Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan made a press statement and answered journalists' questions after the foreign ministers' meeting held in Istanbul with the participation of the regional four (R4) consisting of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and the European trio (E3) consisting of England, Germany and France, as well as Italy.
Stating that they hosted an intense international diplomacy in Istanbul, Fidan said that eight countries came together, first with the participation of the regional four, then the European trio and Italy.
Stating that they held the seventh meeting of the regional quartet, Fidan said, "As the regional quartet, with the participation of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan, we had the opportunity to discuss in detail the problems of our region and their solution methods, the transactions carried out so far, the measures taken, the point at which the problems have reached, and the stage at which the solutions have progressed."
Stating that they discussed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a possible attack on Iran, the Houthis' attack on Saudi Arabia and how the conflict can be ended, Fidan stated that they also reviewed their views and measures regarding Israel's possible destabilizing moves in Lebanon and Syria, especially in Palestine, Gaza and the West Bank.
“ALL COUNTRIES AGREE THAT DIPLOMACY AND DIALOGUE ARE THE ONLY WAY”
Stating that they discussed regional and global issues in their meeting with their European counterparts, Fidan drew attention to the effects of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the occasional interruption of passages in Babülmandeb and the almost disappearance of navigation security in the Black Sea on energy, food and free trade. Fidan said:
"These two incredibly affect the world's energy needs, food needs and the free trade regime. They create incredible pressure and burden on all governments, regardless of geography, on their citizens, on markets and on finance. Of course, the role of responsible states is to seek peaceful solutions to these problems as much as possible.
Of course, we discussed these in detail. Both the war in Ukraine, the attacks on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi Arabia, and then Israel's potentially destabilizing role in the region... How can all of this be prevented? And other troublesome issues beyond the region... We discussed all of these. What are our common positions regarding these?
Of course, all the countries around the table do not want more wars to become widespread. They support an immediate halt to the war and a ceasefire in both the Gulf and Ukraine. This is important. All countries agree that diplomacy and dialogue are the only way. Of course this is important. We decided to convey this message to all parties in the same form. We agree that a renewed attack on Iran, in particular, will indeed lead to a re-expansion of war and conflict in the region. "We almost reached a consensus that choosing dialogue and diplomacy instead is the best way."
Emphasizing that the Strait of Hormuz should be opened and the attacks against Saudi Arabia should stop, Fidan said that they are also evaluating the diplomatic tools and methods that can be used to achieve these goals.
Stating that the meeting was one of the most important diplomatic meetings in recent months in terms of its participants, agenda and place where it was held, Fidan stated that the coming together of the actors of the two neighboring geographies in Istanbul has a symbolic meaning. Fidan thanked the participating ministers and stated that they would go to Dolmabahçe Palace to be received by the President after the statement.
“A MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN IS NOT A SOLUTION IN ANY WAY”
Asked what concrete steps could be taken to solve the crisis in the Gulf and whether he was hopeful about a diplomatic solution, Fidan gave the following answer:
"This is an important question. Dear friends, in this case there is a huge scope for diplomacy and also for war. It depends on what attitude the relevant actors, the states in the region and some global actors will take on this issue. Therefore, the point we need to underline in today's meeting is that dialogue, without exception, is the only solution.
Of course, this does not mean that we allow anyone to violate another country's rights, etc., or that we will allow the Strait of Hormuz to remain closed. However, the parameters of how we can solve this issue without causing more wars to spread and without causing more destruction were discussed frankly. I don't want to go into details here, but the important thing, as I said, is that the countries around the table; England, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey agree and give the same message to the world on this issue.
Of course, the Strait of Hormuz needs to be opened as soon as possible. Its negative impact on the markets must now disappear. But as I said, a military intervention in Iran is by no means a solution. No one is confirming this right now. Turkey already had the opinion that diplomacy was the best way instead. That view is shared by other countries; “It is not only shared, it is also defended.”
“THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE OF OUR PLATFORM IS THAT IT IS AN UNOFFICIAL PLATFORM”
Answering the question about why the R4+E3 format is needed, what they aim to achieve differently from existing international organizations and whether the initiative will be long-lasting, Fidan said that both groups are working on the problems in their own geographies. Fidan said:
“There is the European trio, on the other hand, we have the regional four, and this regional four has really productive results. At one point, since the problems occurring in both geographies affected both sides, we decided to come together and talk about the problems in detail.
Of course, the most important feature of our platform is that it is an unofficial platform, it has many benefits such as being flexible, expressing our ideas freely, creating some policies around these ideas, and determining concrete action steps if necessary. In other words, we thought this format was correct, both in terms of its structure and implementation.
