Istanbul, Turkey – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday accused Israel of leading the Middle East towards “total disaster” by attacking Iran on June 13.
“Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbour,” Fidan told a meeting of top diplomats of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.
“There is no Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni or Iranian problem but there is clearly an Israeli problem,” he said.
He called for an end to the “unlimited aggression” against Iran.
“We must prevent the situation from deteriorating into a spiral of violence that would further jeopardise regional and global security,” he added.
Speaking after Fidan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Western leaders of providing “unconditional support” to Israel.
A trenchant critic of Israel’s actions in both Gaza and Iran, Erdogan called for “high-level peace talks” between Tehran and the United States, according to his office, adding that Turkey was ready to play a “facilitator” role to help bring an end to the war.
Tehran, however, has for the time being refused any return to the negotiating table with the United States on its nuclear programme for as long as Israel maintains its attacks on Iran.
Erdogan, who met Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of Saturday’s meeting, said Turkey would not allow borders in the Middle East to be redrawn “in blood”.
“It is vital for us to show more solidarity to end Israel’s banditry — not only in Palestine but also in Syria, in Lebanon and in Iran,” he told the OIC’s 57 member countries.
The OIC, founded in 1969, says its mission is to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony”.
According to Qatar’s foreign ministry, Araghchi also met the Gulf state’s top diplomat in Istanbul, who said he was working to bring the sides “back to the path of dialogue”.
