Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye to meet European trio in Istanbul

Turkiye will host an R-4 and an R-4+E-3 meeting of foreign ministers in Istanbul on October 23, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Thursday. The R-4 group, which comprises Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye, emerged in March and has been focusing on regional security and mediation efforts between the United States and Iran. The E-3 group is a trio of European powers — France, Britain and Germany — that was set up more than 20 years ago to advance diplomatic coordination over Iran’s nuclear programme. The Foreign Office in Islamabad has yet to comment on the planned meetings and…