FM Dar, Iranian counterpart reaffirm importance of continued engagement

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi in Bishkek ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting on Tuesday, where the two sides reaffirmed the importance of continued engagement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said. FM Dar arrived alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Kyrgyz capital for a three-day official visit to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and the SCO Plus Summit, besides assuming Pakistan's chairmanship of the council for 2026-27 A warm exchange between Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 and Foreign Minister of Iran Seyyed Abbas Araghchi @Araghchi ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek today. The two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on… pic.twitter.com/flgYsG0B3l — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) September 1, 2026 The two foreign ministers exchanged views on “bilateral relations and regional developments”. Dar underscored that “dialogue and diplomacy remain essential to promoting peace and stability in the region.” He further stressed that “sincere implementation by both parties to the conflict of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of June 2026 remains the only way forward.” The Foreign Office (FO) said the interaction between Dar and Araghchi was a “warm exchange,” with the two foreign ministers reaffirming the importance of continued engagement and discussing regional developments and bilateral relations. Read: Islamabad MoU offers ‘only viable pathway’ to lasting regional peace: PM Shehbaz in meeting with Iran's Pezeshkian PM Shehbaz arrived in Bishkek on Monday for a three-day official visit to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and the SCO Plus Summit, as Pakistan prepares to assume the SCO Council's chairmanship for 2026-27. Upon his arrival, the prime minister met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with the two leaders discussing the evolving regional situation, bilateral ties and efforts to promote regional peace. Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to peacebuilding and highlighted Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir's recent visit to Tehran. He also invited Pezeshkian to visit Pakistan, while the Iranian president invited Shehbaz to the ECO Summit in Tehran in December 2026. Later, Shehbaz attended the opening ceremony of the sixth World Nomad Games, where he held informal interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and other leaders. Discussions focused on bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest. The prime minister is scheduled to address the SCO summit and present Pakistan's perspective on regional and global issues. He is also due to hold formal talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov on September 2, covering trade and investment, energy, connectivity, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. Pakistan is set to assume the SCO Council of Heads of State chairmanship for 2026-27, under which it will lead the organisation's top-level deliberations and host the SCO summit in Pakistan in 2027.

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