Turkish Foreign Minister Emphasizes Necessity of Reopening Strait of Hormuz and Halting Attacks on Saudi Arabia
Turkish Foreign Minister emphasizes the necessity of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks on Saudi Arabia during Istanbul meeting
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Istanbul, October 23 (KUNA) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressed on Friday the necessity of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks on Saudi Arabia, emphasizing that dialogue and diplomacy are the best means to resolve the region’s problems. These remarks came during a press conference following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the “R4” group, comprising Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, along with the “E3” (Britain, France, and Germany), with Italy attending, to discuss regional issues in Istanbul.
Fidan stressed that participating countries agreed on the need to stop attacks on Saudi Arabia amid concerns that escalation could undermine regional stability and vital sea lanes. He also affirmed that those present agreed that launching a new attack on Iran would widen the scope of war and conflict in the region once again. He clarified that all participating countries do not seek an expansion of the war and support its cessation as soon as possible, whether in the Gulf or in Ukraine, and called for a ceasefire.
He underscored the importance of a unified position among Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, and of conveying the same messages to the world regarding the war on Iran. Fidan said, “Of course, the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened as soon as possible, and the negative impacts on markets should be contained. But as I said, military intervention in Iran is not a solution in any way. No one supports it at present.”
Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, Fidan noted that the shared view of the participating countries is the need to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine as soon as possible, if feasible, and to conclude a peace agreement. He expressed hope for a ceasefire and peace in the near future and for resolving the issue at its roots.
The meeting, coordinated by Turkey and held for the first time as a coordination forum to discuss cooperation in resolving crises, was attended by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also joined the meeting. (End)
