more violence to come.
Ankara has accused Tel Aviv of looking to expand the ongoing conflict with Palestinians to the wider region since Oct. 7.
Plans to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and Lebanon are also on the table for the cabinet.
The fight against inflation and exorbitant prices are next on the agenda. The ministers will discuss steps taken to reduce inflation to single digits and the implementation of the medium-term program (OVP), which was announced in September 2023.
The government brought its growth forecast from 4% to 3.5% as part of the OVP. The program’s macroeconomic data and following measures will be up for discussion.
Another notable headline is the war on terror. Ministers will discuss the latest from the counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq and Syria against the PKK and YPG terror groups.
The cabinet will also discuss Erdoğan’s high-level meetings in New York last week on the sidelines of the 79th U.N. General Assembly.
The president is expected to head to Tataristan on Oct. 23-24, which the cabinet will discuss among other diplomatic trips scheduled for Erdoğan in the coming term.
Before flying to New York, Erdoğan told reporters that Türkiye was ready to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, more than a decade after Ankara and Damascus severed relations in the wake of the 2011 unrest.
He said he was waiting for the reply of Assad for a meeting to normalize ties and that tensions should end in Syria and Türkiye, and Damascus should take joint steps for stability in Syria.