Pakistan PM Visits Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey in Effort for US-Iran Peace Talks

ISLAMABAD, April 15 (CNA) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Sharif today abruptly began a four-day diplomatic trip, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey. Pakistan had previously hosted peace talks between the United States and Iran, which broke down. Sharif is now pushing for diplomacy before a potential second round of negotiations between the two sides.

Agence France-Presse reported that Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Sharif's (Shehbaz Sharif) visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar will focus on bilateral issues, while his visit to Turkey will include attending the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. He will also hold bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders on the sidelines of the forum.

The United States and Iran held their first face-to-face talks in decades last weekend in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, but failed to reach an agreement to end the war. US President Donald Trump said yesterday that the two sides might negotiate again at the same location this week. A fragile ceasefire agreement between the two countries is set to expire next week.

According to a statement from Sharif's office, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also accompanied him on the trip. Dar was one of the mediators in the US-Iran negotiations. (Compiled by Chang Cheng-chien) 1150415