Foreign ministers discuss threats to vital waterways and ways to contain regional tensions

Last updated: October 23, 2026 | 18:43

Ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and four regional powers met in Istanbul to discuss mounting security threats. AFP

Istanbul: Foreign ministers from eight European and Middle Eastern countries met in Istanbul on Friday in an unprecedented format for talks on the Strait of Hormuz and crises across the Middle East.

Ministers from Britain, France and Germany -- the so-called E3 -- as well as Italy met counterparts from the newly created R4 group comprising Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt to discuss the Palestinians, developments in Yemen and Hormuz, and ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

The talks began at an Istanbul hotel overlooking the Bosphorus, the source added, after the separate meetings of European top diplomats and regional countries.

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