European, Mideast ministers hold talks in Istanbul

Foreign ministers from eight European and Middle Eastern countries yesterday met in Istanbul in an unprecedented format for talks on the Strait of Hormuz and crises across the Middle East.

Ministers from the UK, France and Germany — the so-called E3 — as well as Italy met counterparts from the newly created R4 group comprising Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt to discuss the Palestinians, developments in Yemen and Hormuz, and ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war, a Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs source said.

The talks began at an Istanbul hotel overlooking the Bosphorus after the separate meetings of European top diplomats and regional countries, the source added.

From left, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani pose for a picture before their meeting in Istanbul yesterday.

Photo: Reuters

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s office said the Istanbul talks would essentially revolve around “the Strait of Hormuz and the situation in Saudi Arabia.”

Miliband “will advocate for a diplomatic solution to the [Hormuz] crisis that restores full navigational rights and freedoms,” it said.

He would also stress “how Iranian tactics are being replicated across the region, with attacks on Saudi Arabia further destabilizing the region and increasing pressure on vital waterways and global chokepoints, such as Bab al-Mandeb and the Suez Canal,” it added.

France confirmed the talks on “the Iranian crisis in its various ramifications,” hailing it as a first “in this format... against a backdrop of extreme instability and uncertainty in the region.”

The meeting aims to “strengthen coordination between Europeans and Middle Eastern countries in the face of crises that we did not choose and that affect us all,” the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said.

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan is hosting the meeting as Turkey steps up efforts to bolster its regional role.

Fidan praised regional cooperation, saying: “Lasting solutions cannot be imposed from outside.”

During the talks, Fidan was expected to stress that regional security requires countries in the region to “assume responsibility” and that Turkey prioritizes cooperation mechanisms based on “regional ownership,” Turkish officials said.

He was also expected to say that “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,” they said.

Fidan was expected to call for increased international pressure on Israel over settlement expansion and what Ankara describes as “settler terrorism,” and reiterate Turkey’s support for Saudi Arabia’s security in the face of Houthi attacks and underline the need to safeguard freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb.

The Black Sea was also expected to feature prominently, with Fidan highlighting Turkey’s efforts to prevent the Russia-Ukraine war from spilling into the region.