FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FIDAN- Dear press members, first of all, I would like to wish you all a good evening.

As you know, today we held the Informal Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States in Istanbul. We have met with our colleagues from member countries Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. I would like to once again welcome my dear brothers and sisters and their delegations in your presence.

Dear friends, we carry out cooperation based on mutual trust with OTS member countries. We are striving to contribute to the peace and prosperity of our societies. Thankfully, we have achieved remarkable and tangible successes with Turkish states in areas such as economy, culture, and connectivity. Meanwhile, as Turkish states, we have been working intensively to establish a joint stance in the face of international developments. As you know, such practices become more consolidated as they are repeated, and we are making good progress in this regard. Acting together in the face of regional and global issues increases the power and influence of each one of us. We are aware that in these days while the international system is becoming increasingly unpredictable and international law is being disregarded, we must act with a strategic perspective and show greater solidarity as the Turkic World. We held today's meeting based on this understanding.

Today, our esteemed fellow Ministers have first been received by our President. We received his views and instructions. Afterwards, we thoroughly assessed the current global and regional developments among ourselves. During the meeting, we discussed the latest developments within our organization and the steps to be taken in the upcoming period. Our work today was extremely useful in terms of enhancing coordination on foreign policy issues and adopting a joint stance.

Dear press members, recent developments in the Middle East have caused serious concerns in terms of peace and stability in our region. As OTS member countries, we are closely monitoring developments in the region during this sensitive period. We do not want the war to spread any further. In light of this common approach, we have agreed on a joint statement regarding recent developments. It has been recorded that any attack targeting one of the member states is a source of grave concern for all OTS members. Member countries of the Organization have shown strong support and solidarity in the face of attacks against our country and our brother, Azerbaijan. I would like to take this occasion to thank them all.

The war in our region must end as soon as possible. We have exerted great efforts over several months to set a negotiating table. Today, we continue to emphasize that diplomacy is the only option for resolving these issues and work towards this end. Lasting peace is only possible through dialogue and cooperation.

Israel's expansionist and divisive agenda is well known to everyone. Israel has adopted instabilities, conflicts, and civil wars in the region as a strategy. However, together with our friendly and brotherly countries, we have adopted a policy in favour of peace against Israel's stance. We continue to exert every diplomatic effort to bring the war to an end. Despite the circle of fire in its vicinity, Türkiye maintains its peace, security, and thankfully, stability. This is not a coincidence. It is a result of the wise foreign policy we have pursued under the leadership of our President.

Meanwhile, I would like to reiterate that we condemn the attacks targeting third countries in the strongest terms. Attacks on Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are risking the lives of innocent civilians and escalating the possibility of war spreading. The targeting of our country and Azerbaijan this week has once again demonstrated the gravity of the risk we are confronted with. We reiterate in the clearest terms that similar incidents must not be repeated.

Dear friends, the conflicts in the region have created an environment that terrorist organizations can exploit. The escalating tension also threatens global energy supply security. As Türkiye, we are taking the necessary measures in the political, humanitarian, economic, energy, and security fields with great care in coordination with our relevant institutions. We are also closely monitoring the situation of our citizens in the region. All our Embassies and Consulates General in the region, along with the Consular Call Centre of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, respond to our citizens' requests 24/7 and provide the necessary guidance.

Dear press members, today we had the opportunity to discuss other regional issues. We welcome the steps being taken towards lasting peace, stability and regional cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia. These steps demonstrate that peace is beginning to yield results on the ground in South Caucasus. It’s Türkiye’s most sincere wish that this momentum will be maintained and crowned with a lasting peace agreement as soon as possible.

Today we also had the opportunity to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Our main expectation is that Afghanistan be at peace and in harmony with its neighbours. As you know, many OTS countries share borders with Afghanistan. Stability and peace in that region are important to us. As OTS members, we have also examined the recent escalation of tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has been an observer member of the OTS since 2022. This membership constitutes one of the nicest examples of the unity and integrity of our family council. Our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters are an integral part of the Turkic world and it is essential to eliminate the unjust and inhumane isolation which they have been subjected to for decades. I would like to emphasize once again that supporting efforts to this end is our shared and historic responsibility.

Today, we have also thoroughly discussed energy security, connectivity, and strengthening regional cooperation. We are determined to increase infrastructure investments aimed at utilizing the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor, more effectively and efficiently. We believe that additional steps taken with the participation of OTS countries will bring much greater benefits in today's conditions, where connectivity has become so important.

