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 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s participation.

A Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters that the seven countries would meet in the R-4+E-3 format for the first time at Turkiye’s initiative as wars involving Iran, Yemen and Ukraine threaten shipping routes and regional security.

The ministers are expected to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the latest situation in the Strait of Hormuz, developments related to Yemen, efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and opportunities for closer cooperation between the regional and European countries, the source added.

Fidan is expected to emphasise the need for a diplomatic solution to the war between the United States and Iran, the importance of freedom of navigation in the straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, and reiterate Turkiye’s support for Saudi Arabia’s security against attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Islamabad, Ankara, and Riyadh, they said.

Fidan will also tell counterparts that Turkiye has been working to stop the war in Ukraine from spreading to the Black Sea, pointing to the regional security risks posed by the conflict, the source said.

Pakistan, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia on Wednesday signed a multilateral pact to promote cooperation in defence production and capabilities, the Turkish defence ministry said.

The signing took place in Qatar, with ministers of the four countries attending the ceremony. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif represented Pakistan at the signing.

The Foreign Office has yet to comment on the signing of the defence pact, but Asif posted on X his “key statements” on the ‘Badr Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU).

The remarks were posted as a visual share, which said: “Pakistan places great importance on strengthening defence cooperation with trusted partners. This memorandum reflects Islamabad’s shared commitment to contributing to regional peace and stability.

“We look forward to exploring opportunities for strengthening self-reliance, industrial collaboration, joint production and technology transfer while drawing on the complementary strengths of our respective defence industries, in accordance with relevant international and domestic laws and regulations.”

The statement further said, “Through this partnership, we aim to advance cooperation across joint research and development, training exchanges and industrial capability building.”

Turkiye and Qatar released similar statements on the signing of the pact.

Reuters quoted the Turkish ministry as saying that the pact, titled ‘Badr Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)’, was aimed at defence cooperation and strengthening defensive capabilities.

“The agreement holds substantial economic importance,” it said, adding the accord sought to foster cooperation in military production, boost military capabilities, and help collaboration in technical military training, research and development.

“By leveraging the unique military production capabilities of each country, the initiative will facilitate cooperation and integration, enhance defence industrial capacities, and enable the fulfilment of the needs of allied and friendly nations,” it added.

Later, the Qatari defence ministry also released a similar statement.

Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman, and Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Defence Yusuf Jauhari were the other signatories. Haluk Görgün, who heads Turkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries, was also present on the occasion.

Görgün said in a statement that the accord formed the foundation of a “strategic cooperation” to develop joint production and technology.

“Technology sharing, joint development and strengthening domestic production capabilities lie at the heart of sustainable defence industry. As Turkiye, we value partnerships that go beyond off-the-shelf procurement models, that foster the development of a nation’s own human capital and industrial infrastructure,” Gorgun said.

“We believe that the Badr MoU will contribute to transforming the complementary capabilities of Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Turkiye into concrete projects,” he added.

State-run Qatar News Agency said the pact was named ‘Badr’, “referring to the full moon, to signify how the four nations complement one another through this agreement, given its immense importance in terms of both defence and the economy”.

“Other friendly nations may join the MoU, in accordance with criteria agreed upon by the four countries,” it said.

Pakistan has strong brotherly and historic ties with the three countries, with intense diplomatic engagement seen in recent months with Qatar and Turkiye particularly.

Pakistan and Turkiye, along with Saudi Arabia, are members of the Makkah Defence Alliance, under which they are to treat an attack against any of them as an attack against all. Qatar had welcomed that pact as cooperation aimed at regional security and stability.

Islamabad and Doha have remained engaged as mediators in the US-Iran war. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Turkiye are part of the Regional Four (R4) Group along with Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which emerged in March and has met several times since then.

Earlier this week, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met his Qatari counterpart during his visit to Doha, where the two agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in internal security.

During his November 2025 visit to the Gulf state, President Asif Ali Zardari met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and offered to expand bilateral cooperation in the areas of defence production.

Last month, Indonesian naval chief Admiral Dr Muhammad Ali called on Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi.

The two sides “reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen cooperation, particularly in the domains of professional training, defence collaboration and joint exercises”, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The naval chief had also met President Asif Ali Zardari.

In January, Defence Minister retired Lieutenant General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin had called on CDF Munir, with ISPR saying he expressed Jakarta’s desire to further expand defence ties with Pakistan.