ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Friday called for the next phase of negotiations between the United States and Iran to move forward despite the postponement of planned talks in Switzerland following renewed tensions in Lebanon, while also discussing the finalization of a long-awaited bilateral economic package.
The discussion took place during a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after Washington and Tehran signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, a Pakistan-brokered agreement aimed at ending months of conflict and launching a broader diplomatic process to resolve outstanding disputes.
The call came at a delicate moment for the peace initiative after planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland were called off on Friday following intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The ceasefire in Lebanon is among the broader understandings reached under the initial peace pact. The postponement of the Switzerland talks by Iranian officials and US Vice President JD Vance has raised fresh concerns about the durability of the diplomatic process and the risk of renewed hostilities derailing negotiations.
“His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated the Prime Minister and praised the untiring efforts of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, that led to the successful signing of the peace deal,” Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
“The two leaders agreed that now, it would be vital to ensure that the next phase of negotiations between Iran and the US progresses smoothly, and the outstanding issues are resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” it added. “In this regard, they both stressed upon the need to ensure vigilance against any attempt to derail the negotiation process.”
Sharif thanked the Saudi crown prince for supporting Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and said the peace agreement between Washington and Tehran had been made possible with the backing of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, according to the statement.
The two leaders also discussed expanding economic cooperation, with Pakistan saying both sides were prepared to move ahead with a major economic package that has been under discussion since Sharif’s visit to Riyadh last year.
“While expressing satisfaction with the excellent state of bilateral relations between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister stated that the two sides were ready to finalize and sign the comprehensive economic package, under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince,” the statement said.
“He also reiterated his invitation to His Royal Highness to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at his kind convenience,” it added.
The proposed package is expected to build on a broader Saudi-Pakistan Economic Cooperation Framework being finalized since Sharif’s visit to Riyadh last year. Pakistani officials have described the framework as a long-term plan to boost exports, narrow Pakistan’s trade deficit and deepen economic integration between the two countries.
Earlier this year, Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia said the framework was intended to help transform Pakistan into an export-surplus economy over the coming years with Saudi support and would not only address the trade imbalance with the Kingdom but also strengthen Pakistan’s export competitiveness globally.
The development follows the signing of a bilateral defense pact last year, formalizing decades of security cooperation between the two countries and providing that aggression against one party would be treated as aggression against both.
Pakistan deployed troops, a squadron of fighter jets and an air defense system to Saudi Arabia under the pact during the Iran war, according to a Reuters report last month, highlighting the depth of military cooperation between the two countries.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the two leaders also agreed to maintain close coordination in the days ahead during the phone call.
