23.10.2026 14:20
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan conducted an intensive diplomatic schedule on the margins of the 9th Istanbul Mediation Conference and the R4+E3 Foreign Ministers Meeting. Fidan met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. Speaking at the conference, Fidan said Israel's ceasefire violations are increasing insecurity.
Istanbul became the center of diplomacy with the mediation conference organized at Türkiye's initiative and the R4+E3 meeting where 7 countries came together for the first time. Foreign Minister Fidan also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts alongside the meetings.
MEETING WITH PALESTINE, PAKISTAN, THE UNITED KINGDOM AND FRANCE
Foreign Minister Fidan met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin on the margins of the 9th Istanbul Mediation Conference. Fidan then met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar.
On the margins of the R4+E3 Foreign Ministers Meeting, Fidan held separate meetings with UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. No detailed information about the content of the meetings was shared.
7 COUNTRIES MET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE R4+E3 FORMAT
The R4 format, created at Türkiye's initiative, includes Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, while the E3 format includes Germany, the United Kingdom and France. Italy was also expected to attend the meeting, where the 7 countries came together in this format for the first time.
German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan were also expected to attend the meeting. The agenda of the meeting included the Palestinian issue, US-Iran tensions, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, stability in Syria and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“ISRAEL’S CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS INCREASE INSECURITY”
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Fidan stated that Israel's frequent violations of the ceasefire in Gaza weaken trust in the international system. Emphasizing that delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza and protecting children should be priorities, Fidan called for a just political solution covering Gaza and the West Bank.
Also touching on Türkiye's initiatives in the field of mediation, Fidan recalled examples such as the Russia-Ukraine negotiations, the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Ankara process between Somalia and Ethiopia. Stating that the parties must take ownership of the process for lasting peace, Fidan noted that the Mecca Alliance and the Balkan Peace Platform aim to protect security, peace and prosperity with an understanding of regional ownership.
OVER 200 HIGH-LEVEL PARTICIPANTS
The conference, held under the theme “Partnerships for Peace and New Perspectives: Mediation in a Changing World,” was attended by approximately 200 high-level participants, including diplomats, academics and conflict resolution experts. Senior representatives from the OSCE, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also participated in the conference. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent video messages to the conference.