Istanbul will host the R-4 foreign ministers meeting on October 23, and a second session will bring in three European powers, Turkiye's foreign ministry announced on Thursday.
Two groups, one venue
The R-4 grouping is a four-country bloc made up of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. It took shape in March and has concentrated on regional security and on attempts to mediate between Washington and Tehran.
The second session adds the E-3, a trio of France, Britain and Germany that was created more than two decades ago to coordinate diplomacy on Iran's nuclear programme. A Turkish diplomatic source said the seven countries will sit together in this combined format for the first time, at Ankara's initiative, as conflicts involving Iran, Yemen and Ukraine put shipping lanes and regional stability at risk.
What is on the agenda
Topics slated for discussion include the Israeli-Palestinian question, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and developments in Yemen. Efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and ways for regional and European states to work more closely are also on the list, the diplomatic source said.
Fidan is expected to call for a diplomatic path out of the conflict between the United States and Iran, and to stress that ships must be able to pass freely through Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab. He is also likely to reaffirm Turkiye's backing for Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebel attacks from Yemen, under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement that links Islamabad, Ankara and Riyadh. The source added that Turkiye has been working to keep the war in Ukraine from spreading into the Black Sea.
Pakistan's position
Pakistan's Foreign Office has not yet issued a comment on the planned sessions. It has also not said whether Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will take part, so the composition of Pakistan's delegation remains unconfirmed.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- March: the R-4 grouping takes shape, with Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as members.
- Thursday (22 October): Turkiye's foreign ministry announces the Istanbul meetings.
- October 23: the R-4 and R-4+E-3 foreign ministers are due to meet in Istanbul, the first time the seven countries gather in the combined format.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Turkiye ne 23 October ko Istanbul mein R-4 aur E-3 ke foreign ministers ki meeting ka elaan kiya hai. Is mein Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia aur Turkiye ke saath France, Britain aur Germany bhi shamil hain. Meeting mein Hormuz ki shipping, Yemen aur Ukraine jaise masail par baat hogi. Aam Pakistani ke liye abhi koi seedha asar nahi, lekin is se khitte mein amn aur tijarat ke rastoun ki fikr ka pata chalega.
