Following a meeting in Istanbul, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Turkey, Sameh Shoukry and Hakan Fidan, expressed concern over the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The discussions between the two senior diplomats on Saturday focused on the war in Gaza, the rising conflict between Israel and Iran, and the potential for further destabilization in the region, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
"We have warned, since the beginning, that war in Gaza will lead to the expansion of conflict and tension in the region, and we have seen that in the targeting of maritime navigation in the Red Sea and its effect on the international economy and now with this tension and military escalation between Iran and Israel, and we called upon both sides to show restraint and not to slip towards a wider frame of military confrontation, whether direct or indirect," Shoukry said.
Both ministers emphasized the need for a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a key factor in achieving lasting peace and preventing future crises.