Top European diplomats will meet counterparts from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt in Istanbul on Friday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said. The gathering was initiated by Ankara, the source added.
Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, the so-called E3, will sit down with the newly formed R4 group. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host the talks, which are set to cover the Palestinian issue, developments in Yemen, the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Talks to focus on Israel, Yemen and shipping routes
Fidan is expected to focus on the international community increasing pressure on Israel over its settlement expansion and what the source called its encouragement of settler terrorism. He will also back Saudi Arabia’s security against attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, the source said.
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Fidan is also expected to stress the need for permanent freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Straits. He will reiterate Turkey’s ongoing warnings and proposals to stop the Russia-Ukraine war spreading to the Black Sea and to end civilian deaths there.
Origins of the E3 and R4 diplomatic groupings
The E3 was set up more than 20 years ago to coordinate diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme. The R4 was formed this year and brings Egypt together with the signatories to the Mecca Defence Agreement, a mutual defence pact set up by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in August.
The seven countries will meet for the first time in the R4+E3 format at Turkey’s initiative, the source said. They will explore ways of cooperating and coordinating that could be put into practice in the coming period.
