ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in New York on Tuesday ahead of a UN address in which he will advocate diplomacy and peaceful conflict resolution amid continuing wars and instability across the Middle East, his office said.

Sharif is attending the high-level segment of the 81st UN General Assembly, which brings together nearly 130 world leaders as the months-long US-Iran war, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the conflict in Gaza fuel wider regional instability.

Pakistan has sought to position itself as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, helping facilitate negotiations that produced the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June. The agreement established a framework for ending hostilities, but subsequent talks have struggled amid renewed military escalation and disagreements over implementation.

“In his address, the prime minister will present Pakistan’s position on the evolving regional and global security situation, emphasizing the importance of dialogue, diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.

The prime minister will address the 193-member assembly on Sept. 25 and highlight Pakistan’s “active diplomatic and mediation efforts” to reduce regional tensions and promote peace and stability, according to the statement.

His speech will also set out Islamabad’s positions on sustainable development, climate change, counterterrorism, Islamophobia and global economic challenges.

Sharif will draw attention to the Palestinian issue and the decades-old dispute over Kashmir, a Himalayan territory claimed in full but administered in parts by Pakistan and India. Islamabad has long called for Palestinians and Kashmiris to be granted the right to self-determination.

Sharif will participate in high-level meetings on development, climate action and other international issues on the sidelines of the assembly. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with world leaders and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. His office did not identify the other officials he would meet.