ANKARA, May 11 (Reuters) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Qatar on Tuesday for talks on the Iran war, its impact on the Gulf and efforts to ensure navigational safety in the Strait of Hormuz, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Monday.
NATO member Turkey, which neighbours Iran, has been in close contact with the United States, Iran and mediator Pakistan since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. It has called for an end to the conflict, while condemning attacks on Iran and criticising Tehran’s strikes on Gulf states as unacceptable.
Fidan, who last visited Doha in March and held two separate calls with Iran’s foreign minister at the weekend, will repeat Turkey’s support for its ally Qatar against attacks from Iran, the source said.
He will voice Ankara’s expectation for navigational safety to be ensured on the Strait of Hormuz and point to the critical need of doing so for regional security and economic stability, the source said.
Fidan is expected to “state that permanently resolving the conflict in the Gulf is the most urgent priority and exchange views on diplomatic initiatives to achieve this,” the source added.
Ankara and Doha have strong ties and cooperate on a wide range of issues, from energy to defence. Turkey has a military base in Qatar and has been in negotiations with Doha about the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, as part of an agreement with Britain.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Timothy Heritage)
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