Turkey: Erdogan chairs meeting on regional developments

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday chaired a meeting to discuss recent developments in the region.

Following the Istanbul meeting, held in the Dolmabahce Palace, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said the meeting discussed recent developments in Iraq, Libya and Syria, as well as the recent U.S.-Iran row.

“Our president emphasized that Turkey should continue to maintain its constructive attitude in the face regional developments, to take effective steps to ensure peace and stability and to use all the potential of diplomacy,” Altun said in a written statement.

The high-level meeting was held in attendance of Vice President Fuat Oktay, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, as well as Hakan Fidan, the head of National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesman for the presidency, and Altun.

The meeting came after the Turkish parliament ratified Thursday a motion authorizing the government to send troops to Libya, and the U.S. confirmed Friday killing of a top Iranian commander.

The U.S. airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force, in Baghdad, Iraq came amid heightened tensions after thousands of Iran-backed protesters stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday.

Turkey on Friday voiced concern over the U.S.-Iran tension following the killing of Soleimani, warning the move will escalate “insecurity and instability” in the region.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin in Ankara