Pakistan to Pursue Regional Dialogue With Six Nations, Including Saudi Arabia, in Istanbul Today

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will discuss regional developments and explore prospects for advancing peace with counterparts from six nations, including Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt, France, the UK and Germany, in Istanbul on Thursday, the foreign office said.

Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, will participate in the foreign ministers’ meeting of the R4, a group comprising Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in Istanbul. This will be followed by a meeting between the foreign ministers of the R4 and their counterparts from the E3, a group comprising the UK, France and Germany.

The foreign office said this will be the first meeting of the seven countries in this format.

“The meetings will focus on key regional developments and explore coordinated diplomatic approaches to address shared challenges and advance regional peace and stability,” the statement said. “During the visit, the DPM/FM will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts.”

The meetings will take place as tensions continue unabated in the Middle East. The US-Iran war, which began in February with joint US and Israeli strikes against Iran, persists with a deadlock between the two sides intact and differences of opinion on reopening the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping.

The US-Iran war has also led to intensifying attacks by the Yemen-based Houthi rebels against civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Four people were killed in separate attacks in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on Wednesday in strikes targeting a processing facility at Aramco’s Shaybah oil field, and the King Fahd Airport in Dammam.

The Houthi attacks take place as Yemen’s armed forces said on Thursday that they carried out 780 strikes against Houthi targets over a 24-hour period, “neutralizing” more than 500 militia fighters in an operation that spanned several fronts.

Fighting has intensified between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthis since the launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen on Oct. 5. The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen has provided air support for the offensive, which aims to recapture Houthi-held territory and restore government control over state institutions, including in the capital Sanaa.

Pakistan has acted as a key mediator between the US and Iran since their conflict began. Islamabad enjoys a central position amid the regional tensions, given that it is an integral member of the R4 group of nations and it has also signed bilateral and trilateral defense pacts with Saudi Arabia over the past one year.

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