Declares that Pakistan is committed to providing all possible facilitations for a results-oriented dialogue
Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Rizwan Saeed Sheikh. Photo: screenshot
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, said Pakistan’s role as a mediator in tensions between the United States and Iran was in the broader interest of the region. Radio Pakistan reported.
In an interview with Fox Newshe expressed gratitude for the trust reposed in Pakistan by both sides. He said Pakistan had a long history of peace-based diplomacy and its recent offer was made in good faith, including to other countries in the region.
The ambassador said Pakistan was keen to move things forward in the larger regional interest and remained optimistic, adding that diplomacy is a gradual process which takes time.
He said Pakistan is committed to providing all possible facilitations for a results-oriented dialogue, while noting that the responsibility for decisions lies with the parties involved. He reiterated that Pakistan believes in negotiations and diplomacy.
Sheikh also said that Pakistan is the country most affected by cross-border terrorism, adding that there is clear evidence of state-sponsored terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. He further said that terrorism against Pakistan was supported and sponsored by India.
Read: DPM Dar leaves for Beijing for one-day visit
Separately, 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 statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dar and Yi will review bilateral relations and discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest during their meeting, the statement added. Reuters reports that they will discuss the situation in Iran during the latter’s visit to China on Tuesday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
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.