At the same time, we live in a world where what happens in the Middle East affects Europe, and what happens in Europe affects the Middle East. Both geographies continue each other geographically, historically and, at some point, culturally. Türkiye is at the exact crossing point of these. I just stated it at the beginning of my speech. The events in the Black Sea deeply affect the Middle East and Africa. In other words, the failure of grain from Ukraine and Russia to reach world markets can cause a major crisis in Egypt. The blockage and congestion in the Strait of Hormuz causes a serious energy crisis and an increase in prices in Europe. Therefore, there is nothing more normal than these two platforms coming together and working together.”
“WE SEE THE EFFORTS TO GAIN VOTES BY DEMONIZING TURKEY AS A CHEAP POLITICAL MOVE”
On the question about the expressions used towards Turkey and the comparisons with Iran before the elections in Israel, Fidan said:
“Dear friends, we categorically reject the issue of using Turkey in the rhetoric made in Israel during the elections. In other words, we see the political cheapness here, the efforts of some political radical parties to gather votes from the grassroots by criticizing and demonizing Turkey, as a cheap political move. "There is no way to take this too seriously."
“EITHER THE WAR SHOULD STOP, IF IT DOES NOT STOP, MAKE AN EXCEPTION ON ENERGY AND GRAIN”
Asked whether it was possible to reach an agreement regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, developments in the Black Sea and the passage of commercial ships carrying cargo, especially grain, Fidan stated that the issue was discussed at the meeting.
Stating that all participants want a ceasefire and a peace agreement based on it to be implemented in Ukraine as soon as possible, Fidan stated that if this cannot be achieved, there is a demand to take steps to ensure the safety and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. Fidan continued as follows:
“We explained to them the current role Turkey plays at this point and the initiatives we have taken. We consulted on what kind of initiatives Türkiye is currently taking, especially regarding the grain initiative, and what it is talking to the parties about. We also had issues we wanted to consult with them about this issue. We also met with them.
In other words, either the war should stop, or if not, an exception should be made regarding energy and grain by the parties. As you know, Türkiye made this possible two and a half years ago. In other words, while two countries are actually fighting to the point of destroying each other, at least international markets and other countries are not affected in the same way. I hope a ceasefire and peace will come as soon as possible, and this problem will be completely resolved. But our current issue right now is, how will we bring the grain currently in Ukraine and Russia to the world markets? What can we do for this? There are some proposals, there are opinions, there are discussions. "We are talking about it with the relevant parties, friends."
“WHAT ARE THE ISSUES THAT EGYPT WORRIES ABOUT, WHAT ARE THE ISSUES THAT LIBYA WORRIES ABOUT? "DIVISIONS CAN BE HELD ON THESE ISSUES"
Asked about the Libyan House of Representatives' acceptance of the memorandum of understanding regarding the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction signed between Türkiye and Libya and the reactions to it, Fidan made the following assessment:
“Dear friends, as you know, we signed the memorandum of understanding in 2019. Almost seven years have passed since then. Of course, we find it strange that the issue of the acceptance of an agreement, which is actually in force legally, by the Libyan House of Representatives after seven years, has become a source of great political noise.
Of course, here we see the work that Greece has publicly done before the European Union. So this is an understandable issue. With this agreement, our work to ensure stability in Libya will of course continue unabated.
Egypt also has some reservations about the agreement. We have been discussing this issue with Egypt for several years. As Türkiye, we stand in a very constructive position on this issue. In other words, Türkiye, Italy and Egypt came together to discuss the issues that Egypt is concerned about and the issues that Libya is concerned about. Of course, discussions can be held on these issues. Positive, constructive approaches can of course be put forward. It should also be put. We have no problems with this. I also expressed this to my Egyptian counterpart. "This is where our President stands."
“YOU WILL HEARD THAT WE WILL GIVE VERY GOOD NEWS TO Türkiye SOON”
Stating that a suitable stage has been reached for the permanent unification of the east and west of Libya, Fidan continued his statement as follows:
“On the other hand, we have now come to a ripe time for the unification of the east and west to be achieved permanently. For this purpose, there are studies carried out by some actors in the international community, and there are studies carried out by Turkey. These efforts include both ensuring political integrity and related issues, especially military issues... As you know, both sides have a military structure. These structures need to come together under a national army.
If there will be a country's integration, one of the most important pillars of this will be how will the military elements, which are controlled separately by each side, come together under one roof? Hopefully, you will soon hear that we, as Türkiye, will give very good news about this. Let me just say this for now.”
