ISTANBUL: A meeting between top European diplomats and counterparts from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt kicked off in Istanbul on Friday.
The participants are set to discuss latest developments in regional and international issues, most notably the situation in Yemen, the US-Iran conflict, the Palestinian issue, the Russia-Ukraine crisis, and the importance of restoring and ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in addition to discussing opportunities for cooperation and coordination among the countries of the region
Foreign ministers from the so-called E3 group — Britain, France and Germany — will meet counterparts from the newly created R4 group to discuss the Palestinian issue, developments in Yemen and the Strait of Hormuz, and ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war, the source said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host the meeting, the first to bring together the two groups.
“The seven countries will come together for the first time in the R4+E3 format, at Turkiye’s initiative,” the source said, indicating they would explore “opportunities for cooperation and coordination that could be put into practice ... in the coming period.”
Fidan would also underline support for Saudi Arabia’s security in the face of attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, and stress the need for permanent freedom of navigation in the Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab Straits.
The E3 was set up more than 20 years ago to advance diplomatic coordination over Iran’s nuclear program, while the R4 was formed this year and brings together Egypt with the signatories to the Makkah Defense Agreement — a mutual defense pact set up by Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in August.