Pakistan is set to host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye for discussions on a wide range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in West Asia amid the war in Iran, the Foreign Office said on Saturday.
At the invitation of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Turkiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, will visit Islamabad on Sunday and Monday, the Foreign Office said.
During the visit, the foreign ministers will hold “in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region”, it added.
The visiting leaders will also meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Foreign Office said.
It added that Pakistan “highly values its relations with the brotherly countries of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Egypt, and the visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan’s cooperation and coordination with these countries”.
Geo News reported that the meeting was earlier scheduled to be held in Turkiye but due to Dar’s engagement, he requested the leaders to come to Islamabad.
“The meeting was scheduled to be held in Turkiye but due to my engagement, I requested my brothers to instead meet in Islamabad tomorrow (Sunday),” Dar was quoted as saying.
The deputy prime minister said that Pakistan is working with “honesty and sincerity” to resolve ongoing disputes.
Dar said that talks with Iran are continuing, but due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations, officials are refraining from making public statements.
Pakistan on Thursday said that it was “actively and constructively engaged” with all stakeholders in the region and beyond to peacefully end the Iran war.
However, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi did not categorically confirm any chances of face-to-face talks in Islamabad over the coming weekend.
The spokesperson said that Pakistan has “remained actively and constructively engaged with relevant regional stakeholders and beyond our region, consistently advocating for immediate de-escalation, cessation of hostilities and an irreversible path towards a peaceful resolution”.
Pakistan also confirmed relaying messages between the US and Iran, saying dialogue and diplomacy were the only way forward to end the West Asia conflict.
Meanwhile, an airstrike hit the grounds of Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant just before midnight, the country’s atomic energy agency reported.
The strike, which was the third in 10 days, did not cause any material damage and there were no casualties, according to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. It said no technical disruption was reported at the site.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was notified of the strike by Iran.
