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Working together to ensure freedom of navigation and security of supply: Foreign Minister Wadephul meets European and regional partners in Istanbul
Family photo of the Istanbul meeting © Juliane Sonntag/AA/photothek.de
Attacks on shipping routes pose a threat to global trade and the supply of vital goods. Germany is meeting European and regional partners in Istanbul to make headway on joint solutions.
Be it oil, grain or other goods needed for daily life, insecure shipping routes make transport more expensive, jeopardise supply chains and make it more difficult to ensure the supply of vital goods. People in crisis-hit regions and countries that rely on food and energy imports are particularly affected.
At the initiative of Germany and Turkey, the Foreign Ministers of the E4 countries, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy, are meeting for the first time in Istanbul with the four regional partners Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The focus will be on ensuring freedom of navigation and on the conflicts in Iran and Yemen.
Prior to his departure for Istanbul, Foreign Minister Wadephul underlined:
The conflict concerning the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthi attacks in Yemen, in Saudi Arabia and on freedom of navigation but also the impact of the increasing escalation of Russian attacks on grain shipments in the Black Sea are massive challenges that we can only tackle if we go beyond established formats and pull in the same direction. That is why I am meeting our partners from France, the UK, Italy, as well as Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Istanbul today at the initiative of Germany and Turkey.
When shipping routes come under pressure
The situation at two strategically important straits – Bab al-Mandab Strait at the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman – is particularly tense.
Since July 2026, the Houthi in Yemen have intensified their attacks on ships and targets in Saudi Arabia and prevented vessels associated with Saudi Arabia from entering or leaving the Red Sea. Around 12 percent of global maritime trade passes through Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Approximately a fifth of the oil consumed globally is transported through the Strait of Hormuz. Insecure shipping routes can make transport more expensive and affect prices at petrol pumps and in supermarkets.
Foreign Minister Wadephul stated:
We, eight countries standing together, are sending a message: We do not accept that Iran and the Houthi militia are blackmailing world trade and continuing to stranglehold global supplies of energy and fertiliser. The wanton attacks on freedom of navigation and on neighbouring countries must end. The ongoing uncertainty is not acceptable for the people in the region who are going hungry or are worried they are no longer safe in their own four walls.
Germany actively supports freedom of navigation and participates in the EU-led naval operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, which protects commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Insecure shipping routes are increasing global hunger
Civil shipping is also under pressure in the Black Sea. Since July 2026, Russian attacks on civil vessels and civil port infrastructure have brought Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea to a virtual standstill. Around 30 percent of global wheat trade was formerly shipped via this route. Alternative maritime routes can only make up for a small amount of the shortfall. If Ukrainian grain, other agricultural products and fertilisers do not reach the global market reliably, this increases prices for everyone and particularly affects countries in the Global South that are dependent on imports. A further dimension is that this year’s grain exports are the prerequisite for grain being sown and harvested again in Ukraine next year and wheat being produced for global demand.
Foreign Minister Wadephul commented as follows:
Russia is now also targeting freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and with it the lifeline for so many people. When Russia attacks grain supplies, it is fully aware that this can lead to food shortages in the Global South. It is the world’s poorest who suffer here, as they are particularly dependent on wheat – but also our partners, for example Turkey, the country that processes the most wheat for global trade.
Germany supports endeavours to achieve a ceasefire for civil shipping. The UN-mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative of 2022 showed that agreements can improve access to food and reduce the strain on global market prices.
Achieving more by working together
In addition to talks with his French, UK and Italian counterparts, Foreign Minister Wadephul will meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
Foreign Minister Wadephul underlined:
At our first meeting in this format, we Europeans and the four regional powers want to explore together how we can inject momentum into efforts to resolve the conflicts in the Strait of Hormuz, at Bab al-Mandab and in the Black Sea.
The meeting sends a clear message that freedom of navigation and secure trade routes are an international task. They necessitate cooperation beyond established talks formats, as well as partners who take on responsibility together.