The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, who make up the R4 group, issued a joint statement on Friday after meeting in Istanbul under the chairmanship of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. "The Israeli occupation constitutes the fundamental source of instability in the region and beyond," the statement said, adding that Israeli policies have deepened perceptions of injustice around the world.
The ministers called for the early implementation of the two-state solution in line with UN resolutions and for an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the basis of the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They demanded an urgent end to Israeli violence and to attempts to change the legal and historical status of Jerusalem, condemned all past and current settlement activity in the West Bank and Jerusalem as well as settler violence, and stressed the need for an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and its reconstruction.
Houthis and Hormuz
The four countries condemned "in the strongest terms" the Houthi escalation, including continued strikes on Saudi Arabia and attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb. They expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government and urged the Houthis to "immediately cease all military actions, threats and attacks" and return to the political process in good faith.
On the conflict between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, the ministers said it should be resolved only through dialogue and diplomacy and voiced support for the Islamabad memorandum of understanding. Rejecting any restrictions on lawful navigation, they called for the "swift and full resumption of safe, secure and unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz," warning that disrupted sea lanes threaten flows of energy, fertilizer and food.
The ministers agreed to maintain close consultation and coordination on these issues.
