23.10.2026 18:42
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made critical statements after the R4+E3 countries meeting held in Istanbul with the participation of 8 countries. Stating that consensus was reached that a new attack on Iran would spread the conflicts across the region, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, 'At the moment, no one approves of a new attack on Iran.' Developments in the Middle East, Ukraine, the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb were also discussed at the meeting.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned about possible new attacks on Iran after the international meeting held in Istanbul. Stating that eight countries do not want the war to spread further, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan pointed to diplomacy and dialogue for a solution.
CRITICAL MEETING IN ISTANBUL WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF 8 COUNTRIES Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended the Istanbul meeting of the R4 countries comprising Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and the E3 group comprising the UK, Germany and France. Italy also took part in the talks. Speaking to members of the press after the meeting, Fidan said that both regional and global developments had been comprehensively assessed. Minister Fidan made the following statements regarding the content of the meeting: "We hosted diplomacy in Istanbul. First, we held a four-party regional meeting and laid out in detail our region's problems and the point the solutions have reached. We reviewed many issues over and over, including Israel's destabilizing role in the region. Then we came together with our European colleagues and discussed both regional and global problems. At the moment, we discussed the situation in the Middle East on the one hand and the latest situation in the Black Sea on the other. These two situations are creating pressure on all governments, regardless of geography, on their citizens and on financing."
DEVELOPMENTS IN HORMUZ AND BAB AL-MANDAB DISCUSSED One of the important topics of the meeting was the international effects of the conflicts in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Fidan stated that the problems experienced especially in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab were addressed in the talks, and expressed that the participating countries showed a common approach to ending the wars. The Foreign Minister said the following in continuation of his statement: "We laid these out in detail. We discussed the problems and issues in both Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab. All the countries around the table do not want the war to spread further. They want the wars in both the Gulf and Ukraine to stop."
"NONE OF THE 8 COUNTRIES WANTS THE WAR TO SPREAD" The most striking part of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's statements was his assessment regarding a possible new military attack on Iran. Emphasizing that a new attack on Iran could carry the conflicts to a wider area, Foreign Minister Fidan stated that the countries participating in the meeting agreed on this matter. Minister Fidan continued his words as follows: "We agree that a new attack on Iran would spread the war and conflict in the region. Diplomacy and dialogue are the only solution, and intervention in Iran is not a solution. None of the 8 countries wants the war to spread. We discussed how we can do all of this through appropriate diplomatic methods."
"NOBODY APPROVES A NEW ATTACK ON IRAN" Drawing attention to the importance of the stance of global actors in resolving regional problems, Minister Fidan emphasized that diplomatic initiatives must be maintained. Minister Fidan concluded his statement with these words: "There is a great deal of room for both diplomacy and war. The stance of global actors, in particular, is what matters here. A consensus must be reached that dialogue is the only solution. Here, we discussed how we can reach a solution without allowing more war and destruction. At the moment, nobody approves of a new attack on Iran."