ISLAMABAD: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Türkiye’s Hakan Fidan arrived in Islamabad on Saturday ahead of regional talks aimed at de-escalating the ongoing war in Iran, the foreign office said, as Pakistan steps up diplomatic efforts to broker peace in the region.
Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator between Tehran and Washington since the United States and Israel began pounding Iran on Feb. 28, prompting counterattacks from Tehran on US interests as well as oil and other infrastructure in Gulf countries.
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.
Pakistan’s foreign office earlier said the talks, scheduled for March 29-30, would focus on de-escalation efforts and broader regional coordination.
“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 foreign office said in a statement.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan’s cooperation and coordination with these countries across multifaceted areas of mutual interest.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had earlier said the meeting was initially planned in Türkiye.
“However, since our Pakistani counterparts are required to remain in their country, we moved the meeting to Pakistan,” he told the private A Haber broadcaster.
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.
CALL WITH PEZESHKIAN
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a detailed telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that lasted over one hour, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The call came ahead of the foreign ministers’ meeting in Islamabad amid fears of a wider conflagration, with Israel continuing strikes on strategic and civilian targets in Iran and Türkiye’s Hakan Fidan warning that prolonged hostilities could trigger a broader anti-Iran coalition.
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.
According to the statement from his office, he highlighted the broad support for Pakistan’s peace initiative and expressed hope that a viable path to ending hostilities could be found collectively.
Pezeshkian, while appreciating Pakistan’s efforts, stressed the need to build trust to enable meaningful talks and mediation and praised Islamabad’s supportive role.
Iran has repeatedly said it was targeted twice while it was holding negotiations with the US, implying deceptive tactics by its enemies.
Sharif also thanked the Iranian president and assured him that his country would continue to play a constructive role in bringing peace and stability to the region.
