Foreign Minister Fidan on negotiations: There are one or two issues stuck in the nuclear files

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answered questions from members of the press following an event he attended at Oxford University as part of his official visit to the UK.

In response to a question regarding his contacts in the UK and the cooperation between Turkey and the UK, Fidan said, "As you know, Turkey and the UK, especially over the last 20 years, have been moving at an increasing pace, under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and almost all of the governments that have come to power in the UK have followed the same policy. Strategic dialogue and cooperation in strategic areas between the two countries have gained increasing momentum.

This has begun to materialize in many areas. Therefore, we became convinced of the necessity of transforming this materialization into a structural mechanism, and a strategic partnership framework document was prepared. After negotiations between the two sides, thank God, we signed it yesterday. It is truly an important milestone in terms of the point the relations between the two countries have reached," he said.

"Turkey and the UK have a lot to talk about"

Stating that Turkey and the UK, as two countries that are NATO members and outside the EU, will play a significant role in complementing each other with their economic strengths, capacities, and industries, Fidan said, "This strategic dialogue plays an incredibly constructive role for these two great countries in the economy, technology, trade, defense industry, European security, and relations within NATO. Also, as you know, in the new strategic orientation that has emerged recently, a political framework is emerging where middle powers are starting to have more of a say. At this point, Turkey and the UK actually have a lot to talk about," he said.

Fidan stated, "On the other hand, after intensive meetings with the British Foreign Secretary (Yvette Cooper) and her team, we frankly met with members of parliament from the House of Commons. There were those from the House of Lords who wanted to meet. We met with them. We discussed at length the political relations between the two countries, the ongoing negotiations, especially the Iran war, Russia-Ukraine, European security, and cooperation in strategic areas between the two countries. Later, we actually met with members of the press. We had a long meeting with the Financial Times Editorial Board."

Evaluating his contacts today, Minister Fidan said, "Today, we actually did a bit of public diplomacy. We had a long horizon tour with an elite group of participants at Chatham House. We were guests there as speakers, and we spent some time both in a speech and in a question-and-answer session. Then, former Prime Minister Theresa May had a request for a meeting. We had a meeting with her regarding a project she is conducting. Later, we came here to Oxford University, where we are now. We gave a speech here at Oxford University," he said.

"We are meeting with the parties almost every day"

When asked about the stage of the process in the Iran war, whether a permanent peace is possible, and how frequently Turkey contacts the parties, Fidan said, "We are meeting with the parties almost every day. At the point we have reached now, as you know, we stated it at the very beginning. We had truly welcomed the two-week ceasefire, but we had also stated at that time that it would not be enough to reach a final agreement. More time was truly needed for a final agreement. As of the beginning of last week, this was extended. Now, I believe that with the talks that will start again tomorrow, especially since there are one or two issues stuck in the nuclear files, I think this can be overcome. We are trying to provide positive contributions and suggestions to the parties as much as we can on this matter. If this happens, of course, it will be possible to eliminate the problem regarding the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

He touched upon the role Turkey could assume in the Strait of Hormuz after a possible peace

In response to a question regarding coalition meetings concerning the Strait of Hormuz and Turkey's role and proposed solutions, Fidan said, "There are two courses of action we see regarding the Strait of Hormuz. The first is to return to the old status quo through an agreement, to open the strait, and to restart free trade without anyone having to pay a transit fee or anything like that. This is a path that needs to be handled through the ongoing negotiations," he said.

In his statements, Fidan also touched upon the second scenario that would emerge if the negotiations fail and the war continues, stating that defining the problematic area in the Strait of Hormuz is a different concept, but Turkey's position on this matter is clear.

Continuing his statements, Fidan touched upon the role Turkey could assume in the post-peace period and the risks of this process, saying, "Now, the Iranians and the Americans have reached an agreement among themselves, and there is peace. The coalition that will be formed will go there and do technical work, clear the mines; there is no problem with this. Our Ministry of National Defense has been instructed by our President on this matter. But if a coalition that will be formed emerges again as if it were a party to a war that could restart, then of course we have our sensitivities. We are in a different position there. Now, our partners understand this very well. The main focus right now is a bit more on clearing the mines. Since clearing mines is a fundamental humanitarian issue that serves everyone and would not be a matter of taking sides in wars, we could look favorably upon such a thing after an agreement," he said.

News Source: 12punto