On Friday, Istanbul will host the first meeting of the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The meeting was initiated by Ankara and will be chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Talks will take place in a new “R4+E3” format, bringing together four regional countries and three leading European powers.
“R4” is a recently formed group comprising Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt; the first three countries signed the “Mecca Defense Agreement.” The format is intended to support lasting stability and dialogue on regional issues. “E3” refers to the United Kingdom, France and Germany, a grouping established about 20 years ago to coordinate diplomatic efforts on Iran’s nuclear program. This will be the first meeting in this configuration.
According to a source at Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry, Fidan will voice concern over the risk of the war between the United States, Israel and Iran spreading. He will also support Saudi Arabia’s security in the face of Houthi attacks and stress the vital importance of restoring and permanently ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In addition, Ankara will reiterate its warnings and proposals aimed at preventing the Russia-Ukraine war from spreading to the Black Sea and ending civilian deaths.
Participants are expected to call on the international community to increase pressure on Israel over the expansion of settlements and settler violence, and to take a firm stance against illegal settlements in Palestinian territories. Another goal is to step up diplomacy to find practical solutions that reduce the threat to shipping routes and regional security posed by the wars in Yemen, Iran and Ukraine.
The meeting is taking place amid uncertainty over the conflict with Iran: US strikes have been suspended, but political tensions between Washington and Tehran have reached a peak, as have mutual threats. US media outlets, including CBS, have reported plans to resume joint Israeli-US strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections. According to leaks, targets could include petrochemical facilities important to the oil sector and nuclear sites, but not civilian infrastructure such as power plants.
The meeting’s significance reflects the political weight of its participants and Türkiye’s aim to strengthen its regional position amid the growth of its defense industry, the strength of its military and the signing of the “Mecca Defense Agreement.” Germany, France and the United Kingdom also have their own interest in reducing the impact of regional instability on energy supplies. Ankara previously proposed an agreement to halt attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, but the initiative failed and drone attacks intensified. NATO recently announced the deployment of patrol aircraft, radars, drones and intelligence personnel in the region.
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- Why are the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait considered critical chokepoints for shipping and energy supplies, and what mechanisms could ensure freedom of navigation there without expanding the military presence? — They are narrow “bottlenecks”: a significant share of seaborne oil and LNG exports from the Persian Gulf passes through Hormuz, while Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the route through the Suez Canal. Alternative routes are longer and more expensive, so disruptions quickly drive up insurance premiums, freight costs and energy prices. Freedom of navigation could be supported without a greater military presence through full compliance with the UNCLOS transit-passage regime; diplomatic de-escalation and an end to attacks on vessels; regional hotlines between navies and coast guards; maritime-domain data sharing and satellite monitoring; agreements on incident investigations and neutral arbitration; use of existing coalition forces and convoys without establishing new bases; development of alternative pipelines and logistics routes; and measures to reduce insurance risks.
Full version: Meeting of foreign ministers from 7 countries in Istanbul: What do we know about it?