Turkish Foreign Minister Holds Meetings with Bahraini Counterpart, OIC Chief in New York

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate meetings with his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and with the Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly's high-level week in New York, according to Anadolu Agency.

The high-level week of the UN General Assembly brings together heads of state, government officials and senior diplomats from around the world, and has traditionally served as a venue for bilateral and multilateral meetings outside the main assembly hall. Turkish officials have used the annual gathering in previous years to hold a series of meetings with counterparts from across the Middle East, Europe and beyond.

Details of the specific topics discussed in Fidan's meetings with Al Zayani and the OIC secretary-general were not disclosed in the report. Turkey and Bahrain maintain diplomatic relations, and Ankara has in recent years sought to expand its engagement with Gulf states as part of a broader push to strengthen economic and political ties across the region.

OIC Engagement

Turkey is a member of the OIC, an intergovernmental organisation representing Muslim-majority countries on a range of political, economic and cultural issues. Turkish officials regularly hold discussions with the OIC's leadership on matters affecting member states, and the UN General Assembly's high-level week offers an opportunity for such consultations to take place face to face.

Fidan's schedule in New York included a series of similar meetings with foreign counterparts, reflecting Ankara's continued efforts to maintain active diplomatic channels across multiple regions during the UN's annual high-level session. No further details, including a joint statement or readout, were included in the report regarding the substance or outcomes of either meeting.