Foreign ministers from eight countries meeting in İstanbul today for their first talks in an expanded format on the Strait of Hormuz, conflicts across the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ministers from Britain, France and Germany — the so-called E3 — and Italy are meeting their counterparts from the newly created R4 group of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband’s office said the talks would focus on “the Strait of Hormuz and the situation in Saudi Arabia.”
Miliband “will advocate for a diplomatic solution to the (Hormuz) crisis that restores full navigational rights and freedoms,” his office said.
He will also stress “how Iranian tactics are being replicated across the region, with attacks on Saudi Arabia further destabilising the region and increasing pressure on vital waterways and global chokepoints, such as Bab El-Mandeb and the Suez Canal,” it added.
France confirmed the talks would address “the Iranian crisis in its various ramifications”, describing the meeting as a first “in this format… against a backdrop of extreme instability and uncertainty in the region.”
The aim is to “strengthen coordination between Europeans and Middle Eastern countries in the face of crises that we did not choose and that affect us all,” the French foreign ministry said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is hosting the meeting as Ankara seeks a stronger regional role, including through the Mecca Defence Alliance, a defense pact launched with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in August.
Turkey says the pact is not directed against any specific country and remains open to other members, including Egypt.
Cairo has yet to decide whether to join. On Wednesday, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt would “defend Saudi territory” and would not take part in any attack on Yemen.
Intensifying attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have forced Saudi Arabia to close its main airport and postpone a major investment conference. A maritime blockade has also threatened oil exports from the world’s largest crude exporter.
Riyadh has since secured support from its allies. During a surprise visit Wednesday, French 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 defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks.
Regional cooperation
Fidan praised regional cooperation Friday, saying, “Lasting solutions cannot be imposed from outside.”
During the talks, he is expected to stress that countries in the region must “assume responsibility” for their security and that Turkey favors cooperation based on “regional ownership,” according to Turkish officials.
He is also expected to say that “existing disputes should not be allowed to feed one another, conflicts should not be allowed to spread to new areas, and regional tensions should not be allowed to turn into broader instability”.
On the Palestinians, Fidan is expected to call for increased international pressure on Israel over settlement expansion and what Ankara describes as “settler terrorism.”
He will also reiterate Turkey’s support for Saudi Arabia’s security against Houthi attacks and the need to safeguard freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb.
The Black Sea is also on the agenda, with Fidan expected to highlight Turkey’s efforts to prevent the Russia-Ukraine war from spreading into the region.
© Agence France-Presse
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