Fidan discusses Middle East war with Spanish, Singaporean counterparts

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday discussed the effects of the ongoing war in the Middle East with his counterparts from Spain and Singapore, according to Turkish diplomatic sources. Minister Fidan held separate phone calls with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, continuing Ankara's intensive diplomatic engagement amid the escalating regional conflict.

Solidarity expressed

During the talks, the Spanish and Singaporean ministers expressed their countries' solidarity regarding ballistic munitions fired toward Türkiye. Earlier Friday, Türkiye's National Defense Ministry announced that a ballistic munition fired from Iran into Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, marking the third such incident since the US-Israel war on Iran began.

Conflict context

Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people according to Iranian authorities, including former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, resulting in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. The conflict has entered its 16th day with no signs of abating.

Turkish diplomacy

Fidan's calls with Spanish and Singaporean counterparts are part of broader Turkish diplomatic efforts to manage the spillover effects of the war, including airspace violations, flight suspensions and economic impacts. Türkiye has maintained communication channels with all parties while advocating for de-escalation and a return to dialogue.