Turkish foreign minister to visit Qatar as regional diplomacy seeks to contain Iran-Israel tensions

ANKARA Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Hakan Fidan will travel to Doha on Tuesday evening where he is due to meet with Qatari officials, as Ankara seeks to bring the war in Gaza back to the forefront of regional attention since the focus shifted to the escalation between Iran and Israel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday his country is stepping up diplomacy to prevent the war in Gaza from being overshadowed by Israeli-Iranian tensions since Tehran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel early Sunday morning. causing minimal damage.

Our Minister of Foreign Affairs had telephone conversations with his American, Iranian and British leaders. [and] their Jordanian counterparts, as well as the Secretary General of the United Nations. I also had a telephone conversation with the Emir of Qatar, Erdogan said Tuesday after a council of ministers in Ankara. We will also continue our telephone conversations this week.

Fidan will meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also the Gulf powers' top diplomat, in Doha on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Palestine and regional developments, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. a statement.

Fidan is also expected to meet Hamas political leaders based in the Qatari capital, Turkish public broadcaster TRT reported, citing diplomatic sources. Ankara does not consider Hamas a terrorist group and political leaders of militant groups can freely travel to Turkey.

Erdogan is among the most vocal critics of Israel's war against Hamas. Last week, Ankara announced restrictions on the export of dozens of products to Israel and its intention to maintain them until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.

After Fidans' visit to Qatar, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is expected to visit Turkey to discuss the latest developments over the weekend, according to TRT.

The diplomatic momentum comes as Israel assesses potential responses to the Iranian attack on Israel Saturday evening and early Sunday.

Regional powers including Turkey, Qatar and Egypt are warning both sides against further escalation. Tehran said the unprecedented attack was in retaliation for the Jewish states' strike on an Iranian diplomatic mission in the Syrian capital earlier this month, which killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Erdogan on Tuesday placed responsibility for the escalation on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his longtime foe who was absent for a brief period last year when the two leaders first met in person in New York in September as part of a diplomatic thaw.

Describing the Israeli strike on the Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus, the Syrian capital, as a violation of international law, Erdogan went on to say that Netanyahu himself and his bloodthirsty administration are undoubtedly the main culprits for the tensions that have put our hearts in mouth during conflict. night of April 13.

We believe that statements made without admitting this fact will do nothing to reduce tensions, he added.

The Turkish president also targeted Western capitals in a thinly veiled jab. Those who remained silent about Israel's aggressive stance for months immediately rushed to condemn the Iranian response, Erdogan said.

Gokhan Ereli, an analyst at the Ankara-based Center for Middle East Studies, believes that Turkey does not view the Iranian attack on Israel as completely independent of what is happening in Gaza.

Turkey nonetheless emphasizes the need to reduce tensions, as further escalation between Israel and Iran would affect all other countries in the region, Ereli told Al-Monitor. Additionally, Turkey is deeply concerned that Gaza is being forgotten amid these tensions.

Indeed, Erdogan reiterated his country's call for restraint on Tuesday. We call on all actors to stop the attacks and act responsibly. It is clear that our region is on the verge of renewed tensions unless the oppression in Gaza ceases.

A further escalation between Iran and Israel would also reduce the chances of a possible ceasefire in Gaza, according to the analyst.

As a number of actors are directly involved (in the Israel-Iran confrontation), the chances of a ceasefire are dwindling, he said, noting that the risk of a broader conflict in the region has already put the war in Gaza on the back burner. night light.

US-Turkish diplomacy

Meanwhile, the conflict in Gaza and the escalation between Iran and Israel were also on the agenda of the meeting between Fidan and the Acting Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs. John Bass Monday.

After the meeting, the senior US official met with Erdogan's chief advisor and spokesperson Akif Cagatay Kilic on Tuesday. In addition to bilateral relations, the two discussed the way forward to achieve greater peace and security in the region.

This article has been updated since its initial publication.