Wadephul draws positive conclusions after foreign ministers' meeting in Istanbul

Wadephul at foreign ministers' meeting New discussion format, better crisis management? As of: October 23, 2026 • 7:43 p.m

At the first meeting of its kind, Foreign Minister Wadephul discussed wars and conflicts with seven other chief diplomats from Europe and the Middle East in Istanbul. His conclusion: positive. There will be regular meetings in the future.

The conversation format is new and the conversation partners are very different. But everyone is affected by developments in the Persian Gulf, albeit in different ways. Europe feels it more at the pump, others on the plate.

With regard to Iran and the Yemeni Houthis it supports, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul made it unmistakably clear:

Foreign Minister Wadephul is in Istanbul discussing the situation surrounding Iran with several counterparts. more

The attempt to bring movement to the deadlocked conflicts was a joint initiative by Germany and Turkey. While Germany, Great Britain and France can draw on experience in nuclear negotiations with Iran, Turkey maintains close relations, especially with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, with which it has just established a defense alliance. At the same time, it is in NATO together with the Europeans.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan therefore also spoke of the right format to address the crises and conflicts in the region:

As a cynical salute to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, a drone sank a merchant ship off the Romanian coast shortly before the meeting began - the seventh attack on a cargo ship there this month.

Wadephul calls on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to recognize "that it is time to begin the exit, that it is time to take Ukraine's long-held negotiating hand, that it is time to end the unspeakable attacks on grain shipments in the Black Sea with which he is knowingly instigating another crisis in the global south."

Wadephul stressed that all eight states participating in the meeting were willing to contribute to restoring security and stability in the region and freedom of sea routes. It was the first conversation in this format, and even though there were no concrete decisions, it was successful, according to the German chief diplomat's conclusion:

The next meeting will take place in Germany. Wadephul says he will start preparations soon.

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Search for solutions in a new conversation format - Wadephul satisfied | Oct 23, 2026 | 7:06 p.m