Foreign ministers from seven nations in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere will hold talks in Istanbul Friday focused on the Strait of Hormuz and the interlinked crises in the Middle East, as well as the Ukraine war.
Ministers from the so-called E3 group – Britain, France and Germany – will meet counterparts from the newly created R4 group, composed of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, to discuss the Israel-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 Minister Ed Miliband’s office said the talks would revolve around “the Strait of Hormuz and the situation in Saudi Arabia,” as the Saudis back Yemen’s beleaguered government in its decade-long civil war, which has flared up amid the U.S. war on Iran.
“Despite positive progress from the U.S. and regional partners, passage through the Strait remains under threat, with traffic through the waterway sharply down on pre-war levels,” a U.K. foreign ministry statement said.
It said Miliband would “advocate for a diplomatic solution to the crisis that restores full navigational rights and freedoms” and stress “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 U.K. is stepping up to help stabilize the region, having this week committed RAF Typhoons to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks in their airspace,” it added.
CBS/AFP
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