German foreign minister meets Saudi counterpart on Middle East tour

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul pressed on with his tour of the Middle East on Saturday despite the conflict raging between Israel and Iran, arriving in the Saudi capital Riyadh on a hastily reworked itinerary.

Wadephul, who took office last month under the coalition government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, met with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh.

Stability in the Middle East following Israeli strikes on Iranian territory and Tehran's retaliatory attacks were likely to dominate the talks, along with the Gaza war.

The Gulf states of Saudi Arabia and Oman have strongly condemned Israel's attacks, with Riyadh branding them a clear violation of international law. Oman said they represented "a dangerous and reckless escalation."

Originally, Wadephul was to travel from Egypt to Lebanon and reach the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday. Visits to Jordan and Israel on Sunday were also on the agenda.

However, as developments in the Middle East quickly became unpredictable, the minister cancelled his visits to Beirut, Damascus, Amman and Jerusalem.

Wadephul planned instead to travel on to Qatar on Saturday evening for a meeting with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Qatar is regarded as an important mediator between Israel and the Islamist militia Hamas in the Gaza war.

Gaza high on the agenda

The dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and a possible peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians were likely to be a discussion topic for Wadephul and the Saudi foreign minister in Riyadh.

Like many Arab countries, Germany favours a two-state solution, which envisions an independent Palestinian state coexisting peacefully alongside Israel.

However, such demands have long been fruitless, with both Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remaining strictly opposed to the idea.

For Riyadh, the two-state solution is a prestige project. The Gaza war, which erupted in October 2023, effectively torpedoed Saudi efforts to normalize ties with Israel.

Now Riyadh seeks to use the current crisis to make progress on issues such as Palestinian statehood.