Overview
- Foreign ministers from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Kingdom, France and Germany met in Istanbul on Friday for the first combined R4+E3 session at Turkey’s initiative.
- Delegations concentrated on the Palestinian issue, security in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, Houthi attacks from Yemen, and spillover threats from the Russia-Ukraine war to the Black Sea.
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan framed the talks around regional ownership of security and urged diplomatic solutions while reiterating support for Saudi defence after recent Houthi strikes.
- Participants said they would explore concrete coordination measures between the regional R4 group and the European E3 partners and hold bilateral talks on follow-up steps.
- The meeting builds on this year’s R4 formation and the Mecca defence pact and could affect freedom of navigation, NATO maritime monitoring and diplomatic pressure on parties fueling regional tensions.