Foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have called for a diplomatic settlement to the military conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. In a joint statement, the four countries asked for the swift return of safe, open shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The ministers met in Istanbul on October 23 to discuss regional matters of shared interest, and the statement was issued afterwards. They also backed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a written understanding, and said diplomacy must stop the situation from escalating further.
Calls for open passage at sea
The ministers said the conflict and the tensions around the waterway should be handled only through talks and diplomacy. They called for an end to attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure and ships. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway linking the Gulf with the open sea, and the four countries rejected any rule or restriction that blocks lawful sailing.
They warned that when sea lanes are disrupted, global supply chains suffer and energy, fertiliser and food become harder to move. In their view, such disruption falls hardest on vulnerable people in the region and beyond, and it requires coordinated action by the wider international community. The statement also stressed freedom of navigation and long-term maritime safety.
Gaza, the West Bank and Yemen
On Palestine, the four governments described the Israeli occupation as a basic source of instability across the region and beyond. They said Israeli policies had created a deep sense of injustice in global public opinion, and they called for a two-state solution in line with relevant UN resolutions. Under their proposal, a Palestinian state would be based on the lines that existed on June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as the capital.
The ministers also called for an urgent halt to Israeli violence and to efforts that change Jerusalem's legal and historical standing. They condemned past and present settlement building in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, along with violence by settlers against Palestinians. The statement called for an uninterrupted supply of aid into Gaza and for the territory to be rebuilt.
On Yemen, the ministers criticised the recent escalation by the Houthi armed group, saying it had made humanitarian suffering worse. They also condemned continued Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilians, and attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Bab al-Mandeb is a narrow channel at the southern end of the Red Sea. The four countries stood firmly with Yemen's government and Saudi Arabia, and told the Houthis to stop military operations, threats and assaults at once and return to politics in good faith.
What happens next
The four foreign ministers agreed to stay in close contact and coordinate on the issues covered in their statement. Their message ties diplomacy at sea to aid for Gaza and to an end to attacks in the Red Sea, linking several fronts in one framework.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt aur Saudi Arabia ke videsh wazeer ne Istanbul mein milkar kaha hai ke jang ka hal sirf baat cheet aur siyasi raste se hona chahiye. Unhon ne Strait of Hormuz se jahazon ki bina rukawat aamad-o-raft behal karne ka mutalba kiya. Is ka matlab hai ke agar samundar ka yeh rasta band ya mushkil raha to tel, khaad aur khorak ki qeematen upar ja sakti hain. Aam Pakistani ko filhal qeematon ke notice par nazar rakhni chahiye.
