Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended a regional meeting in Cairo over the weekend. It was an important symbolic meeting that was taking place as the Iran war appears to be paused for now.
He met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and Massad Boulos, the US senior advisor for Arab and African affairs, Turkey’s foreign ministry noted.
This is important. It illustrates how the US is engaging with various Muslim countries in the region. Many of these countries want to discuss other files of interest beyond those related to Iran.
For instance, this meeting also involved discussions about Libya. The US appears to be quietly seeking to bring various sides together regarding Libya. This would be good after more than a decade of civil conflict there.
Turkey’s Anadolu media noted that "Hakan Fidan participated in the meeting on regional issues, including Libya, with Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, and Massad Fares Boulos, US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs, in Cairo."
Cairo summit highlights post-Iran deal priorities
The Egyptian official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Tamim Khallaf, stated that the meeting witnessed an in-depth exchange of views on regional files, including the Iranian file, following the US-Iran memorandum of understanding.
This emphasizes the importance of exchanging more files to reduce tensions and enhance regional stability, Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Ministry noted.
“The meeting also addressed developments in Libya, stressing the importance of supporting efforts to preserve Libya's unity, respect its sovereignty, advance the political process, and unify state institutions,” the Egyptians added. In addition the Egyptians “added that the meeting also covered the latest developments regarding the Palestinian cause, particularly in the Gaza Strip, as well as the situation in Africa and ways to enhance joint cooperation to support security on the continent.”