Islamabad: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan on Monday on a day-long visit to hold talks with the country’s leadership ahead of his trip to New Delhi, amid tensions between India and Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack.
The visit comes days after Araghchi offered to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan, saying Tehran stands ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to “forge greater understanding at this difficult time.”
Radio Pakistan reported that during his visit, Araghchi will hold important meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
Soon after landing in Islamabad, Araghchi said that Iran, which shares close relations with both India and Pakistan, seeks “de-escalation”.
“We seek de-escalation between India & Pakistan. I will have close consultations with friends in Pakistan & am scheduled to meet the President, Prime Minister & Foreign Minister. Regional issues & bilateral ties will be reviewed,” he said.
The Iranian FM is expected to fly back to Tehran after his talks in Islamabad, before arriving in India later this week (May 7-8), according to reports. His visit to India had been planned several weeks ago.
According to reports, his New Delhi visit was planned for the India-Iran joint commission meeting, which is chaired by the foreign ministers. The meeting was scheduled to take place before the April 22 terror attack, however, it was postponed.
Araghchi has offered to mediate between India and Pakistan amid rising tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. However, New Delhi has never accepted any offer of mediation by any third country.
In Islamabad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier said that Araghchi’s visit reflects “the deep-rooted and strong relationship between Pakistan and the brotherly nation of Iran”; however, it did not mention talks on the India-Pakistan tensions since the terror attack.
Last week, Araghchi spoke over the phone with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s counterpart, Ishaq Dar. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack and offer condolences. He also spoke with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about the tensions between India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dialled his Pakistani counterpart and offered to settle the “dangerous” India-Pakistan standoff.
“Ready to contribute to a political settlement…should both Islamabad and New Delhi be interested,” a statement said.
