Pakistan, Turkey back Arab endorsement of UK's settlement sanctions

Pakistan and Turkey have affirmed their support for Palestine and backed the joint statement by eight Arab-Islamic countries, which welcomed UK’s decision to sanction imports from illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank. Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Mohammed Ishaq Dar spoke over the phone with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on bilateral relations and regional developments. In a statement posted on X, Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that both countries also “emphasised the importance of maintaining close consultation on regional matters” including the Regional Four (R4) framework with Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday that any attack on Saudi Arabia could activate the recently signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, days after Yemen’s Houthis launched missile attacks on the kingdom.