Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has intensified diplomatic efforts recently and engaged with many of his counterparts to end the war in the Middle East, whose prolongation increases the risk of a wider armed conflict in the region and beyond.
His last engagement to this end was attending an online meeting on April 2 on the situation on Strait of Hormuz, the critical Mideast waterway that has been largely blocked for weeks, prompting concerns for a deeper energy and economic crisis in the world.
The meeting was organized by the British government, Turkish sources informed without giving details.
Türkiye has been playing an active role since the war between the U.S.-Israel and Iran begun on Feb. 28, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Fidan held talks with many global and regional actors, including the U.S. and Iran.
Earlier on April 2, Fidan spoke on the phone with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul during which the two top diplomats discussed efforts aimed at ending the war in the Middle East. They also exchanged views on bilateral issues.
On April 1, Fidan held separate phone calls with his Jordanian, Japanese, Qatari and Egyptian counterparts, discussing recent developments in the Middle East, according to the diplomatic sources.
Fidan and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi discussed the current situation in the region, including the Palestinian issue and the ongoing multifaceted diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war, the sources said.
The Turkish foreign minister also spoke with Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi, addressing political and economic matters, along with the Iran war and its global repercussions. In another phone call, Fidan and Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed the latest situation in the Gulf countries, assessing the course of the Iran war, the sources added.
Fidan also spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty over the phone, to discuss the war in the region and the Palestinian issue.
The minister exchanged a phone conversation with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on March 30 about actions to end the war in the region. On the same day Fidan also spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani.
The phone conversations followed a four-way meeting between Fidan, Aragchi, Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Ferhan in Islamabad on March 29.