Today's meeting has once again demonstrated that the Organization of Turkic States is our most valuable common roof. We’ll keep working in close coordination in the coming period. We will further develop and deepen our cooperation in all areas by meeting regularly. Accordingly, we will continue to contribute to the peace, prosperity, and stability of our region and the whole world by strengthening our solidarity.

I would like to thank you all for your interest. If there are any questions, I can answer them now.

QUESTION: Iranian President Pezeshkiyan made statements today that were published in the press. He stated that the Interim Leadership Council had adopted a new policy of not attacking countries that do not attack them. During the day, further statements were released from Iran. How do you assess this? What is the latest situation in the war?

Also, what would you like to comment on the missile that fell on Türkiye?

FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FIDAN- Dear friends, as you know, we have had very close contacts with Iranian officials for years. Therefore, we have always had an idea of what kind of measures they would take in certain crisis situations, even before the war began. We discussed these issues extensively before the war, and during the war as well. Our stance remains unchanged. So, whatever we’ve been telling them for years, we're telling them the exact same thing now. We say that attacking neighbouring countries as a means of exerting pressure, unless in response to a direct attack, is neither a sound war strategy nor beneficial for regional stability. On the contrary, from the very beginning, our advice to Iran has always been: “You have a major problem with the US, the nuclear issue is a problematic one, and you must act with the determination to put them on the table and resolve them, on the basis of regional stability and good relations with your neighbours, no matter how difficult it is” Now we are saying the same thing as a friendly and brotherly country, as a neighbour. We emphasize that attacking the civilian or energy infrastructures of countries that do not allow other countries to use their airspace or military bases located within their own borders, is not a correct strategy, especially considering that these countries have been working together collectively in recent years for regional development, infrastructure, and stability. Honestly, this situation would only serve to further Israel's expansionist agenda, which is already being carried out in the region. We stated that this was not the right strategy. Mr. Pezeshkian's statement, as he made it today, fits perfectly within the context we have outlined. So, the statement “we will not attack unless they attack us, and we apologize for having attacked so far” is essentially a statement we are underscoring. However, various reservations have been made in Iran regarding this statement. This is an internal issue of the Iranian system. Iran is going through really tough times right now. May God be with the people of Iran during this blessed month of Ramadan. But on the other hand, there are currently problems with coming together at certain points and deficiencies in decision-making process within the leadership... As you know, they couldn't even agree on a new Leader. Certain key decisions can only be made at that position, we’ll see.

Dear friends, regarding the missile fired at us, as you know, it was intercepted while entering our airspace. Based on the consultations we have held, as our President has stated, and as we have also stated to them, we are not a country that is easily provoked. Thankfully, we have no problem defending our own security. However, we also know very well what it means to be provoked and drawn into a war. We discussed this with our Iranian friends and said, "If this was a missile that lost its course, that is one thing. But such incidents should happen only once. If there are going to be more, our advice is: Please be careful, no one in Iran should embark on such an adventure,” Because Türkiye has consistently demonstrated its friendship, maintained its principled stance, and its commitment to peace. Iran has been under sanctions for years. Despite years of sanctions and pressure on Iran, Türkiye has remained one of the few countries acting transparently and in line with clear principles.

QUESTION: Mr. Minister, as you mentioned, Türkiye made significant efforts to resolve the issues through diplomacy before the American and Israeli attacks began, but no result was reached. Are you currently engaged in similar efforts including Israel, the United States, and Iran, and if so, at what stage are these efforts? We would like to know more about this subject.

Iranian President Pezeshkiyan also said that there were mediation efforts from the countries in the region. So where does Türkiye stand in these efforts?

FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FIDAN- Dear friends, there is currently intense diplomatic traffic at both the presidential level and ministerial levels with regional and global actors. In these discussions, focusing on the ongoing war in Iran and the situation in the region, we observe that an almost common view has been reached among the global public opinion. No one believes that this war serves the interests of either the region or humanity and the overwhelming majority believes this war must end immediately. Therefore, this is a valuable thing, namely that the vast majority of the world public opinion is at this point. Some can speak out, some cannot, some can openly take a stance like Spain, some can only bring up the issue with us over the phone. Everyone has their own stance, but just as we saw during the process of the State of Palestine's recognition by the UN, we see that the majority of the world public opinion is essentially in agreement that this war is wrong and must stop. What matters now is how we can transform this consensus into a diplomatic move, which we are currently searching for. Right now, particularly with the leaders of the countries in the region and their ministers, we are trying to figure out how to manage this issue. I don't want to go into further detail on this subject.

