The Quartet Reaffirms Freedom of Maritime Navigation
The fifth meeting of the four regional parties—Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan—underscored the importance of concerted efforts to ensure the safety of waterways in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab, guaranteeing freedom of maritime navigation and contributing to the stability of supply chains and energy markets. The parties commended Saudi Arabia’s initiative to establish a multinational defensive maritime coalition to enhance maritime security, protect international sea lanes, and counter threats targeting global navigation and trade.
During the meeting held in Amman on Wednesday, ministers discussed efforts to de-escalate tensions and address current security challenges, emphasizing the need to continue supporting diplomatic solutions, Pakistani-Qatari mediation efforts, and all measures that respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, thereby preserving the region’s security and stability.
On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting to support Jerusalem and its holy sites, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi discussed the latest regional developments, primarily focusing on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as efforts to address current developments and support initiatives aimed at achieving security and stability in the region.
Faisal bin Farhan also held talks with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, discussing “the necessity of supporting all measures that enhance Iraq’s interests and its relations with Arab and Islamic countries, ensuring that its territory and resources are not used as tools of aggression against its neighbors, and contributing to the development and stability of all countries and peoples in the region,” according to a statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
During the ministerial meeting to support Jerusalem, Faisal bin Farhan strongly condemned Israeli violations in Gaza, stressing that “all unilateral Israeli actions in Palestinian territories are null and void.” He affirmed that protecting Jerusalem is not merely a humanitarian or religious issue, but a “fundamental pillar of any just and lasting peace,” adding that “justifying violence and incitement to it based on religious or doctrinal claims represents a serious deviation from the shared values of the heavenly religions.”
In Jeddah, the Saudi Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday evening, expressed appreciation for the growing international support for joining the multinational “Defensive Maritime Coalition” launched by the Kingdom. This initiative stems from Saudi Arabia’s leading role in consolidating regional and international security and stability, and in strengthening multilateral cooperation among states across various levels, including building a joint framework to protect international navigation routes, trade routes, and energy supplies from escalating threats in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
The Cabinet also looked forward to the historic agreement on disarmament in the Gaza Strip serving as a starting point for a comprehensive political process leading to the full implementation of a comprehensive peace plan, and guaranteeing the Palestinian people their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state.
At the beginning of the session, the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on the content of a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, which included discussions on regional developments and their implications at various levels. The call reaffirmed the Kingdom’s insistence on prioritizing dialogue to de-escalate tensions and the importance of making every effort to achieve a ceasefire that paves the way for diplomatic solutions contributing to the preservation of regional security and stability.
In a separate development, a senior Saudi source told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath on Tuesday that there were no talks with Houthi militias in Muscat or through any intermediary.
Western media outlets, most recently Bloomberg, reported that Saudi Arabia is holding talks, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman, with the Houthis in Muscat to contain recent tensions, particularly in the Red Sea.
