Foreign Minister, Chinese Counterpart to Review Bilateral Relations, Discuss Regional and Global Issues of Mutual Concern
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar leaves for Beijing, China. PHOTO: RADIOPAK
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar left for Beijing for a one-day visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
Dar and Yi will review bilateral relations and discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest during their meeting, the statement added.
This is the foreign minister’s second visit to Beijing this year. His trip followed a four-country meeting in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, which focused on the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The meeting ended with initial discussions that reportedly focused on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt landed in Islamabad for the talks. The discussions came as Iran warned the United States against launching a ground attack and as global oil prices soared amid continued fighting between Iran, the United States and Israel.
While calling for an urgent cessation of hostilities, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in an article on
Dar on Sunday revealed that China had extended full support to Islamabad’s initiative following his telephonic conversation with the Chinese foreign minister. “Starting peace talks is not an easy task, but it is the only viable path to avoid further casualties and losses,” Yi said, according to an official Chinese statement.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement about the meeting: “Pakistan and China enjoy an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, characterized by close coordination and regular consultations on regional and international issues.”
