Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is traveling to Saudi Arabia on March 18 to join regional talks on the escalating conflict, emphasizing the need for negotiations and warning of lasting damage if the war is not brought to an end.
Fidan is scheduled to attend a meeting in Riyadh with representatives from countries including Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Syria, and Jordan, according to diplomatic sources.
Fidan is expected to stress the importance of pursuing a peaceful resolution to the conflict, warning that failure to do so could cause “lasting and irreparable damage” to relations among countries in the region.
He is also set to underscore that Türkiye condemns attacks on Gulf countries, describing them as unprovoked, unacceptable, and a serious threat to the region’s future. He is to reiterate Ankara’s readiness to support diplomatic initiatives aimed at restoring stability.
The visit is part of a broader regional tour focused on discussing steps to halt the war in the Middle East.
On March 17, speaking at a joint news conference in Ankara with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Fidan condemned political assassinations targeting Iranian officials and political figures, calling them “illegal acts outside the normal laws of war” that must end immediately.
He said the conflict was spreading into Lebanon and becoming more complex in Iraq, adding that Türkiye's efforts to remove what he described as “the calamity of war hanging over the Islamic world” were ongoing.
Fidan also warned that U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran pose serious risks to regional security, stressing that sustained diplomacy is essential to prevent further escalation.
He said he had held talks with numerous Western and Eastern counterparts to exchange views and assess developments.
“Our goal is the same: a geography where everyone lives within their own borders in security and sovereignty, where Palestinians have their own state, and where Iran, Arabs, and all of us live in peace, stability, and security,” he said. “This is possible. We have this vision, and we will continue to work toward it with great determination.”
