Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has invited Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and FM Ishaq Dar to attend the upcoming meeting of the FMs of Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The invitation was extended during a telephone conversation between Fidan and Dar on Wednesday, during which the two officials reviewed recent developments in the region and discussed measures to advance peace and stability.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Dar accepted the invitation and confirmed that he would attend the FMs gathering, which is scheduled to take place in Istanbul later this month.
The meeting comes as regional countries seek closer security and diplomatic coordination amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, which began on February 28. The conflict has significantly affected the wider Middle East, involving several Gulf states and disrupting maritime movement through Strait of Hormuz.
The four foreign ministers are set to convene shortly after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye concluded the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. Under the pact, an armed attack on any one of the three signatories would be treated as an attack on all three.
Turkiye has subsequently indicated that the agreement could be expanded, with Egypt among the countries that could potentially join. Turkish officials have also stressed that the arrangement is not intended to replace existing alliances.
In an August 9 interview with state-run Anadolu, Fidan said the defence agreement was not aimed at Iran or any other country, describing it instead as a commitment among the participating states to support one another’s security.
He said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan envisioned expanding the framework beyond the initial three members and bringing other regional countries into it. Fidan added that Egypt could eventually become part of the arrangement once outstanding technical issues were addressed.
Erdogan has likewise expressed support for broadening the pact, saying its future should not be restricted to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye and that circumstances could eventually allow other regional states to come under its umbrella.
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