(MENAFN) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday reiterated Türkiye’s full commitment to the Sharm el-Sheikh declaration, a peace initiative aimed at achieving a lasting truce in Gaza.

Following a Cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan stated, “We will fully support the (Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt) declaration through the end, and I believe the United States, Egypt, and Qatar will all take a similar position.”

His comments came after Monday’s peace summit in Egypt’s resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted over 20 global leaders, including Erdogan. During the event, Erdogan, Trump, Sisi, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed an agreement endorsing a ceasefire and a framework for permanent peace in Gaza.

Addressing the humanitarian situation in the enclave, Erdogan emphasized that international solidarity is crucial for easing Palestinian suffering. “Every effort to ease the burden of the oppressed people of Gaza is valuable to us. It is not anyone’s place or right to belittle this by simply saying ‘they signed a ceasefire’,” he said.

He noted that Türkiye has already sent more than 100,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza, underscoring Ankara’s consistent support for Palestinians across global platforms. Erdogan added that his government would continue to closely monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

The truce has coincided with the release of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons, following Hamas’ handover of 20 Israeli hostages earlier in the week. Reports indicate that since October 2023, Israeli strikes have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, leaving much of Gaza uninhabitable.

Erdogan also commented on Türkiye’s efforts to promote regional peace, noting improvements in ties with neighboring Syria. “The Turkish people have successfully passed the test of fellowship and neighborliness. Our relations with Syria are strengthening. As stability takes root in Syria, everything will improve significantly,” he said.

Turning to domestic priorities, Erdogan discussed Türkiye’s growing focus on energy independence and mineral development. He revealed that around 125,000 meters (410,105 feet) of drilling had been completed across 310 sites in a rare earth element field located in Beylikova, in the Eskisehir province.

He reported that approximately 694 million tons of resources — primarily rare earth elements, barite, and fluorite — had been identified at the site. “The Beylikova field, which contains 10 of the 17 rare earth elements, contains about 12.5 million tons of rare earth oxides. We aim to become one of the world's top five rare earth element producers,” Erdogan said.

To achieve that goal, Türkiye has already launched the Eti Maden Pilot Production Facility, designed to process 1,200 tons of ore per year. Erdogan added that efforts are underway to advance purification technologies and transform the pilot project into a full-scale industrial operation.

He noted that while many technologically advanced countries are “unfortunately hesitant” to share expertise in this area, Türkiye is seeking international cooperation to accelerate development. “Türkiye is also talking with expert organizations of countries with technological expertise to develop collaborations,” he said, stressing that “giving the rare earth element field in Beylikova over to any other country is out of the question.”

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