ANKARA, February 5. /TASS/. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that there remains a will on the part of the United States and Iran for a diplomatic resolution to existing issues and that the negotiation process has not been disrupted.
"We are doing everything possible to reduce tensions between the US and Iran, to prevent the region from being dragged into a new conflict and chaos. We have clearly stated our disagreement with [the prospect of] a military intervention in Iran and have conveyed this to our colleagues. At this point, I see that both sides want to open the door for diplomacy, and that is positive. The solution lies not in confrontation, but in finding common ground and negotiations. This process is active and not interrupted. The foundation for dialogue and diplomacy remains open," Erdogan told journalists from his pool upon returning from Egypt.
He also expressed the opinion that "after progress is made at meetings of lower-level representatives, negotiations at the leadership level" of the US and Iran would be beneficial.
Erdogan recalled that as part of efforts to settle the conflict surrounding Iran, he "held talks with US President Donald Trump, and the next day a conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian." "We also held a trilateral meeting in Istanbul with the participation of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and our Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. We keep this issue active. It is important that, under conditions of increased military tension, a negotiation platform be created one way or another. We hope that the problems will be resolved through dialogue and that a new conflict will not erupt in our region," the Turkish leader noted.
He indicated that Turkey "will work to strengthen the foundation for negotiations both through leader-level diplomacy and through meetings at other levels." "We will see how much this initiative expands and whether other countries join it," Erdogan added.