Kazakhstan foreign minister discusses Middle East with regional ministers

March 2 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister discussed events in Iran and throughout the Middle East on Monday with counterparts from Central Asia and Azerbaijan, the Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry said.

A ministry statement said those taking part in the discussion, unusual in that it involved most states in the region at one time, called for a negotiated settlement to the upheaval in and around Iran.

The ministers, the statement said, stressed "the importance of de-escalating tensions, adhering to international law, and combining efforts in the interest of maintaining regional security, peace, and stability".

The statement said Kazakhstan's minister, Yermek Kosherbayev, met his opposite numbers from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Azerbaijan.

He expressed thanks to Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan for facilitating evacuations from Iran and said the countries concerned were prepared to coordinate on further departures, as well as other issues.

U.S. and Israeli air attacks against Iran widened on Monday. Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah and Tehran kept up missile and drone attacks on Gulf states.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by David Gaffen)