Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan traveled to Qatar on March 19 for high-level talks with the Gulf nation’s leadership, as Ankara intensifies diplomatic efforts to address rising instability across the Middle East.
During the visit, Fidan met Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as well as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The meetings were set to focus on regional security developments and potential avenues for de-escalation, with a joint press conference anticipated afterward.
The trip comes as part of a broader regional outreach by Ankara, following Fidan’s recent participation in diplomatic discussions in Riyadh. There, he held talks with counterparts from multiple countries on the intensifying conflict and possible coordinated responses.
Participants included representatives from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Syria and Jordan, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources.
Fidan also held a phone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss the course of the ongoing war. No further details of the conversation were disclosed.
Hostilities have intensified since a joint U.S.-Israeli offensive on Iran began on Feb. 28, triggering retaliatory drone and missile strikes by Tehran targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets.
Fidan said earlier this week that Türkiye would engage regional actors in a series of consultations aimed at halting the ongoing hostilities. Turkish officials have increasingly emphasized dialogue and multilateral coordination as tensions continue to mount.
The latest round of diplomacy unfolds against the backdrop of escalating confrontations that have led to mounting casualties, infrastructure damage and disruptions to global markets and air travel.
Ankara has positioned itself as an active diplomatic interlocutor, maintaining contacts with various parties while urging restraint and renewed negotiations to prevent further escalation.
