Middle East, French Minister Colonna: “Enough.” Who is he taking it out on?

The French Foreign Minister urged her Iranian counterpart to stop “destabilizing actions” that could expand the conflict in the Middle East. In a phone call with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister Catherine Colonna “gave a very clear message: the risk of regional conflagration has never been greater; Iran and its affiliates must immediately cease their destabilizing actions. No one would win by climbing,” said a statement from the Quai d’Orsay.

Meanwhile, Turkey also insists on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the reestablishment of dialogue with the United States. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had an almost 2-hour meeting in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during which several topics were discussed. According to what was announced by officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara, Fidan took the opportunity to renew the invitation to the United States to intervene “urgently” to achieve a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Turkey has never contained criticism of Israel’s harsh intervention and demands that the civilian population have access to humanitarian aid. Fidan reiterated the need to initiate a political process that leads to the creation of a Palestinian State, “the only path to peace”. Another topic under debate is Sweden’s entry into NATO. The United States is pressing, but Ankara reiterates today that “the last word belongs to parliament”. Ratification was initially scheduled for parliamentary work in the first week of January, but was postponed. The only thing missing is the green light from parliament and it is unlikely that it will not arrive at this point. The green light is closely linked to the sale of 40 American-made F16 war jets and 40 kits to modernize Ankara’s fleet, which has been awaited for more than two years. Fidan told Blinken today that Turkey awaits “the completion of the transfer process.” In this case, the green light from the US Congress is lacking, but enlargement to Sweden should unblock the situation.