Fidan meets Azeri, Pakistani counterparts at Riyadh regional summit

2026-03-18 - 22:19

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate meetings Wednesday with his Azerbaijani and Pakistani counterparts on the sidelines of a high-level regional gathering in Riyadh, as regional powers scramble to coordinate responses to the widening Iran conflict. The discussions underscore Türkiye's active diplomatic engagement across multiple fronts. Bilateral talks amid crisis According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Fidan met with Azerbaijan's Jeyhun Bayramov and Pakistan's Mohammad Ishaq Dar to discuss recent regional developments. The conversations took place during a Saudi-hosted meeting bringing together key Middle Eastern and Asian countries to address escalating tensions stemming from the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, which began Feb. 28 and has now claimed approximately 1,300 lives including former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Regional coordination efforts The Riyadh gathering includes representatives from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Türkiye, according to Foreign Ministry sources. The broad participation reflects growing concern among regional states about the conflict's spread, with Iran having launched retaliatory strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets. The meetings provide a platform for coordinating positions and potential collective responses. Türkiye's diplomatic push Fidan's participation in the Riyadh summit forms part of Ankara's broader diplomatic initiative, which includes an upcoming regional tour focused on ending the war. The foreign minister has also spoken recently with his Russian and Iranian counterparts, maintaining communication with all major parties to the conflict. Türkiye's unique position—maintaining relations with both Tehran and Western allies while hosting significant NATO assets—positions it as a potential interlocutor even as hostilities continue to expand.