Turkish top diplomat in contact with partners to end Mideast war

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has continued diplomatic engagement with relevant parties to end the war between the U.S.-Israel and Iran through negotiations, which would pave the way for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to diplomatic sources, Fidan spoke over the phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Ferhan Al Suud on April 13. Both calls addressed ways to end the war through diplomacy, the sources said.

The calls came after direct talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Islamabad over the weekend ended without an agreement. The negotiations, the highest-level contact between Washington and Tehran in decades, failed to produce a deal despite 21 hours of talks.

Fidan has been actively taking part in efforts to resolve the dispute between the warring sides and establish stability and peace in the region. He was in constant dialogue with Pakistani and American officials to narrow differences between Tehran and Washington.

In an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency on April 13, Fidan said, “The parties laid out their initial positions. Both sides are sincere about the ceasefire and aware of its need. If things go well, an additional ceasefire period of 45 or 60 days might be possible to allow negotiations to continue.”

He also emphasized the necessity of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.

"We are feeling the indirect effects of the closure of Hormuz. Our position is that it should be opened through peaceful means. It would be very challenging to deploy an international armed peacekeeping force there. We see that many countries are not willing to do this," he said.