Turkey will discuss the Gaza conflict and ties with the Arab League when its foreign minister attends a ministerial meeting of the group in Cairo on Tuesday for the first time in 13 years, a Turkish diplomatic source said, Reuters reports.

Turkey, which has condemned Israel for its onslaught against Hamas in Gaza and joined steps towards Israel facing genocide charges at the World Court, has had rocky ties with the Arab League in recent years.

While it has mended long-strained ties with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Ankara remains at odds with other Arab League members including Syria.

After the conflict in Gaza started, Turkey joined a joint contact group formed at a summit of the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to seek an end to the conflict.

The Turkish source said the invitation to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reflected a “growing interest” in Turkey’s regional role and improving ties with Arab League members, adding that Ankara wanted to increase institutional ties and cooperation with the group.

Turkey’s ties with Arab League members can help promote “solutions to current regional problems and concrete future cooperation,” the source said.

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