German Minister Wadephul: Turkey is in a special position as a mediator, we are grateful for this

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul answered questions regarding the efforts made for the continuation of negotiations between the US and Iran, as well as the conference to be held in Paris, the capital of France, on April 17 regarding the establishment of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, at a press conference held after the Sudan Conference in Berlin.

Wadephul stated that they want to support the efforts toward continuing negotiations between the US and Iran at the summit in Paris, saying, "Of course, this conflict cannot be solved by military means; it must be solved through negotiations, and therefore we support this.

Of course, we are in contact with our close partners in the US and Israel, and especially with the neighboring countries in the Gulf region. We support all efforts made there. Turkey and Egypt, in particular, are in a special position as mediators, and we are very grateful for this. We are trying to offer our diplomatic contributions on this matter," he said.

"Iran should not pose a danger of nuclear armament in the future"

Wadephul noted that it is possible to reach an agreement in the near future, but that the negotiations must result in a guarantee that Iran will not pose a danger of nuclear armament in the future. Wadephul said, "It is worth spending time and energy to achieve this result through negotiation. I hope there will be success in this regard. The international community has taken many decisions that Iran should not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, because this would only trigger a new arms race spiral."

Reiterating that Germany is ready to contribute to ensuring navigation safety in the Strait of Hormuz, Wadephul said, "As a government, we have declared that we are ready to contribute constructively to a post-war scenario if requested and if it makes sense; in principle, we are ready for this. We want to wait for the meeting to be held on Friday in Paris. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is going there to state that Europe is ready to contribute and will provide support to ensure the future security of the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

Wadephul stated, "It is absolutely unacceptable for sea lanes like the Strait of Hormuz to be controlled by individual states and for customs duties to be collected there. We will strive to restore the free passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz. This will be in the interest not only of the Gulf states, not only of the neighboring states directly in Asia, but also of the entire world community. Maritime trade is vital for the functioning of the world economy, and such restrictions are unacceptable. It will affect the functioning of the world economy in a way that we will all suffer, and therefore we are taking a very clear stance," he expressed.

News Source: 12punto