ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Foreign Office said on Wednesday that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s visit to Iran was aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, discussing security matters and promoting peace and stability in the region.
Speaking at the weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Naqvi, who arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, was holding meetings with senior Iranian officials.
He said the visit provided an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations, security issues and regional developments, with particular emphasis on promoting peace, stability and constructive engagement among countries in the region.
Naqvi was received in Tehran by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and later held meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to Iranian media.
A diplomatic source in Tehran had earlier told Dawn that a key objective of Naqvi’s visit was to follow up on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and Pakistan’s mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.
Commenting on Pakistan’s mediation efforts, Andrabi said Islamabad remained engaged with “brotherly states” in sincere efforts to help resolve the crisis.
He said Pakistan was making every effort to bring Iran and the US back to the negotiating table and to advance the Islamabad MoU as part of efforts to restore peace and stability in the region.
The spokesperson added that Pakistan would continue using direct and indirect channels to counter attempts to undermine dialogue and would support constructive engagement to resolve outstanding issues.
Makkah defence pact
Andrabi also described the recently signed Pakistan-Saudi Arabia-Turkiye defence agreement as one of the key developments of the week.
The agreement, signed in Makkah last Friday, seeks to strengthen collective deterrence and provides for an attack on one member to be treated as an attack on all three.
The FO spokesperson said the pact reflected the three countries’ commitment to strengthening collective security and promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond.
He described the agreement as a reflection of the longstanding ties between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye and their resolve to share responsibility for regional peace and security.
Andrabi stressed that the agreement was “purely defensive in nature” and aimed at enabling joint efforts to address threats and security challenges faced by the member states. He also recalled Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s recent remarks that the agreement was not directed against any country.