Turkish foreign minister has phone calls with counterparts from South African, Turkmenistan

In phone calls on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his counterparts from South Africa and Turkmenistan discussed issues of shared interests.

According to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, Fidan and South Africa's Ronald Lamola discussed the political and economic impact of the Iran war on countries not party to the conflict, as well as the upcoming peace talks in Pakistan, amid a ceasefire to allow talks to resolve the conflict.

The United States and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, brokered by Pakistan, as a step toward a potential broader agreement aimed at ending the conflict that began on Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing and injuring thousands over the weeks since.

In a separate phone call, Fidan also spoke with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov. The sources said the two officials discussed bilateral relations and regional issues.