Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intensified his phone diplomacy over the weekend as tensions escalated between Israel and Iran, holding separate calls on Sunday with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, according to a statement from the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications.
Erdoğan warned that Israel’s actions were fueling a dangerous cycle of violence in the region and urged Iraq to avoid being drawn into the conflict. He called for heightened vigilance against terrorist groups and radical elements exploiting the crisis.
“The spiral of violence triggered by Israel threatens the region,” Erdoğan said, emphasizing that diplomacy is the only viable solution to the ongoing nuclear dispute between Iran and the United States. He urged restraint under current difficult conditions and stressed that efforts must focus on de-escalation.
The Turkish president also said Israel’s military campaign against Iran must not be allowed to overshadow what he described as a “genocide” in Gaza, where more than 55,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023. He warned that the situation in Gaza has reached a critical point, with growing risks of famine.
During his call with the Kuwaiti emir, Erdoğan reiterated concerns over regional security, saying Israel’s strikes on Iran threaten to ignite a broader war in a region that “cannot withstand another conflict.” He accused the Netanyahu government of endangering global stability.
Erdoğan further warned that Israel’s actions were jeopardizing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S., and reaffirmed that diplomacy remains the only viable path to resolving the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program.
He said Türkiye and Kuwait have both strongly condemned what he described as Israel’s “aggression and genocide in Gaza,” and accused Israel of deliberately escalating tensions with Iran to divert attention from the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories.
“Such diversionary efforts must not be allowed to succeed,” he said.