Foreign ministers from seven countries from Europe, the Middle East and beyond will hold talks in Istanbul on Friday focusing on the Strait of Hormuz and interrelated crises in the Middle East, as well as the war in Ukraine.
Ministers from the E3 group – Britain, France and Germany – will meet their counterparts from the newly created R4 group, made up of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, developments in Yemen and the Strait of Hormuz, and ways to end the Russo-Ukrainian war, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told AFP.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s office said the discussions would focus on “the Strait of Hormuz and the situation in Saudi Arabia,” according to the statement. Saudis support Yemen’s besieged government in its decade-long civil war, which erupted in the midst of America’s war against Iran.
“Despite positive progress by the United States and its regional partners, the passage through the strait remains under threat, with water traffic falling sharply compared to pre-war levels,” said a statement from the British Foreign Office.
He said Miliband would “advocate for a diplomatic solution to the crisis that restores full rights and freedoms of navigation” and highlight “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 el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal.”
“The UK is intervening to help stabilize the region, having this week committed RAF Typhoons to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks in their airspace,” the statement added.
CBS/AFP
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