Pakistan: Continuing Diplomatic Mediation Efforts

Middle East – The Pakistani government announced on Saturday that foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey will hold meetings in Islamabad on Sunday and Monday to discuss the situation of the Middle East war.

Pakistan maintains close ties with both Iran and the United States, and has extensive interactions with Gulf states. Recently, it has emerged as a mediator between the two sides in the Middle East conflict. In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said that, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, the four foreign ministers will convene in Islamabad from March 29 to 30 to engage in in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including how to ease regional tensions.

They will also meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. A Pakistani government source told AFP that Prime Minister Sharif had held a phone conversation lasting over an hour with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday, in preparation for this meeting. Egyptian Foreign Minister Bader Abdel Aati arrived in Islamabad on Saturday.

According to the Iranian presidential office, Mr. Pezeshkian praised Islamabad’s mediation efforts and "thanked Pakistan for its diplomatic actions aimed at halting aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran." The two leaders had previously spoken about the conflict and Pakistan’s mediating role.

Mr. Sharif wrote on the X platform regarding his call with the Iranian president: "I reiterated Pakistan’s firm condemnation of Israel’s ongoing attacks on Iran, including recent strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, and expressed solidarity with the courageous people of Iran." He added: "I briefed him on Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic initiatives—including with the United States, as well as brother nations in the Gulf and the Islamic world—to promote dialogue and de-escalate tensions."

Egypt confirmed that the talks took place on Sunday and Monday. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had earlier mentioned the possibility of a meeting among the four foreign ministers on Friday.

A private Turkish TV station, A Haber, explained why the meeting venue was moved from Turkey to Pakistan. He stated: "Initially, we planned to host this meeting in Turkey […] with attendance from Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. However, due to Pakistan’s insistence on remaining within its own country, we shifted the venue to Pakistan."

Although Tehran has refused to acknowledge holding "talks" with the United States, according to Tasnim News Agency on Thursday, citing an anonymous source, Iran has formally submitted a response to the U.S. 15-point plan through Pakistan as a mediator. On Friday, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said he hopes Iran and Washington can hold talks this week to end the Middle East war.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1860970324146183/

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