Pakistan hosts Saudi, Turkish, Egyptian FMs to ease Middle East tensions
ISLAMABAD: A quadrilateral meeting of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt and Pakistan was held in Islamabad to deliberate upon a variety of issues, including efforts to reduce the ongoing tensions in the region amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The top diplomats discussed the evolving regional situation and exchanged views on peace and security.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan later called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this evening.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier warmly welcomed the Saudi FM and conveyed his respectful regards for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and warm greetings for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
PM Shehbaz appreciated the remarkable restraint exercised by Riyadh amid the current crisis.
PM Shehbaz assured the Saudi FM that Pakistan would always stand shoulder to shoulder with Saudi Arabia.
While emphasising Saudi Arabia’s leadership role in the Muslim Ummah, the PM stressed the need to forge unity within the Islamic countries at this critical time.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also arrived on Saturday to attend the talks.
The quadrilateral meeting comes amid efforts to open a window for diplomacy to end over a month-long war between the US, Israel, and Iran, which began on February 28 and has affected the broader Middle East.
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.
Iran outlined five conditions for ending the war: a complete halt to “aggression and assassinations”; mechanisms to prevent the war from being reimposed; guaranteed payment of reparations; resolution across all fronts and resistance groups; and international recognition of Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.
As part of preparations, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had a detailed telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier today (Saturday), lasting over one hour.
The call was the PM’s second conversation with Pezeshkian in five days, both of which focused on de-escalation and dialogue.
“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”. Staff Report
