Foreign ministers of 8 countries are in Istanbul

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan is hosting the R4 (Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia) and the Foreign Ministers Meetings of the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy in Istanbul today.

German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul, British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdulati, Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan will attend the meetings.

The R4 (Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia) Foreign Ministers Meeting started in Istanbul, hosted by Minister Fidan. According to information obtained from diplomatic sources, the R4 Foreign Ministers Meeting started in Istanbul, hosted by Minister Fidan. The R4 mechanism was created by Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to support permanent stability and strengthen dialogue on regional issues, based on the understanding of regional ownership.

In his address at the meeting, Minister Fidan is expected to emphasize that regional security requires the regional countries to assume responsibility, and that Türkiye gives priority to strengthening cooperation mechanisms based on regional ownership in line with this understanding. Fidan, who will state that existing conflicts should not be allowed to feed each other, conflicts to spread to new areas, and regional tensions to turn into wider instability, is expected to underline again and again that Israel's ongoing occupation in Palestine, its uncompromising attitude that disrupts the peace efforts of the international community, and its aggression spreading throughout the region are the main reasons for the tensions in the Middle East.

Fidan is expected to state that all states should avoid actions that could damage the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and harm the two-state solution efforts, and to draw attention to the importance of the international community taking a determined stance and increasing pressure on Israel against Israel taking steps to expand illegal settlements and encouraging illegal settler terrorism.

Fidan, who is expected to note that the conflict between the USA and Iran can only be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue, and that military methods do not offer a permanent solution and trigger vulnerabilities in the region and bring the risk of a wider conflict, will emphasize that the permanent establishment of freedom of navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Babulmandeb is vital for regional and global stability. Fidan is expected to confirm Türkiye's support for maintaining the security of Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthis' attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, and to point out the importance of the solidarity and common security understanding put forward by the Mecca Defense Alliance.

On the other hand, these eight countries will come together for the first time in the R4 + E3 format, at the initiative of Türkiye. It is envisaged that the meetings will discuss regional issues, especially the Palestine issue, the situation in Hormuz, developments related to Yemen and the search for a solution to the Russia-Ukraine war, and discuss cooperation and coordination opportunities that can be implemented between the R4 and E3 countries in the future.