Top diplomats from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are meeting in Islamabad on Sunday as part of a fresh push to find a way out of the raging conflict in the Middle East.
The month-old war in Iran has drawn in over a dozen countries and sent shockwaves through the global economy.
Continued U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes have meanwhile killed thousands of people.
The meeting between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt marks a shift from informal contacts to structured talks.
Convened at the invitation of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the ministers are to use the consultations to “review the evolving regional situation and discuss issues of mutual interest,” a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry said.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and discussed diplomatic outreach for peace and dialogue.
That followed an announcement by Dar on Thursday, in which he said Islamabad was relaying messages between the United States and Iran to de-escalate tensions.
Pakistan shares an around 900-kilometre-long border with Iran and has offered to act as a mediator since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran spread to the wider region. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Emmanuel Yashim
