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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended the sixth meeting of the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in New York as part of Ankara’s diplomatic engagements on the sidelines of the 81st U.N. General Assembly.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Fidan’s participation in the quadrilateral meeting in a statement on U.S. social media platform X.
The ministers discussed developments in the Middle East and opportunities to strengthen cooperation.
Fidan also attended a separate coordination meeting bringing together the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The discussions focused on regional stability and multilateral priorities as ministers held consultations during the high-level U.N. gathering.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in the U.S. from Sept. 20-23 for the General Assembly and is scheduled to address the opening day of the general debate on Sept. 22.
This year’s debate is being held under the theme “Rebuilding trust, managing transformation, a United Nations that delivers for everyone.”
The meeting also comes after Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan formally signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in August.
Under the agreement, an armed attack on any of the three countries is to be regarded as an attack on all three.
Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif traveled to Saudi Arabia on Aug. 7 at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman received the two leaders at Al-Safa Palace in Mecca, where the joint defense summit was held.
Fidan has previously said Egypt could join the agreement and that Türkiye supports expanding the security framework beyond its three founding members.
“Our president’s vision is for this initiative not to remain limited to three countries, but to grow and, if necessary, bring all countries under this umbrella,” Fidan said, adding that other countries had also expressed interest in joining.
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