fm Dar, Australian counterpart discuss regional tensions, strengthening bilateral ties

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday met with Senator Penny Wong, Australian Foreign Minister, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) 2026 in Manila, where both sides expressed concern over the recent escalation in the region and emphasized diplomacy, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.

Dar and his delegation arrived in Manila on Wednesday and are expected to participate in the ARF plenary meeting as well as hold a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the forum.

According to FO, the two foreign ministers reviewed bilateral relations between Pakistan and Australia and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation through regular high-level engagement.

“The two leaders discussed bilateral relations between Pakistan and Australia and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation, including through regular high-level engagements,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an article on X.

Dar and Wong also exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments during their meeting. FO said Wong appreciated Pakistan’s “constructive role in promoting dialogue and de-escalation.”

Both sides also expressed concern over the recent escalation in the region and stressed that “dialogue, diplomacy and respect for international law remain essential to achieving lasting peace, stability and security,” according to the statement.

Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs

Earlier, Dar met with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, where the two sides agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international developments, FO reported.

According to FO, the two foreign ministers expressed satisfaction with the “positive trajectory” of relations between Pakistan and Oman and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.

“They agreed to further strengthen their collaboration through high-level exchanges, increased trade and investment, people-to-people contacts, stronger business-to-business ties and continued coordination in multilateral forums,” FO said in an article on X.

The two ministers also discussed the latest regional and international developments during their meeting.

Read: Dar urges ADB to accelerate financing of ML-1 railway project

FO said the Omani foreign minister appreciated Pakistan’s “constructive role in promoting dialogue, de-escalation and regional peace and security.”

Both sides also expressed concern over recent developments in the region and stressed “the importance of maintaining the ceasefire, respecting international law and working towards lasting peace and stability in the region”, according to FO. The two ministers agreed to remain in close contact, the statement added.

On his first full day in Manila, Dar held a series of diplomatic engagements ahead of the ASEAN Regional Forum ministerial meeting. He met senior officials of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at the bank’s headquarters, where he urged the lender to accelerate financing of Pakistan’s Main Line 1 (ML-1) railway project, reaffirmed their partnership of over six decades and discussed expanding cooperation in various sectors.

Dar also held separate meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rehman. During his talks with Lavrov, the two reviewed Pakistan-Russia relations and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in trade, energy and connectivity. During his meeting with Rehman, the two ministers reviewed what the Foreign Office described as the “positive trajectory” of Pakistan-Bangladesh relations and reaffirmed their commitment to building on the momentum generated by Dar’s visit to Bangladesh last year.

The week-long summit, which runs until July 24, brings together foreign ministers and senior diplomats from ASEAN countries and major powers to discuss issues related to geopolitical challenges, energy supply, trade, food, security cooperation, the Myanmar civil war and the Five-Point Consensus, as well as the impacts of the US-Iran conflict.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will join the ASEAN-led meeting in the coming days and may meet on the sidelines. Also present will be India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Russia, Great Britain and the European Union, among others.

Southeast Asia, a major oil importer with a combined gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion, is highly exposed to the supply crunch and has sought to accelerate the establishment of an oil-sharing mechanism with ASEAN to mitigate the impact.