Islamabad Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met US Charge d’Affaires in Pakistan Natalie Baker on Thursday to discuss diplomatic efforts to hold the second round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad, an official statement said.
The meeting comes amid intensified diplomatic contacts aimed at bringing Tehran and Washington to the negotiating table possibly over the weekend.
The interior ministry said in a statement that Naqvi and Baker held an “important meeting” where they exchanged views in detail on the latest regional situation and discussed diplomatic efforts related to the proposed second round of peace talks.
Naqvi welcomed US President Donald Trump’s initiative to extend the ceasefire, calling it a “welcome development” and significant progress in easing tensions.
“We also hope for positive progress on the Iranian side,” the minister said.
Naqvi and Baker stressed the need to maintain diplomatic channels for a lasting solution to the West Asian conflict.
Naqvi told Baker that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Defense Forces chief Field Marshal Asim Munir were working “all out at all levels” to promote a peaceful outcome, the statement said.
“I hope both sides will give a chance for a diplomatic, peaceful solution,” the minister said.
The meeting, the second this week between the two countries, took place amid uncertainty over the negotiations, with Islamabad imposing tight security over the proposed contacts.
On Monday, Naqvi held separate meetings with Baker and Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghaddam to discuss arrangements for the second round of talks in Islamabad.
On Wednesday, Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely at Pakistan’s request to give Tehran’s leadership more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war. The dramatic announcement came hours before a two-week ceasefire was set to expire.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran has not issued any official statement confirming its agreement to extend the ceasefire.
Pakistan has pressed for an extension to the truce amid uncertainty over a second round of talks. The date for the next round of talks remains unclear.
On Wednesday, the New York Post quoted President Trump as saying that the second round of U.S.-Iran talks could be held as early as Friday.
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said Tehran had not yet decided whether to participate in a new round of talks brokered by Pakistan in Islamabad.
Pakistan has taken elaborate security measures, including the deployment of more than 10,000 security personnel, in preparation for the proposed talks.
The first round of US-Iran talks on April 11-12 failed to achieve a breakthrough, prompting host Pakistan to launch a series of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.
The Iran war broke out on February 28 with attacks by the United States and Israel.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
