Egypt, Gulf allies eye de-escalation via Türkiye-led quartet

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate phone calls on Tuesday with his Saudi and Emirati counterparts to discuss regional de-escalation efforts, emphasizing coordination through a four-way ministerial mechanism that brings together Cairo, Riyadh, Islamabad and Ankara, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Quadrilateral coordination

During his call with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Abdelatty discussed "efforts to contain the current crisis amid growing risks of escalation," stressing the need to "advance political and peaceful solutions through dialogue," the ministry said. The two ministers agreed to "continue close consultations and coordination bilaterally and through a four-way ministerial mechanism that also includes Türkiye and Pakistan," the statement added. The mechanism brings together Egypt, Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia to strengthen consultation and coordination on de-escalation and support political solutions to regional crises.

In a separate call with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Abdelatty discussed indications of possible escalation and stressed the need for regional countries to "unite their efforts to reach peaceful solutions and return all parties to a peaceful political track to prevent the region from sliding into a more dangerous phase of the current crisis." The diplomatic outreach came a day after Egypt's parliament approved, by a two-thirds majority, a mandate for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take necessary measures to support Saudi Arabia and defend its territory, sovereignty and holy sites.

Regional escalation risks

The parliamentary vote signals deepening security coordination between Cairo and Riyadh amid ongoing military escalation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi group since July, including attacks on civil aviation facilities and energy infrastructure in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition since March 2015 in support of Yemen's internationally recognized government against the Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa and several provinces since September 2014. The calls came as mediation efforts continue to contain tensions between Washington and Tehran, which signed a memorandum of understanding on June 18 but later saw negotiations collapse over disagreements on maritime navigation through the blocked Strait of Hormuz.