Istanbul E3–R4 foreign ministers' talks conclude with no final deal
Foreign ministers from the E3 and Italy plus the R4 regional group concluded their first joint Istanbul meeting on Friday without announcing a final deal, ceasefire or timetable.
The first-ever joint meeting of the E3 group and Italy with the R4 regional bloc concluded in Istanbul on Friday without any final deal, ceasefire or implementation timetable being announced, according to reports from the talks.
Ministers from Britain, France, Germany and Italy sat down with their counterparts from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt in the first meeting in the eight-country format, AFP reported via Gulf News. The meeting took place at an Istanbul hotel overlooking the Bosphorus, according to a Turkish foreign ministry source.
The agenda centred on the Strait of Hormuz, the Iran conflict, Yemen, the Palestinian issue and the Russia–Ukraine war, AFP reported, citing a Turkish foreign ministry source.
Ahead of the talks, British Foreign Minister Ed Miliband’s office said the discussions would revolve around “the Strait of Hormuz and the situation in Saudi Arabia”. Miliband advocated “a diplomatic solution to the (Hormuz) crisis that restores full navigational rights and freedoms” and stressed that “Iranian tactics are being replicated across the region”, according to the AFP report.
After the meeting, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned that “a further escalation between Iran and the United States would leave no winners and would likely have very serious consequences for hydrocarbon prices”, Reuters reported from Istanbul via Dawn’s live blog.
The talks came as Brent crude touched $115 a barrel on Friday — a more than five-month high — after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked supply concerns, Reuters reported.
Iran was the subject of the discussions but did not attend. No final agreement, ceasefire announcement or joint implementation timetable emerged from the reporting of the talks, according to The Levant Files’ 23 October meeting check.
Sources
- AFP via Gulf News: European and Middle Eastern powers hold key talks on Strait of Hormuz and Yemen crises
- AFP via Kuwait Times: European, Mideast ministers meet in Istanbul on Hormuz, regional crises
- Dawn live blog (Reuters): Barrot remarks after Istanbul meeting
- The Levant Files: 23 October Istanbul meeting check
- Reuters via CNA: Brent crude hits more than five-month high
- Dawn: Dar at R-4 and R-4-plus meetings in Istanbul
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