Intro: Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Wednesday described the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and T\u00fcrkiye as a framework for defence aimed at improving prospects for peace and regional stability, and ending the prospects of war in the region.<\/p>\n
Speaking at his last weekly press briefing before departing for Geneva as Pakistan\u2019s ambassador, Andrabi said the three countries had, during their first meeting in Istanbul, reaffirmed their resolve to work together for regional peace, stability and de-escalation, including through restraint and the peaceful resolution of crises.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe agreed to further institutionalize cooperation under the Makkah Agreement, strengthening solidarity, collective deterrence and defence, and cooperative security for a just, inclusive, and lasting peace,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Read more:\u00a0Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye to hold first defence pact meeting in Istanbul on Monday<\/p>\n
Calling the agreement a framework for defence, he said it served the interests of the three countries as well as those of the region and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe agreement is tailored towards maintaining and improving the prospects for peace, prosperity, regional stability, and basically ending the prospects of war in the region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Andrabi said Pakistan would continue to fulfil its obligations and responsibilities under the agreement in that spirit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe agreement is in our interest, and in the collective interest of the region and beyond,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Responding to a question about the possibility of other countries joining the agreement, the spokesperson said he was not aware of any applications or new names.<\/p>\n
He said whenever a country wished to join the agreement with a commitment to collective obligations and common security interests, its case would be examined in close consultation with Pakistan\u2019s partners in Riyadh and Ankara.<\/p>\n
He said Pakistan remained hopeful and committed to pursuing dialogue and diplomacy to help resolve the standoff between Iran and the United States.<\/p>\n
Andrabi said, \u201cDespite recent escalations, we remain hopeful, and we will continue to strive for dialogue and diplomacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said Pakistan remained engaged alongside its brotherly countries in efforts to resolve the crisis, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, where the two sides discussed the evolving regional situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s sincere commitment to peace through restrained dialogue and diplomacy,\u201d Andrabi said.<\/p>\n
Asked whether the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Iran through Pakistan\u2019s mediation was now dead, Andrabi said, \u201cThere\u2019s no question of it being alive or dead or half-dead. This template for peace is there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever parties agree to resume dialogue, this template of peace, or any similar framework copying this template, will be adopted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe remain positive that the parties will eventually return to the dialogue table.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrabi said the situation in the Gulf and the Middle East had also been discussed in Istanbul during interactions between our leadership and their counterparts on the sidelines of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement meeting.<\/p>\n
He said the visit of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir\u00a0to Iran last week\u00a0formed part of Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic efforts to facilitate an end to the US-Iran conflict.<\/p>\n
The discussions particularly focused on renewed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, regional de-escalation, breaking the military stalemate and exploring a negotiated settlement to restore regional peace and stability, Andrabi said.<\/p>\n
Read:\u00a0CDF Munir to visit Tehran on Monday: Iranian foreign ministry<\/p>\n
\u201cThe visit underscored Islamabad’s sincere and constructive role in bridging differences between Washington and Tehran,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson said the CDF visit to Tehran had generated momentum, as demonstrated by follow-up and subsequent visits by the leadership of Oman and Qatar.<\/p>\n
On the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Andrabi said the\u00a0Permanent Court of Arbitration\u00a0at The Hague had on September 1 reaffirmed that the treaty remained fully in force and binding, rejecting India\u2019s unilateral attempt to place it in abeyance.<\/p>\n
He said the unanimous award constituted \u201can important reaffirmation of the sanctity of the IWT and the rule of international law\u201d.<\/p>\n
The court confirmed that India\u2019s purported decision to place the treaty in abeyance did not relieve it of its obligations under the treaty and that the treaty\u2019s dispute settlement mechanism remained operative, he said.<\/p>\n
Andrabi said the interim measure concerning the Ratna Hydroelectric Power project further affirmed that rights and obligations under the treaty could not be altered or displaced through unilateral action.<\/p>\n
\u201cPakistan welcomes these clear and authoritative pronouncements,\u201d he said, adding that they validated Islamabad\u2019s consistent position that differences concerning the IWT must be addressed strictly within the framework of the treaty and in accordance with international law.<\/p>\n
Turning to Pakistan\u2019s chairmanship of the SCO, Andrabi said Pakistan had assumed the organisation\u2019s chairmanship and would host the SCO Summit in Pakistan next year under the theme \u201cTurning Vision into Action, Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity\u201d.<\/p>\n
Pakistan would work closely with SCO member states to advance the organisation\u2019s objectives of promoting regional peace and stability, strengthening economic cooperation and connectivity, and fostering shared development and prosperity, he said.<\/p>\n
Also read:\u00a0Arbitration court orders India to suspend work on hydro projects, uphold IWT with Pakistan<\/p>\n
At the end of the briefing, Andrabi thanked journalists for their understanding and support during his tenure as spokesperson, saying he cherished the association and believed that \u201cwe have built long-lasting friendships through our interaction\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Intro: Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Wednesday described the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and T\u00fcrkiye as a framework for defence aimed at improving prospects for peace and regional stability, and ending the prospects of war in the region. Speaking at his last weekly press briefing before departing for Geneva …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5663"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5666,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5663\/revisions\/5666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}