ISLAMABAD Mar 29 – Pakistan will host talks with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye in an effort to de-escalate tensions in the region, the foreign office said this week, with foreign affairs analysts describing the meeting as a “crucial” one as Islamabad steps up diplomatic outreach to broker regional peace.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Türkiye arrived in Islamabad on Saturday ahead of talks in Pakistan aimed at calming regional tensions as the US and Israel’s war on Iran, which began last month, refuses to let up. Iran has responded with strikes against Israel and US interests in the region, as well as targeting energy and civilian infrastructure in Gulf nations.
Islamabad has served as a go-between for messages passed between Iranian and US officials as the conflict drags on, severely disrupting oil and cargo supplies through the Strait of Hormuz as well as regional air corridors.
The foreign ministers of Türkiye and Egypt, Hakan Fidan and Dr. Badr Abdelatty, arrived in Islamabad on Saturday while Saudi Arabia’s FM Faisal bin Farhan is due to arrive in the Pakistani capital. The foreign office said all three representatives will visit Islamabad from Mar. 29-30.
“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,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement on Saturday. “The visiting dignitaries will also call on the prime minister.”
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke to Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi to discuss the evolving regional situation, Pakistan’s foreign office said on Sunday.
“DPM/FM emphasized the need for de-escalation, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path for lasting peace,” the foreign office said. “He also underscored the importance of an end to all attacks and hostilities.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a detailed telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday that lasted over one hour, a statement from Sharif’s office said.
During the call, Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s condemnation of Israeli strikes on Iran, expressed solidarity with the Iranian people and conveyed condolences over the loss of more than 1,900 lives since the beginning of the war.
“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 prime minister said in a social media post on X after the phone call.