Fidan visits Qatar as part of regional tour to stop Middle East war

2026-03-19 - 10:20

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay a visit to Qatar on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said. The ministry confirmed Fidan's visit in a brief written statement but did not provide any additional information. The trip is part of a broader diplomatic initiative announced earlier this week. Regional tour On Tuesday, Fidan said he will begin a tour to regional countries starting Wednesday to discuss possible steps to stop the war in the Middle East. The Qatari visit follows Fidan's attendance at a meeting in Riyadh hosted by Saudi Arabia to discuss recent regional developments, indicating coordinated diplomatic efforts among key regional actors. Diplomatic context Fidan's regional tour comes as the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its third week, with over 1,300 killed in Iran according to Iranian authorities, including former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The conflict has expanded to Lebanon where over one million have been displaced, and has disrupted global oil markets through the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Turkish mediation efforts Ankara has maintained intensive diplomatic engagement throughout the crisis, with President Erdogan and Fidan holding multiple calls with regional and Western leaders. Türkiye has advocated for de-escalation and a return to dialogue while opposing both US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation against neighboring countries.