- Islamabad to host FMs meeting on March 29 to 30: Foreign Office.
- Says foreign minister to hold in-depth discussions on range of issues.
- Pakistan values its relations with Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt: FO
Pakistan is set to host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt from March 29 to 30 for in-depth discussions on key regional and global issues, including efforts to ease tensions amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.
Islamabad has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States as their war drags on, serving as an intermediary for messages between the two sides.
The Foreign Office (FO), in a statement on Saturday, said that the visit comes at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Turkiye’s Hakan Fidan, and Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty will visit Islamabad during this period.
“During the visit, the foreign ministers will hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region. The visiting dignitaries will also call on the Prime Minister [Shebaz Sharif],” the FO statement added.
“Pakistan highly valued its relations with the brotherly countries of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt,” it added.
The visit, according to the FO, would provide an opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan’s cooperation and coordination with these countries across multifaceted areas of mutual interest.
Meanwhile, speaking to Geo News, DPM Dar said that the meeting was originally planned to take place in Turkiye, but he invited the delegations to Islamabad due to scheduling constraints.
The deputy prime minister said that Pakistan is working with honesty and sincerity to resolve ongoing disputes and is receiving strong support from friendly countries. He said that talks with Iran are continuing, but due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations, officials are refraining from making public statements.
Two days earlier, DPM Dar confirmed that indirect talks between the United States and Iran were underway through messages being relayed by Pakistan, with Turkiye and Egypt also helping in the effort.
These efforts included direct contact between Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir and US President Donald Trump on Sunday, confirmed by the White House.
Subsequently, Pakistan delivered a US proposal to Iran, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Wednesday. The source did not reveal details of the proposal or confirm if it was the 15-point US framework reported by media outlets.
However, Iran rejected the US proposal, insisting it will end the ongoing “imposed war” on its own terms and timeline, a senior political-security official told Press TV.
As part of preparations, PM Shebaz said he had a detailed telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier today (Saturday), lasting over one hour”.
“I reiterated Pakistan´s strong condemnation of the continued Israeli attacks on Iran, including recent strikes on civilian infrastructure, and conveyed Pakistan´s solidarity with the brave people of Iran,” he wrote on X.
PM said he also expressed his condolences on the tragic loss of precious lives and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured and displaced.
“I apprised him of Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic outreach — engaging the United States and brotherly Gulf and Islamic countries — to facilitate dialogue and de-escalation.”
The PM Office said separately that Pezeshkian “stressed the need to build trust in order to facilitate talks and mediation”.
The pair have spoken previously in recent weeks about the conflict and Pakistan’s commitment to bringing it to an end.
— With additional input from AFP
