ISTANBUL: Foreign ministers from eight European and Middle Eastern countries met in Istanbul on Friday in an unprecedented format, urging diplomacy and peaceful solutions to prevail across the Middle East as well as the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ministers from Britain, France, Germany and Italy met counterparts from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt to discuss Hormuz -- a crucial trade route blocked in the Iran war -- Yemen and ways to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The talks happened at an Istanbul hotel overlooking the Bosphorus, after separate meetings of top European diplomats and others from regional countries.
At the heart of the talks was the situation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb -- which is paralysing global trade and driving up energy prices as well as the attacks on Saudi Arabia by Houthis from Yemen, allies of Tehran.
French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said a new escalation between Iran and the US "would create nothing but losers and would undoubtedly have very serious consequences for hydrocarbon prices".
"The first thing this group of eight countries ... will do is call on both sides to exercise the utmost restraint, because we cannot afford another escalation in the region," he told journalists.
Italy's Antonio Tajani said the regional problem cannot be solved "from a purely military standpoint".
"If we want to reopen Hormuz, which is vital for our economies, we must promote dialogue and make Iran understand that this attitude cannot continue."
Egyptian backing for Saudi
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the meeting as Turkey stepped up efforts to strengthen its regional role, including through the Mecca Defence Alliance, a defence pact launched with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in August.
Turkey has said the pact is not aimed at any specific country and remains open to others, including Egypt although Cairo has yet to decide whether to join the alliance.
On Wednesday, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said however Egypt would "defend Saudi territory" but would not take part in any attack on Yemen.
Iran-backed Houthis are battling Yemen's Saudi-backed government and have launched attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Intensifying attacks by the Houthis have forced Saudi Arabia to close its main airport and postpone a major investment conference, while a maritime blockade has threatened oil exports from the world's largest crude exporter.
Riyadh has since secured backing from its allies.
During a surprise visit on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said French forces would help protect the Red Sea oil terminal of Yanbu.
Britain announced a day earlier that it would deploy fighter jets to help Saudi Arabia defend against the growing threat of Houthi attacks.
'Diplomacy the only way'
Ankara also intended to give more substance to the very young Mecca pact, which brings together Nato’s second-largest army Turkey, Saudi Arabia the greatest power in the Gulf and Pakistan, the only state equipped with nuclear weapons in the Muslim world.
At the closure, Fidan praised Friday's talks.
"The most important feature of our platform is that it's informal, flexible, allows for the free expression of our ideas, the creation of policies around these ideas, and the determination of concrete action steps if necessary," he told a news conference.
The eight countries "decided, after very constructive discussions, to continue the work by meeting at regular intervals", Barrot said.
Fidan said all countries around the table "do not want the war to spread further" both in the Gulf and in Ukraine. "All countries believe that diplomacy and dialogue are the only way forward," he said.
"There is a huge room for diplomacy, but also a huge room for war. It depends especially on the stance that the relevant actors, the states in the region, and some global actors will take".