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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on the United States and Iran to come to the negotiating table on Friday, saying military options "won't work" and warning that Israel is trying to convince Washington to attack Tehran in a move that could severely damage regional stability.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul, Fidan emphasized that resuming nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S. on a constructive basis is vitally important for reducing regional tensions.
"Negotiations will also open the way for the lifting of sanctions against Iran and Iran's integration into the international economic system. These steps will provide significant gains for all parties. At this point, relations need to be normalized on a new agreement basis," Fidan said.
"We call on the parties to the negotiating table. When a negotiating table is established, we believe that addressing issues separately will facilitate reaching a solution," he added.
Fidan reiterated Türkiye's firm opposition to military action against Iran.
"Starting with our President, we have conveyed to all our counterparts at every opportunity that we are against a military intervention against Iran," Fidan said.
"We repeat from here: We are against resorting to military options to solve problems. We do not believe this will work very well. We advocate for negotiation and diplomacy. What happened in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza remains fresh in our memory. While trying to heal the wounds of the past, opening another wound in our region will not benefit anyone," he stated.
The Turkish foreign minister noted that President Erdogan spoke with Iranian President Pezeshkian by phone earlier Friday to convey the same message.
The Turkish foreign minister accused Israel of attempting to push Washington toward military action against Iran.
"On the other hand, we also see that Israel is trying to convince the U.S. to carry out a military attack on Iran. Israel's efforts have the potential to cause great damage to the fragile stability of our region," Fidan warned.
"We hope that the U.S. administration will act with common sense and not allow this. Israel must end its destabilization policies in the region," he said.
Fidan expressed condolences over deaths during recent protests in Iran and said Türkiye hopes for internal issues to be resolved peacefully.
"We wish that Iran's internal issues will be resolved peacefully by the Iranian people without foreign intervention," Fidan said.
"It is gratifying that the incidents have largely subsided. We wish for the calm to be permanent," he added.
Fidan also warned that the PKK terrorist organization has been trying to exploit recent developments in Iran, emphasizing the need for a joint struggle against the PKK/PJAK threat to both countries.
Fidan described Türkiye and Iran as "two important actors in their geography" and emphasized the value of continued contacts for regional security and prosperity.
"I wholeheartedly believe that the continuity of contacts is beneficial not only for our bilateral relations but also for regional security and prosperity," Fidan said.
Following the press conference, Araghchi was scheduled to be received by President Erdogan.
Fidan announced he will participate in the Gaza Executive Board's work to support the National Committee for Gaza Governance and the High Representative.
"Gaza's immediate issue before us today is to ease the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Gaza and enable them to look to the future with hope. Phase two of the Gaza Peace Plan has begun. Our country made a serious contribution to achieving the ceasefire in Gaza," Fidan noted.
"We will continue to actively participate in the process going forward," he stated.
Türkiye's fundamental objectives for Gaza are clear, according to Fidan:
Fidan said Türkiye is closely examining the new integration agreement announced between Damascus and the SDF.
"As you know, there is an extended ceasefire process since Jan. 24. We also heard that an agreement was reached on integration today; messages had come to us overnight. We are, of course, closely examining this agreement. Real integration is in Syria's interest. The parties already know the conditions for this," Fidan said.
He emphasized the importance of completing the safe transfer of prisoners from detention facilities to Iraq.
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