https://arab.news/rpvpr
- Islamabad’s efforts have contributed to reducing tensions in the region, Pakistan Foreign Office claims
- Pakistan foreign minister earlier visited Iran and Saudi Arabia as part of his Middle East peace mission
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi arrived in Washington on Thursday, on the third leg of his Middle East peace mission, to hold talks with top officials, including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Foreign Office said.
Pakistan’s efforts have contributed to reduction in regional tensions, said foreign office spokesperson, Aisha Farooqui, in a weekly press briefing in Islamabad.
“The foreign minister during his engagements in Tehran and Saudi Arabia put forward Pakistan’s point of view that war is in nobody’s interest and that we are a partner for peace,” Farooqui said.
According to a statement by the Foreign Office, Qureshi will meet Pompeo, National Security Adviser Robert O’ Brien and other senior US administration officials during his US visit.
He will also have meetings with members of the US Congress and the Pakistani diaspora.
Farooqui said that Qureshi will also highlight the deteriorating situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.
While talking to the media in New York, after attending a UN Security Council session on Kashmir on Wednesday, Qureshi said that he had also briefed the UN secretary general on “Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to defuse the dangerous tensions between Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US following recent events.”
“Pakistan has affirmed that it will not participate in any conflict in the region. It will be a partner for peace. To defuse tensions and promote peace, I visited Tehran and Riyadh earlier this week,” Qureshi said.
Earlier this week, the foreign minister visited Saudi Arabia and Iran as part of his tri-country diplomatic tour for Middle East peace efforts.
Qureshi embarked on his Middle East mission on the instruction of Prime Minister Imran Khan who asked him to travel to Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States to convey Pakistan’s willingness to play a constructive role for peace in the region.
Khan’s announcement came after the Middle East found itself on the brink of another conflict when the US killed a top Iranian military commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in an attack authorized by US President Donald Trump.