🔶 Foreign ministers of seven countries will meet in Istanbul

A Turkish diplomatic source said on Thursday, October 22 (30 Mehr), to Reuters that Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s foreign minister, will host his counterparts from Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany in Istanbul on Friday to discuss regional clashes.

The source also said that the seven countries will, at Turkey’s initiative and for the first time in this format, meet in circumstances in which the situation of wars in Iran, Yemen, and Ukraine threatens shipping routes and regional security.

The source also added that Fidan is expected to stress the need to reach a diplomatic solution to the war between the United States and Iran and the importance of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb, and to reiterate Turkey’s support for Saudi Arabia’s security against attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants, backed by Iran, within the framework of the joint defense agreement of Makkah that was signed among Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.