JAKARTA - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey expressed their confidence in Pakistan to be a facilitator of negotiations between the United States and Iran, in order to find ways to ease conflicts and tensions in the Middle East.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the four countries discussed "possible ways to end the war in the Middle East early and permanently" in talks of foreign ministers in Islamabad on Sunday.
Foreign Minister Dar's meeting with his counterparts, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (Egypt), Hakan Fidan (Turkey) and Faisal bin Farhan (Saudi Arabia) in the Pakistani capital is part of efforts to de-escalate the Washington-Tehran conflict, with Islamabad acting as a mediator between the two sides.
In a recorded statement, Foreign Minister Dar said all participants expressed confidence in Pakistan's role as a facilitator, adding that China "fully supports" the initiative to host a potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad, quoted by Al Arabiya (30/3).
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the meeting, held at the invitation of Foreign Minister Dar, focused on reviewing the evolving regional situation and discussing issues of mutual interest.
Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran as the conflict continues, conveying messages between the two sides.
Islamabad maintains long-standing ties with Iran as well as close relations with Gulf states and the United States.
Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday he had a more than hour-long phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, during which he outlined Pakistan's ongoing diplomatic efforts.
President Pezeshkian thanked Islamabad for its mediation efforts to help stop the conflict.
Tehran has publicly denied holding direct talks with Washington, but has conveyed its response to US President Donald Trump's 15-point proposal through intermediaries, according to sources quoted by Iran's Tasnim news agency.
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