Newsletters
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned Friday that another military attack on Iran would further fuel conflict and instability across the Middle East, stressing that military intervention would not resolve the crisis.
“Military intervention in Iran is by no means a solution. No one supports this at the moment,” Fidan told reporters following the inaugural R4+E3 foreign ministers' meeting in Istanbul.
His remarks came amid reports that the United States and Israel have drawn up plans for potential renewed strikes against Iran following the U.S. midterm elections.
The war, which erupted in late February, remains unresolved despite a ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding aimed at paving the way for a final peace agreement.
Turning to the Russia-Ukraine war, Fidan called for an end to hostilities or, failing that, an agreement to protect essential energy and grain supplies from the consequences of the conflict.
“Either the war must stop, or, if it does not, parties must agree to exemptions for energy and grain issues,” he said.
The R4 mechanism, comprising Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, was established to promote lasting regional stability and strengthen diplomatic dialogue through a regional ownership approach.
The E3 grouping, consisting of Germany, the United Kingdom and France, emerged from trilateral diplomatic cooperation launched in 2003 to address Iran's nuclear program.
The two groups convened in Istanbul on Friday for their first joint foreign ministers' meeting, hosted by Fidan, with Italy also participating.
The meeting's agenda included regional crises, particularly the Palestinian question, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, developments in Yemen and diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The talks also aimed to explore opportunities for closer cooperation and coordination between the R4 and E3 countries.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
