ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: A high level meeting was held in Islamabad on Thursday to discuss Pakistan’s role to ease tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran ahead of the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir’s two-day visit to the South Asian Country.
The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, National Security Advisor retired Lt. General Nasser Khan Janjua and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary were also present in the meeting.
The other issues pertaining to national and regional security were also discussed in the meeting.
It comes as the Saudi foreign minister reached Islamabad on a two-day official visit to hold important discussions with Pakistani leadership including the prime minister and his advisor on foreign affairs.
The sources said that during talks between the Saudi foreign minister and Pakistani leadership, the military coalition of 34-Islamic countries under Saudi Arabia’s leadership will be discussed.
It is also likely that the current tension between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran will also be brought under discussion in bilateral talks.
On January 4, Saudi Arabia announced to end its diplomatic relations with Iran after a series of strong demonstrations held in the Islamic Republic while the Saudi Embassy in Tehran was also set ablaze following the execution of prominent Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr along with 46 others on charges of terrorism in the Kingdom.
Later in a statement, the Foreign Office expressed Pakistan’s serious concerns over Saudi-Iran tension while Sartaj Aziz said that tension between the two important Islamic countries is a very sensitive issue and the Pakistani government is playing a positive and balanced role in this regard.
In a policy statement in the National Assembly on Tuesday, the advisor hoped that Saudi Arabia and Iran would be able to restore relations through dialogue sooner than later, adding that it is the responsibility of both the states to provide safety to the diplomatic missions.
The advisor said that being friend of Saudi Arabia and Iran, Pakistan will try to bridge the divide and improve relationship between the two countries.
