ISTANBUL: Top European diplomats will hold talks in Istanbul Friday with their counterparts from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt for a meeting initiated by Ankara, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
Foreign ministers from the so-called E3 group — Britain, France and Germany — will meet counterparts from the newly created R4 group to discuss the Palestinians, developments in Yemen and the Strait of Hormuz, and ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war, the source said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host the meeting, the first to bring together the two groups.
“The seven countries will come together for the first time in the R4+E3 format, at Turkiye’s initiative,” the source said, indicating they would explore “opportunities for cooperation and coordination that could be put into practice … in the coming period.”
In chairing the talks, Fidan was to stress that “regional security first and foremost requires countries of the region to assume responsibility” and within that context, Turkiye “prioritises strengthening cooperation mechanisms based on regional ownership”.
He would also say “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”.
He would focus on the international community “increasing pressure on Israel” in response to its settlement expansion and its “encouragement of settler terrorism”.
He would also underline Turkiye’s support for Saudi Arabia’s security in the face of Houthi attacks and the need for permanent freedom of navigation in the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb Straits.
Black Sea security
Unrest in the Black Sea would also be a key focus, with the minister pointing to Turkiye’s ongoing “warnings and proposals” to prevent the Russia-Ukraine war from spreading to the Black Sea and to draw a line under the civilian deaths there.
Armed attacks on commercial ships, often with drones, have multiplied in recent months as the war has spilled into the Black Sea, with Turkish ships increasingly in the firing line.
Last month, Turkiye sent a proposal to Russia and Ukraine to end the strikes, but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears with the attacks increasing in recent weeks, notably near Romania and Bulgaria.
NATO said Tuesday it was deploying additional planes, drones and radar systems to the Black Sea, calling for more “situational awareness” in the region through increased sensors and more data-sharing.
The E3 was set up more than 20 years ago to advance diplomatic coordination over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The R4 was formed this year and brings together Egypt with the signatories to the Mecca Defence Agreement — a mutual defence pact set up by Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in August.