PM Shehbaz to meet President Erdogan, attend diplomacy forum on third leg of tour today – World
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum today on the third leg of a tri-nation tour, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Friday.
In a statement on X, the PMO said that the prime minister will participate in the leaders’ panel on the theme “Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties,” being held at the fifth forum in Antalya.
The premier will present “Pakistan’s perspective” during the panel discussion and is also expected to meet other global leaders participating in the forum.
The PMO further said that the prime minister will also attend the forum’s inaugural ceremony.
Dar’s meetings
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who is accompanying the premier on his tri-nation trip, met the foreign ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bangladesh, Algeria, Northern Cyprus and Singapore’s minister of state for trade.
In his meeting with the Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, Dar said the two exchanged views on strengthening bilateral ties and regional developments
“FM Attaf appreciated Pakistan’s role in achieving the initial ceasefire and the continued efforts in promoting dialogue and diplomacy toward lasting peace and stability in the region,” Dar wrote in a post on X.
Regarding his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Elmedin Konaković on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Dar, in a separate post, said the two reaffirmed the strong historical bonds between the two countries, “having stood by each other in times of hardship and crisis”.
“Also exchanged views on the latest regional developments,” he said.
Dar also met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on the sidelines of the forum.
“We discussed strengthening Pakistan–Bangladesh ties and exchanged views on regional developments, including Pakistan’s role in facilitating dialogue,” Dar wrote.
“I look forward to our continued positive and forward-looking engagement,” he added.
Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) said that Dar held a meeting with the Foreign Minister Northern Cyprus Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu.
During the meeting, the two resolved to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly for “education and welfare” of the Pakistani diaspora in the country, the FO said.
FO added that the two also “agreed to maintain close engagement and continue working together to promote the mutual benefit of their peoples”.
In a separate post, Dar said he met Singapore’s Minister of State for Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang.
“As we mark 60 years of Pakistan–Singapore diplomatic relations, we reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthening cooperation across all sectors, including at the multilateral fora,” Dar wrote.
He added that during the meeting, the two discussed regional developments with Huang expressing “strong support for and appreciation of Pakistan’s efforts to promote dialogue and diplomacy for peaceful resolution of issues in the region”.
A day earlier, after spending the afternoon in Qatar to discuss regional developments with its ruler, PM Shehbaz reached Turkiye to meet Erdogan, where he will apprise the Turkish premier of the peace talks to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, as well as attend the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
For his tri-nation trip, PM Shehbaz left Pakistan on Wednesday for Saudi Arabia, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, before his departure for Doha, where he met the Qatari ruler to discuss the US-Iran talks, brokered by Islamabad.
In its earlier statement, the FO said the visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar were “in the bilateral context”. It added that the premier would meet the leadership there to “discuss ongoing bilateral cooperation as well as regional peace and security”.
Gulf countries — including Saudi Arabia — were facing Iranian attacks, which Tehran says were aimed at US and Israeli sites in response to the latter’s deadly large-scale strikes. Pakistan intensified efforts to act as a mediator between the United States and Iran to end the war that had engulfed the Middle East, leading to a fragile, temporary ceasefire and a first round of talks in Islamabad.
