Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued in the last hours a serious warning in the face of escalating tensions between the US and Iran, warning that if the current drift leads to war it will lead to a “disaster” in the entire Middle East.
“We are doing everything possible to reduce tensions between the US and Iran without dragging the region into a new conflict and chaos,” he said. “I met with US President Donald Trump and, the next day, with Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkian. We also had a trilateral meeting in Istanbul with the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, together with my foreign minister,” the Turkish president added, answering questions from journalists on board the presidential plane on his return from Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
“We have clearly stated our rejection of military intervention in Iran and we have conveyed this to our interlocutors. So far, I see that both sides want to open the door to diplomacy. This is a positive development. The solution to problems is not conflict, but finding common ground and negotiating. The process is still alive and not broken. The ground remains open for dialogue and diplomacy. I believe that, after progress in lower-level meetings, negotiations between leaders will also be beneficial. It is important that somehow a negotiating table is established given the growing military tensions,” Erdoğan was quoted as saying by the Turkish daily Hürriyet.
The Turkish president added that Turkey will work to strengthen dialogue at all levels: “We hope that the problems will be solved through dialogue and that a new conflict will not break out in our region. We will strengthen the negotiating ground, both through leader-to-leader diplomacy and through meetings in other areas. We will see how far this initiative expands and whether other countries get involved,” he said.
“We do not want a new war in Middle East“
In this context, Erdoğan remarked that Saudi Arabia shares the bid for regional stability that Türkiye is pushing for. “First and foremost, we do not want a new war in our region. I have always made this clear and I continue to do so. Saudi Arabia, of course, is affected by the conflicts in this area. They also want peace, tranquillity and common sense to prevail. Our sensitivities often coincide. Everyone knows that a fully established peace, tranquillity and stability in the region will benefit us all,” he said.
“In a geography dominated by conflict, bloodshed and tears, everyone will lose. That is why the most rational option is to stand on the side of peace. I believe that the countries of the region – in the light of the conflicts of recent years – have seen this clearly, and they support our position. It is time to break the circle of fire that surrounds us, and put out the fires,” continued the Turkish president.
Addressing the tense US-Iran relationship, Erdoğan insisted on the need to prioritise regional peace. “Analysing this issue only from a military perspective would lead the region to disaster. Further fanning the flames does no one any good. Our region has suffered enough bloodshed, tears and wars. Now we want to talk about peace and tranquillity and increased cooperation. Problems always exist; disagreements are part of international relations. That is what diplomacy is for. We must strengthen peaceful diplomacy. It is vital for the interests of both our country and the region,” he concluded.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
