Bahrain's Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani has announced he will visit Pakistan in the near future to personally thank the country's leadership for its role in facilitating the 'Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)' and the ensuing ceasefire, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Sunday.
Telephone Conversation with Ishaq Dar
According to the FO, Al Zayani conveyed the message during a telephone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar. The Bahraini foreign minister congratulated Dar on the signing of the Islamabad MoU and praised Pakistan's constructive role in facilitating the understanding. He expressed hope that the agreement would contribute to lasting peace and stability in the region.
Al Zayani specifically stated he would visit Pakistan in the near future to personally thank the prime minister, DPM/FM, and the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) for their great efforts to achieve the ceasefire.
Regional Situation Discussed
The two foreign ministers also discussed the evolving regional situation following the signing of the Islamabad MoU. Dar thanked his Bahraini counterpart for his kind sentiments and reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to diplomacy. He reiterated Pakistan's resolve to promote dialogue and diplomacy for achieving peace and stability in the region and beyond, according to the Foreign Office.
Context of the Islamabad MoU
The call comes a week after the first round of four-party talks involving Iran and the US, with mediation by Qatar and Pakistan, concluded in Switzerland. This marked the first formal follow-up engagement since the signing of the agreement earlier this week. On June 18, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the 'Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding' as a mediator, formalising a major diplomatic breakthrough between the US and Iran.
Israel, left out of the peace talks, has distanced itself from the US-Iran accord and kept up fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, raising questions about whether the agreement would hold. The US and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28, assassinating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and military leaders on the first day. The conflict quickly spiralled into a regional war that has killed more than 7,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. It has also driven up energy prices, renewed inflationary pressures, and sparked concerns about a major food supply crisis in developing countries.
