Foreign Ministers meeting on Middle East war can be held in Islamabad: Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye foreign minister’s meeting on the war in the Middle East could take place this weekend in Islamabad.

“Initially, we had planned to hold this meeting in Türkiye… However, since our Pakistani counterparts are required to remain in their country, we moved the meeting to Pakistan,” Turkish foreign minister said in an interview.

“It is possible that we will meet there this weekend,” Fidan added.

According to Ankara’s top diplomat, the first objective is to stop the war. “It now seems that phase of talks has come around”.

He said a message has been sent through Pakistan, the Americans have been in the loop. “We are also keeping Iranians aware about the dialogue”. “We would work for the peace without losing the hope”, he said.

He said the present position of talks, has been different from the positions prior to the war. “The conflict has come around to a specific point, now the demands will definitely be different”. “I advise the parties don’t attach to initial positions seriously”, Turkey’s foreign minister said.

He said in view of the past experience Iran lacks trust on the dialogue.

“Entire world expects an early end of this unjust war,” he added.

Earlier on Friday, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he expected a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan “very soon”, without revealing his source.

While Tehran has refused to admit to holding official talks with Washington, Iran has passed a response to US President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war via Islamabad, according to an anonymous source cited by the Iranian Tasnim press agency.

Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday he believes Iran will hold talks with Washington “this week” to end the month-long war in the Middle East.

“We think there will be meetings this week, we’re certainly hopeful for it,” Witkoff told a business forum in Miami when asked about the Iran negotiations.