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Solidarity at a time of crisis: Foreign Minister Wadephul visits the Middle East
Foreign Minister Wadephul and the Foreign Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, in Cyprus © Photothek Media Lab
Foreign Minister Wadephul has travelled this week to Cyprus, Israel, the Gulf region and Turkey to show solidarity with these countries in the face of the military escalation. The focus is on how a further expansion of the war and an energy crisis can be prevented.
At the start of the week, Foreign Minister Wadephul first travelled to Cyprus to discuss the current security situation in the Middle East with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos.
Cyprus is an important and close partner for Germany in the European Union and plays a key role in European security and foreign policy on account of its geostrategic location in the eastern Mediterranean.
The latest events, in particular the Iranian drone attack on a UK military base in Cyprus, have made clear once more that the war in the Middle East is not a crisis that can be sealed off, but rather one that directly affects Europe. In this context, Foreign Minister Wadephul reiterated Germany’s full solidarity with Cyprus and paid tribute to the country’s level-headed and responsible stance in this tense situation.
Foreign Minister Wadephul also held talks in Cyprus with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed. They discussed both the tense security situation in the Gulf region and the joint efforts to prevent an energy and oil crisis, which would adversely affect the entire world.
Visit to close allies in wartime: Foreign Minister Wadephul in Israel
From Cyprus, Foreign Minister Wadephul travelled on to Israel. Even before the latest combat operations with Iran, the country was in a state of war. Foreign Minister Wadephul is the first foreign minister to visit Jerusalem since 28 February. Before travelling there, he visited the site in Beit Shemesh hit by an Iranian missile, where nine people were killed when a shelter was struck just over a week ago.
The German Government agrees with Israel and the United States that Iran’s military nuclear programme and ballistic missile programme must be verifiably ended. Moreover, Iran must cease destabilising the region, inter alia through its support for groups in the Middle East that conduct terror attacks against Israel, such as the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
With a view to the attacks on Israeli territory, Foreign Minister Wadephul assured Israel of the German Government’s solidarity. At the same time, he stressed that the conflict in the region must not be allowed to escalate further. At a press conference in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Wadephul said:
We also spoke today about the next steps for the region [...], including political approaches and how to prevent further escalation that would cause suffering in even more countries and among their populations. This question primarily concerns the people in the Gulf region, who are now the target of indiscriminate attacks by Iran. These people are not involved and do not want this conflict.
The ongoing poor humanitarian supply situation of the people in the Gaza Strip and the tense situation in the West Bank, particularly as a result of illegal Israeli settlement construction and extremist settlers, were also discussed in Jerusalem.
Solidarity with the Gulf states: uninvolved third parties targeted by attacks
After his talks in Israel, Foreign Minister Wadephul travelled on to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, where he was received by Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. The countries at the Persian Gulf are particularly affected by the impact of the war, as the Iranian regime is repeatedly firing missiles indiscriminately at Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other countries in the region. These attacks have hit civilian targets and killed people.
Foreign Minister Wadephul used his visit to Riyadh to discuss how a political solution to the current conflict can be found. The aim is a regional peace order that guarantees the security of all countries and people in the region and also protects crucial trade routes – in particular maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea passage for the global oil trade.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Wadephul also travelled to the Gulf states of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which are being particularly intensely targeted by Iranian attacks. Iran has launched the largest number of drones and missiles at these countries – at the centres of densely populated cities, where the harm to civilians is particularly dramatic. Tens of thousands of German nationals were stranded in the region. In the meantime, many of them have been able to depart on commercial flights or on special flights organised by the German Government. For over a week now, the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin and the German missions in the region have been working day and night to this end.
Visit to NATO partner Turkey
Foreign Minister Wadephul concluded his visit programme with talks in Ankara on Thursday with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. Iran has also launched ballistic missiles at Turkey, although the country is not a party to the conflict. We strongly condemn the targeting of our NATO Ally. Foreign Minister Wadephul assured his Turkish counterpart of Germany’s full solidarity.
The Foreign Ministers also discussed possible refugee flows in the region in the context of the crisis. After the start of the war in Syria, Turkey took in around four million refugees. So far, there have been no signs of comparable refugee flows from Iran. Nonetheless, it is important to be prepared for all possible scenarios. In addition to the field of migration, the German Government has a great interest in strengthening strategic relations with Turkey, for instance in security, defence and trade. We want to work with Turkey to find solutions that will bring about a stable and peaceful Near and Middle East.