Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan to attend regional meeting in Riyadh

Meeting to bring together key regional actors, including Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Syria

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a high-level regional meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, bringing together key Middle Eastern and Asian countries to address escalating tensions amid the ongoing Iran-centered conflict, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

According to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, the meeting -- hosted by Saudi Arabia -- will also include representatives from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Syria, and Jordan.

The talks come amid rapidly intensifying regional instability since the joint US-Israeli offensive on Iran started on Feb. 28, along with Tehran’s subsequent retaliatory strikes across multiple countries in the region.

Focus on diplomacy, containment

Sources indicated that Fidan is expected to emphasize the need to end the ongoing war through diplomatic and peaceful means, warning that failure to do so could cause long-term and irreversible damage to inter-state relations across the region.

He is also expected to underline that recent attacks targeting Gulf countries are unacceptable and pose serious risks to the region’s future, while stressing the importance of restraint to prevent further escalation.

Fidan will likely call on regional actors to avoid being drawn into the conflict and highlight that a balanced and cautious approach is essential to prevent a wider war.

Regional ownership, Türkiye’s diplomatic role

During the meeting, Fidan is expected to stress the growing importance of “regional ownership” in resolving crises, arguing that solutions to regional problems must increasingly be shaped by regional actors themselves.

He will reiterate Türkiye’s readiness to contribute to diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring stability and reducing tensions.

The Turkish foreign minister is also expected to warn that the expansion of the conflict could severely impact energy security, trade routes, and global economic stability.

Security risks, terrorism concerns

According to the sources, Fidan will point to the risk of emerging security vacuums in the region, cautioning that such instability could be exploited by terrorist organizations.

He is also expected to call for a more active role by the international community in preventing further escalation and de-escalating tensions.

Lebanon, Palestine to be highlighted

Fidan is expected to raise concerns over Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, warning that they could push the country toward fragmentation and trigger large-scale displacement.

He will also stress that the current escalation should not divert international attention from the Palestinian issue, underlining the importance of keeping the humanitarian crisis in Palestine high on the global agenda, according to the diplomatic sources.

The meeting takes place as the Middle East faces one of its most volatile periods in recent years.

The tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.