As Pakistan engages in intense diplomacy ahead of a potential second round of US-Iran peace negotiations, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will set out on a four-day diplomatic blitz to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey on Wednesday, according to Islamabad’s foreign ministry. The ministry released a statement using Turkey’s official name, saying, “Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, and the Republic of Turkiye from 15-18 April 2026.”
According to the statement, Sharif will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar “in the bilateral context” while in Turkey, where he will attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and have bilateral discussions with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other dignitaries. In an attempt to put an end to the more than six-week conflict that started when the United States and Israel bombed Iran, Washington and Tehran had their first in-person negotiations in decades over the weekend in Islamabad.
With Iran’s reaction targeting US allies in the Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and preventing energy supplies from the region, the conflict has engulfed the Middle East. US President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that talks could resume in Islamabad this week, despite the fact that the talks in Islamabad concluded without a deal to stop the conflict.
The United States has ordered a naval blockade of Iran, but a precarious ceasefire is still in effect until next Monday.
During his visits, Sharif will be joined by senior officials including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who served as a mediator during the US-Iran negotiations. Close relations exist between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and on Wednesday, Islamabad’s finance minister declared that Riyadh would give Pakistan $3 billion to strengthen its foreign reserves.
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