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Foreign ministers from seven nations in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere will hold talks in Istanbul on Friday on the Strait of Hormuz focused on the interlinked crises in the Middle East, as well as the Ukraine war.
Ministers from the so-called E3 group – Great Britain, France and Germany – will meet counterparts from the newly created R4 group, consisting 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 Russia-Ukraine war, a Turkish foreign ministry source told AFP.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s office said the talks revolved around “the Strait of Hormuz and the situation in Saudi Arabia”. Saudis support Yemen’s beleaguered government in its decade-long civil war that flared up in the US war against Iran.
“Despite positive progress by the US and regional partners, passage through the strait remains at risk, with traffic through the waterway sharply down on pre-war levels,” a UK foreign minister said.
It said Miliband “will advocate for a diplomatic solution to the crisis that restores full navigation rights and freedoms” and stressed “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 stepping up to stabilize the region, having this week committed RAF Typhoons to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks in its airspace,” it added.
CBS/AFP
