Middle East peace talks: Saudi, Turkish, Egyptian FMs to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow

In a major diplomatic push to curb the escalating Middle East conflict, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Egypt are set to arrive in Islamabad on Sunday on a two-day visit. The Foreign Office stated that Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Turkish FM Hakan Fidan, and Egyptian FM Dr Badr Abdelatty will visit from March 29 to 30 at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. 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. The visiting dignitaries will also call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the FO stated. “Pakistan highly values its relations with the brotherly countries of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Egypt. The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan’s cooperation and coordination with these countries across multifaceted areas of mutual interest,” it added. Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator between Iran and the United States as the conflict drags on, with Islamabad serving as a go-between for messages passed between the two warring sides. “Initially, we had planned to hold this meeting in Turkey… however, since our Pakistani counterparts are required to remain in their country, we moved the meeting to Pakistan,” Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan told the private A Haber broadcaster as quoted by AFP a day ago. According to Ankara’s top diplomat, the talks would bring together the foreign ministers of the four Muslim-majority countries. Earlier on Friday, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he expected a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan “very soon”, without revealing his source. While Tehran has refused to admit to holding official talks with Washington, Iran has passed a response to US President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war via Islamabad, according to an anonymous source cited by the Iranian Tasnim press agency.

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