Islamabad (GNP): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has left Islamabad for Istanbul to attend meetings of the R-4 bloc and the R-4+E-3 format on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said. The talks bring seven countries together for the first time in this format.
Dar is travelling at the invitation of Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The R-4 foreign ministers will meet first, and they will then sit down with their counterparts from the E-3.
The R-4 group comprises Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. It emerged in March and has focused on regional security and on mediation efforts between the United States and Iran.
The E-3 is made up of France, the United Kingdom and Germany, which formed the grouping more than 20 years ago to advance diplomatic coordination on Iran’s nuclear programme. Both blocs have therefore worked on the Iran issue from different angles.
The FO said the meetings will focus on key regional developments and explore coordinated diplomatic approaches to shared challenges, regional peace and stability. Dar is also set to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts during the visit.
A Turkish diplomatic source said a day earlier that Turkiye took the initiative for the new format. The source linked it to wars involving Iran, Yemen and Ukraine, which threaten shipping routes and regional security.
According to the same source, the ministers are expected to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the latest situation in the Strait of Hormuz and developments related to Yemen. They are also expected to cover efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and ways to deepen cooperation between regional and European countries.
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The source said Fidan is expected to stress the need for a diplomatic solution to the war between the United States and Iran. He is also expected to underline freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.
Fidan is further expected to restate Turkiye’s support for Saudi Arabia’s security against attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. That support falls under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Islamabad, Ankara and Riyadh.
The pact was signed on 7 August and aims to strengthen collective deterrence. It allows its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.
The FO said, “Pakistan’s participation reflects its continued commitment to constructive diplomacy.”
Managing Editor at Global News Pakistan (GNP), with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Riphah International University, graduated with a Gold Medal. Reach out at sabahtareengnp@gmail.com
