Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call Tuesday with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to discuss diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the ongoing war in the Middle East, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Regional escalation has flared since Israel and the U.S. launched a joint attack against Iran on Feb. 28. Over 1,200 people have since been killed and thousands of others injured.
Tehran has refused to surrender and retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries that are home to U.S. military assets.
According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Fidan spoke separately with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The discussions focused on the risks posed by the ongoing war and attacks affecting third countries.
Fidan also spoke with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, exchanging views on possible steps to reduce tensions in the region.
Most recently, in another call on Tuesday, Fidan told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that any violation of Turkish airspace was unacceptable and said Türkiye would continue taking all necessary measures to safeguard its security.