PM Shehbaz expresses gratitude to foreign ministers, reiterates Pakistan’s commitment to peace
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed his gratitude towards the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt after a quadrilateral meeting to discuss the situation in the Middle East, appreciating their confidence in Pakistan’s efforts for peace.
The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, brought together foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt as part of a coordinated regional push to de-escalate the conflict between the United States and Iran that has now completed its first month, raising fears of wider spillover and disruption to global energy supplies.
“It was a pleasure to receive His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan this evening,” PM Shehbaz said in a post on X early on Monday morning.
According to the statement, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unwavering solidarity” with the Kingdom and appreciated Saudi Arabia’s “remarkable restraint in these challenging times”.
He recognised Saudi Arabia’s leadership role in the Muslim Ummah and underscored the importance of unity among Islamic countries.
The premier added that the two sides had agreed to remain “in close coordination in our shared pursuit of peace and stability in the region”.
Separately, he expressed his pleasure at receiving Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty on Sunday evening.
In another post on social media, he said that he had “stressed upon the need for collective efforts to urgently bring an end to hostilities that were causing heavy loss of life, economy and property not only in Iran, but across several brotherly Muslim countries”.
The premier also appreciated Turkiye and Egypt’s valuable contributions, while reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment and resolve to play a positive role in bringing Iran and the US to the negotiating table.
“Grateful for their confidence in Pakistan’s sincere efforts for regional peace and stability,” PM Shehbaz added.
A post by the Foreign Office (FO) made after midnight said that the three foreign ministers departed Islamabad at the conclusion of the quadrilateral consultations, with videos showing each one’s departure at the airport.
Pakistan on Sunday signalled that it could host direct talks between the US and Iran in the coming days upon the conclusion of the talks.
“Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict,” Dar said at the close of the consultations in Islamabad and ahead of his upcoming trip to Beijing for consultations on Iran-US talks.
Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach for peace
Pakistan has stepped up diplomatic outreach as it attempts to de-escalate Middle East hostilities sparked by the United States and Israel’s strikes on Iran on February 28, which have engulfed the entire region as Tehran continues its retaliatory attacks.
Islamabad has been engaging Washington, Gulf capitals and other Muslim countries in an effort to create space for talks.
The quadrilateral meeting was initially planned to be held in Turkiye, but at the last moment it was shifted to Islamabad due to Dar’s inability to travel because of his involvement in Pakistani efforts to facilitate the US-Iran talks.
A diplomatic source said talks in Islamabad could take place around Tuesday, led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Another diplomat closely following the talks said there is an expectation that Washington could announce a ceasefire to coincide with the start of dialogue, in line with Tehran’s demand for confidence-building measures. However, the diplomatic source cautioned that all this remained subject to how events would unfold over the next 48 hours.
Germany’s FM Johann Wadephul on Friday claimed that a direct US-Iran meeting would take place in Pakistan “very soon”.
