Important diplomatic meeting of 7 countries including Pakistan in Istanbul, Ishaq Dar will participate

Foreign Ministers of Pakistan including UK, France, Germany, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will also participate in two different meetings

Islamabad: Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar will participate today (23 October) in meeting of R4 (Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt) Foreign Ministers in Istanbul city of Turkey.

According to statement issued from Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar has been invited for visit by Foreign Minister of Turkey Hakan Fidan.

After meeting of R4 (Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt) Foreign Ministers, meeting of R4 Plus E3 Foreign Ministers will be held in which E3 countries (UK, France and Germany) will also participate, this will be first meeting between these seven countries in this format.

In these meetings, focus will be given to important regional developments and coordinated diplomatic strategies will be considered to deal with joint challenges and advance regional peace and stability.

During visit, Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts, participation of Pakistan in meeting reflects Pakistan's continuous commitment to constructive diplomacy, regional cooperation and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

According to news agency Reuters, a Turkish diplomatic source said that on Turkey's initiative seven countries will hold meeting for first time in R4 Plus E3 format. This meeting is being considered important in context of threats to maritime routes and regional security due to wars related to Iran, Yemen and Ukraine.

According to sources, meeting will consider Israel-Palestine conflict, latest situation of Strait of Hormuz, Yemen situation, efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war and possibilities of increasing cooperation between regional and European countries.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to emphasize need to find diplomatic solution to war between America and Iran. He will also highlight importance of freedom of maritime traffic in Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.

According to diplomatic sources, Hakan Fidan will also reiterate Turkey's support for security of Saudi Arabia in face of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels. This support will come in context of Mecca joint defense agreement agreed between Islamabad, Ankara and Riyadh.

Turkish Foreign Minister will also inform his counterparts about Turkey's efforts to prevent Ukraine war from spreading to Black Sea and will point out threats to regional security due to this conflict.