Mediatory mission: PM Nawaz meets Iranian president in Tehran

The members of the Iranian cabinet are also present in the meeting.

Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, National Advisor on Security, Retired Lt. General Nasir Khan Janjua and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi are also present in the meeting.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan in Tehran soon after his arrival. The PM while talking to him said unity of Muslim Ummah is need of the hour.

He said Pakistan wants peace and stability in the region.

The Iranian Defence Minister termed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Iran as very important. He expressed the hope that his meeting with Iranian President will be fruitful.

He appreciated the role Pakistan is playing for defusing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

During flight from Riyadh to Tehran, the Prime Minister also held consultative meeting with Army Chief General Raheel Sharif and other officials on Pakistan-Iran relations The meeting also received talks with Saudi leadership in connection with Saudi Iranian stand-off.

A day ago, PM Sharif held a meeting with Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh. They discussed important regional issues with a focus on the tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The members of the Saudi cabinet were also present at the meeting.

 

According to Foreign Office statement,  a high-level delegation accompanies the prime minister.

The statement said Pakistan has deep rooted and brotherly relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran and it is concerned over ongoing tension between the two Muslim countries.

It said the Prime Minister wants to defuse tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran in a peaceful manner.

Saudi-Iran row escalated after the Saudi authorities executed Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr  among dozens of convicted people.

After the execution of Nimr, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard elite military force said a “harsh revenge” would strike Saudi’s ruling Al-Saud family in the near future.

Riyadh’s expulsion of Iran’s envoy after another storming of its Tehran embassy, this time in response to the Saudi execution of Shi’ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr, raised the heat again, making the region’s underlying conflict even harder to resolve.

Last year, Riyadh began a war in Yemen to stop an Iran-allied militia seizing power in its southern neighbor and boosted support to Syrian rebels against Tehran’s ally President Bashar al-Assad. Its execution of Nimr, while mainly driven by domestic politics, was also part of that open confrontation with Iran, according to political analysts.

Foreign Office (FO) statement on PM visit

​The Prime Minister led a high level delegation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 18 January 2016 and called on the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in Riyadh.

As is well known, the people of Pakistan hold the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in high esteem and have deep respect for the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques. Both peoples are bonded through historical, cultural and Islamic ties of brotherhood.

During the talks, both sides underscored the need for further strengthening of bilateral relations, in all fields, including defence, security, economic and commercial cooperation.

During the meeting, views were also exchanged on various facets of enduring cooperation with regard to the Saudi initiative of formation of the Coalition of Islamic countries against terrorism. Pakistan deeply appreciates the Saudi initiative and assured the Kingdom of its support. The Prime Minister reiterated that the people of Pakistan would always stand with the people of Saudi Arabia against any threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom.

The Prime Minister expressed our deep concern on the recent escalation of tensions between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. He also called for early resolution of differences through peaceful means, in the larger interest of Ummah, particularly during these challenging times.

​The Prime Minister recalled Pakistan’s consistent policy of promoting brotherhood among member states of OIC. He said that Pakistan has always expressed its readiness to offer its good offices to brotherly Muslim countries, for resolution of their differences through dialogue and reconciliation.

​His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud acknowledged and appreciated the sincere sentiments of the people of Pakistan that they hold for their Saudi brethren and the Kingdom. He also appreciated the initiative of the Pakistani leadership and observed that Saudi Arabia has always strived to promote brotherhood amongst Muslim countries.

The two delegations also discussed regional and global issues of common concerns. Views were exchanged on fighting terrorism and extremism. It was agreed that both countries would work together to defeat our common enemy – terrorism and extremism.