Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, to discuss the evolving regional situation and an ongoing meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad, the FO said.
In a post on X, the FO said the two leaders had discussed “the evolving regional situation” and “the ongoing OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Baghdad”.
FM Dar “underscored the importance of continued dialogue and diplomacy in addressing regional challenges”, the statement said. The two foreign ministers also “agreed to maintain close contact.”
Pakistan has continued to advocate a negotiated settlement to the conflict involving Iran and the United States. On October 9, the military’s media wing chief, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said Pakistan remained committed to a “negotiated and peaceful outcome” and warned against the conflict spreading further across the region. He said Pakistan had condemned attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel, as well as Iranian attacks on Arab and Gulf countries.
Earlier, FM Dar also held a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, and strongly condemned the Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, reaffirming their full solidarity with the Kingdom and support for its sovereignty, territorial integrity and security.
In a post on X, the FO said the two leaders also discussed the next meeting of the R-4 grouping, comprising Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, during a telephone con-versation.
“The two leaders exchanged views on recent regional developments,” the ministry added. Both looked forward to holding the next R-4 meeting soon to “further strengthen mutual ties and to coordinate on the regional issues.”
According to the FO, the R-4 framework brings together Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia to strengthen ties and coordi-nate on regional issues. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt held the latest round of high-level consultations in Istanbul late last month, as Islamabad stepped up diplomatic coordination with key regional powers following the signing of a landmark defence agreement be-tween Pa-kistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.