First posted on Instagram
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is bringing together the foreign ministers of six other countries in Istanbul on Friday for the first seven-nation meeting of its kind, convening the regional R4 bloc with the European E3 for talks on the region's overlapping conflicts.
Joining Fidan are the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and the European trio of Britain, France and Germany. According to a Turkish diplomatic source cited by Reuters on Thursday, the ministers are expected to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, developments in Yemen and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, along with closer cooperation between the regional and European countries.
The format unites two groups: the R4 — Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, established in March and focused on regional security and on mediating between the United States and Iran — and the E3 — Britain, France and Germany, which have coordinated diplomatic efforts on Iran's nuclear program for more than two decades. The R4 ministers meet first, then join the three European counterparts in the expanded R4+E3 session, an initiative launched at Ankara's request.
Fidan is expected to press for a diplomatic solution to the war between the United States and Iran, to stress the importance of freedom of navigation in the straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, and to reiterate Türkiye's support for Saudi Arabia's security against attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the source said. He will also tell his counterparts that Türkiye has worked to stop the war in Ukraine spreading to the Black Sea, pointing to the regional security risks the conflict poses.
Turkish sources say Fidan will argue that Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian territories and what he calls its uncompromising stance undermining international peace efforts are the main causes of Middle East tensions — the message behind his push for greater international pressure on Israel as global tensions rise.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will call for a diplomatic solution that restores full navigational rights and freedoms through Hormuz, where passage remains under threat and traffic has fallen sharply compared with prewar levels, according to a British statement. He will also link the regional threats to mounting pressure on Bab el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal, against the backdrop of repeated attacks on commercial shipping and rising strikes on vessels in the Black Sea that threaten energy flows and trade.