President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed the cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran on Wednesday, while hoping for full implementation on the ground.
"We welcome the cease-fire declared last night in the war that has turned our region into a battleground since Feb. 28," Erdoğan said.
"We hope the cease-fire will be fully implemented on the ground without giving rise to possible provocations or acts of sabotage," he added.
He also lauded Pakistan's role as a mediator and said: "We sincerely congratulate all actors who contributed to the process leading to the cease-fire, especially our friend and brother Pakistan."
Erdoğan also sent out a message for broader regional peace and reiterated that Türkiye will continue to play a key role in that end.
"It is our heartfelt hope that our region – having suffered greatly from war, conflict, tension and oppression – will soon attain peace, tranquility, and stability," he said.
"Türkiye will continue to raise the voice of peace both in its region and around the world," said Erdoğan.
Earlier Wednesday, Türkiye formally welcomed the two-week cease-fire in the Iran conflict and called for full compliance from the warring parties.
"We emphasize the necessity of the full implementation of the temporary ceasefire on the ground and express our expectation that all parties will adhere to the agreement," said the Foreign Ministry in Ankara.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the two-week cease-fire around 90 minutes before the expiry of his deadline overnight, putting a pause on more than a month of fighting since the U.S. and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
Ankara said that the path to lasting peace can only be achieved "dialogue, diplomacy, and mutual trust."
"We will continue to extend all necessary support for the successful conclusion of the negotiations to be held in Islamabad," the ministry said.
It also congratulated Pakistan for its role in brokering the cease-fire and said it would support negotiations set to take place in Islamabad.
Security sources said the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) of Türkiye played an active role in facilitating the cease-fire and preventing escalation of the conflict.
Under the instructions of Erdoğan, MIT has been effective, in cooperation with other agencies, for de-escalation and cease-fire.
The organization chaired by Ibrahim Kalın, a former chief adviser to the president, was in touch with many countries, from the U.S., Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt, to the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. Sources said MIT also engaged in talks with their Iranian counterparts as well as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) through “usual communication channels,” relaying messages and recommendations to end the conflict. It also helped the evacuation of citizens of third countries from the conflict zones and responded to humanitarian requests.
Sources stated that MIT also worked to prevent any harm to the ongoing terror-free Türkiye initiative from the crisis and against any ethnic conflict within Iran. Additionally, MIT took measures against espionage activities in Türkiye that might have exploited the turmoil in the region. The terror-free Türkiye plan aims for the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK. The PKK claims to fight for a so-called Kurdish self-rule in the southeastern Türkiye and has wings in Syria and Iran.
Reports say Israel, with its ally the U.S., sought to employ Kurdish groups as a proxy force in a ground offensive in Iran. The United States has been open in these plans, with Trump saying at one point that they gave “arms to Kurds” in the region to that extent.
Türkiye held senior-level talks with top officials in Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to prevent arming Kurds for a war against Iran and urged the representatives of the region’s political dynasties, the Barzanis and Talabanis, not “to fall for the trap,” according to a recent report by the Sabah newspaper. Ankara stressed that Kurds would not be supported in any way if they joined the war against Iran. This staunch stand forced Kurdish groups to stand down.
Separately, Türkiye indirectly warned the PKK not to join Israel. Turkish officials warned that Ankara would take action if this happened, giving the example of Syria. Türkiye deployed troops in Syria during the civil war when the PKK-affiliate YPG sought to control Syrian towns near the Turkish border.
