Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, marking the beginning of his three-nation diplomatic tour scheduled from April 15 to 18. This visit underscores Pakistan’s intensified diplomatic efforts to foster peace in the Middle East.
Following his stay in Saudi Arabia, the prime minister will proceed to Qatar and then Turkiye. The visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar are planned as bilateral engagements, where Shehbaz Sharif will meet with the respective leadership to discuss ongoing cooperation, as well as regional peace and security matters.
In Turkiye, the prime minister is set to participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. There, he will join the Leaders’ Panel alongside prominent global figures to present Pakistan’s viewpoint on international issues. This visit comes at a critical time, as Pakistan recently hosted high-profile US-Iran talks in Islamabad, attracting worldwide attention amid escalating regional tensions.
On the sidelines of the Antalya forum, PM Shehbaz is expected to hold bilateral meetings, including with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other influential world leaders. These interactions highlight Pakistan’s dedication to constructive diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and active engagement with global challenges.
Accompanying the prime minister on this tour are Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi, and other senior officials.
The recent US-Iran talks in Islamabad, held from Saturday into early Sunday, marked the first direct high-level engagement between the two nations in over a decade and the most significant since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. These discussions followed a ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, intended to halt six weeks of conflict that resulted in thousands of casualties, disrupted vital energy supplies, and raised fears of a broader regional war.
Despite 21 hours of intense negotiations, the parties did not reach a formal agreement. Subsequently, the US military announced plans to enforce a blockade on all maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas, threatening the fragile ceasefire’s stability.
A second round of talks is anticipated to take place in Islamabad before the ceasefire expires, with former US President Donald Trump suggesting it could occur within the coming days.
