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Türkiye is preparing to host talks on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum Friday aimed at creating a regional security platform with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and possibly Egypt, according to officials familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg.
The third such discussion in a month, after previous meetings in Riyadh and Islamabad, as Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrives to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Islamabad pushes for a second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Turkish officials, requesting anonymity to discuss private deliberations, told Bloomberg that the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been invited to meet on the sidelines of the forum, with the goal of creating a platform for regular, structured cooperation on regional security issues.
A Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed at a weekly press briefing on Thursday that senior officials from the four countries had met in Islamabad earlier this week at the official level to follow up on past minister-level meetings and prepare for Antalya.
"The Antalya talks are distinct from the diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war," Turkish officials said, as were the prior discussions in Riyadh and Islamabad.
Bloomberg reported in January that Türkiye, a NATO member, was seeking membership in an existing defense pact between Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed the existence of talks that month but said no agreement had been signed.
On Monday, Fidan urged Middle Eastern countries "to commit, within the framework of a security pact, to one another's territorial integrity, sovereignty and security," adding: "When you do this, you can be confident in one another."
President Erdogan will address the three-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum when it opens on Friday.
Sharif, who met Qatar's ruler in Doha on Thursday as part of a regional tour, will also participate in the forum and meet Erdogan on its sidelines.
Pakistan has positioned itself as a key mediator in regional diplomacy after hosting the first direct U.S.-Iran talks last weekend in Islamabad, which ended without a breakthrough.
Islamabad is now pushing for a second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Trump has said the next meeting might take place this weekend, with the White House saying the talks would "very likely" again be held in Islamabad.
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The war between the U.S.-Israel coalition and Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are expected to dominate informal discussions among foreign ministers gathered in Antalya.
"Increased cooperation among friendly countries on regional security could also help expand growing defense and trade ties between them," Turkish officials told Bloomberg.
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