QUESTION: There have been claims in recent days that the United States is attempting to overthrow the Iranian government by organizing and mobilizing Kurdish groups. How does Türkiye view and assess these claims?

FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FIDAN- Dear friends, this is one of the issues we are closely monitoring. Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization and Ministry of National Defence are closely monitoring such activities beyond our borders. Within the framework of inter-institutional coordination, we are also constantly assessing the issue at the table. Honestly, I also discussed this issue in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. So, there are indications and rumours that such a situation exists. He stated that Washington had no such efforts or intentions in this regard.

However, this is also a reality, as I said back then, Israel’s intentions in this regard are no secret. Israel has adopted a strategy of using Kurdish groups in the region as “proxy” forces, for many years. Israel continues to declare its strategy of using Kurdish groups in this way in specific circles, even as the process continues in Iran. We are closely monitoring how much the US would support, distance itself from or remain neutral toward this strategy of Israel. These are all different shades of the same thing, but they can have different outcomes. Both our Ministry and our Intelligence Agency, as well as our Defence Minister, are all expressing to their respective counterparts the difficulties and problems it may cause. We stand against any scenario aimed at triggering a civil war in Iran along ethnic or sectarian fault lines. This scenario is the most dangerous one. We are warning both the West and the East, everyone, against this scenario. This would not only cause more suffering and loss of life among innocent civilians in Iran, but could also lead to millions of people being displaced and forced to flee to neighbouring countries and beyond as refugees. We hope that the Kurdish opinion leaders in the region will not make the mistake of taking on such a historic responsibility. We maintain communication with all relevant actors in the region, including Barzani and Talabani. Such a mistake is irreparable. In light of what has happened in Iraq and Syria, a prolonged period of uncertainty, war and instability in Iran would benefit no one, particularly Türkiye which shares a border of more than 560 kilometers with Iran. Iran is a large country with a large population. Any internal crisis in such a large country would inevitably spread across the region with a multiplier effect. That is why we are seeking ways to prevent such a scenario and keep the situation under control. As you see, dear friends, the problem is multi-layered. It has regional and local dimensions, as well as factors related to internal groups and to Israel and the United States. We have been striving to manage all of these with a certain understanding.

QUESTION: Mr. Minister, could you provide us with an update on the latest situation regarding our citizens currently stranded in the region? At what stage are the efforts aimed at facilitating their return to Türkiye?

FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FIDAN- Dear friends, unfortunately, with the outbreak of war, our citizens who are in the region for different reasons have been applying to our Consulates and Call Center, expressing their requests for evacuation. We are receiving requests for assistance and cooperation not only from our own citizens, but also from many other countries. As you know, The Gulf countries are the ones that are under pressure and under fire. There are workers from many different countries present, and in addition, as the winter season in our country corresponds to the summer period in that region, there are also our citizens and foreign nationals visiting the region for tourism purposes. We certainly give priority to the needs of our own citizens. At present, under the coordination of our Embassies and Consulates General, arrangements are being made to facilitate the transfer of our citizens, in countries where air travel is not available, to Saudi Arabia and Oman by the first available land road. There are regular bus services to these destinations, and upon arrival in Saudi Arabia and Oman, air travel is possible from these locations. Our colleagues are also maintaining regular coordination with Turkish Airlines. Also, I am talking to our Minister of Transportation several times a day. He has also been giving this matter his close attention and utmost care. We are also conveying to Turkish Airlines that this situation requires an approach that does not prioritize profit. We are grateful that they are extending every possible support in this regard. Ultimately, this is a national issue. We must reach out to our citizens. However, through the transportation route opened by Turkish Airlines, not only Turkish citizens seeking to evacuation, but also foreign nationals wishing to depart the region are looking forward to arriving in Istanbul as soon as possible. As I stated at the outset of my speech, thankfully, Türkiye is truly source of stability and security in the region. Our works continue on a 24/7 basis. There is an excellent level of coordination both in Ankara and in the region, dear friends. We monitor the requests and needs of each of our citizens with utmost care and strive to take the necessary steps.

* Deciphered by Interpress- unofficial translation from the Turkish text