A group of four regional powers – Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye – are closing ranks at a time when the Middle East’s security landscape is being transformed beyond recognition. The new Middle Eastern quadrilateral appears to be an attempt to counterbalance Israel’s designs to ‘redraw’ the map of the Middle East and to address shared security concerns, most notably the United States–Israeli war with Iran. Although the bloc is unlikely to evolve into a defence alliance, it could nevertheless crystallise into a concert of powers that plays a significant role in managing shared security concerns.
The first meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye took place on 19 March 2026 in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The meeting was held on the sidelines of a wider consultative gathering of the foreign ministers of Arab and Islamic countries that condemned Iran’s attacks on the Arab Gulf states. Two subsequent meetings between the four countries’ foreign ministers were held on 29 March in Islamabad, Pakistan and 18 April in Antalya, Türkiye. During both meetings, the ministers expressed support for Pakistan’s mediation effort between the US and Iran. The quadrilateral also held a meeting of senior officials at deputy foreign ministers level in Islamabad ahead of the group’s third ministerial meeting in Antalya, indicating a desire to build a more institutionalised consultative mechanism.
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