ISLAMABAD: Overseas ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye met on Sunday (Mar 29) for talks on the war in the Middle East, with Islamabad appearing as a go-between for the USA and Iran.
The four-way assembly between the highest diplomats of the Muslim nations convened “to evaluation the evolving regional state of affairs and focus on problems with mutual curiosity”, Pakistan’s overseas ministry stated in a short assertion.
Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty and Hakan Fidan from Türkiye arrived in Islamabad on Saturday evening, whereas their Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan touched down on Sunday afternoon.
A number of roads resulting in Islamabad’s Purple Zone – the place key authorities buildings and diplomatic missions are primarily based – have been sealed off, AFP reporters stated.
Safety was tight and the driveway of the overseas ministry was embellished with the flags of all 4 nations. Iran, the USA and Israel weren’t represented, a overseas ministry supply stated.
Earlier than the assembly, Pakistan’s Overseas Minister Ishaq Dar held separate bilateral talks along with his visiting counterparts. Fidan and Abdelatty additionally collectively met Pakistan’s highly effective military chief, Discipline Marshal Asim Munir.
The federal government in Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the USA as their warfare drags on, serving as an middleman for messages between the 2 sides.
Islamabad has longstanding hyperlinks with Tehran and shut contacts within the Gulf, whereas Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Munir have struck up a private rapport with US President Donald Trump.
Tehran has refused to confess to holding official talks with Washington however has handed a response to Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war through Islamabad, in keeping with an nameless supply cited by the Iranian Tasnim information company.
Sharif on Saturday stated he had an in depth phone dialog with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian lasting over one hour, detailing his nation’s “ongoing diplomatic outreach”.
Pezeshkian thanked Islamabad “for its mediation efforts to cease the aggression”.
Late on Saturday, Dar, who can be the nation’s deputy prime minister, stated Iran had allowed 20 extra Pakistani-flagged vessels – or two ships each day – to cross by means of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the one approach ahead,” Dar stated on X, tagging US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi.
