Xi praises Pakistan’s West Asia peace mediation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday met Chinese President Xi Jinping, who hailed Beijing’s “unbreakable” friendship with Islamabad and commended Pakistan for taking the initiative to play a mediating role in restoring peace in West Asia.

During the meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Xi called Shehbaz an “old friend” and said the two countries “understood, trusted and supported each other” over decades, forging an “unbreakable traditional friendship,” according to Dawn newspaper. “China commends Pakistan for taking the initiative to play a mediating role in restoring peace in the Middle East,” Xi told Shehbaz, who was accompanied by Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir who concluded his visit to Iran on Saturday.

Sharif appreciated China’s support for Pakistan in mediating the US-Iran negotiations, noting that President Xi’s four propositions on the West Asia situation offer guidance for achieving peace, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported. “I know that you have just returned from Iran and made positive efforts for the current peace. We still appreciate the constructive role played by Pakistan,” Xi was quoted as saying by Dawn. Shehbaz called China and Pakistan two “iron brother” countries with a relationship that is “next to none”.

Earlier, Shehbaz held talks with Premier Li Qiang during which he called for Islamabad and Beijing to “really be together” in ongoing efforts to restore peace in West Asia. Speaking at the delegation-level talks with Li at the Great Hall of the People, Shehbaz said that the “world is passing through a very critical moment”.

“There is a crisis in the Gulf, and Pakistan has played a very sincere role to mediate between the US and Iran,” Shehbaz said, noting that Field Marshal Munir had just returned from Tehran.