Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Sunday appreciated the steps by Saudi leadership in resolving differences among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and the recent initiative for the resolution of issues in Yemen through dialogue and diplomacy.
The foreign minister, in a telephonic conversation with the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, underscored Pakistan’s continued support for Saudi efforts aimed at promoting peace, security and prosperity in the region.
He also reiterated Pakistan’s support for the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Read more: Is Saudis’ renewed peace push enough to save Yemen?
The Saudi foreign minister acknowledged Pakistan’s continued and steadfast support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a Foreign Office press release said.
Conveying his profound regards for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Foreign Minister Qureshi reaffirmed Pakistan’s abiding fraternal ties with Saudi Arabia.
He also praised the “Saudi Green Initiative” and the “Green Middle East Initiative” announced by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman terming it a major initiative for reducing global carbon emissions.
HRH Crown Prince Announces The #Saudi Green Initiative and The Middle East Green Initiative. https://t.co/tTG5Z7iARx
— Saudi Embassy USA (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) March 27, 2021
The Saudi foreign minister lauded Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ground-breaking measures already taken in Pakistan, in the same arena.
Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed Pakistan’s commitment to augmenting cooperation with the Kingdom in all spheres.
Appreciating the two countries’ collaboration in multilateral organizations, he hoped that this mutual support and partnership would further strengthen in future.
Reciprocating positively, Prince Faisal expressed readiness to further fortify bilateral cooperation with Pakistan.
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The two foreign ministers agreed to maintain steady momentum of high-level exchanges between the two countries.
The path ahead
The path to peace in Yemen is long, hard, and full of difficult compromises, but it can still be charted so long as the Ansarullah rebels and Saudi led coalition, along with their international supporters (both military and political) have the will to do what’s needed for the sake of the suffering Yemeni masses.
Maximalist outcomes are impossible to attain at this point, and any continued push in that direction by either party is fraught with unacceptable humanitarian consequences.
What’s required at this moment is for the involved stakeholders to learn from the recent progress in peacefully resolving the Afghan War and seriously consider the diplomatic involvement of neutral third parties like Pakistan and Russia to jump-start this process through the use of their mediation services between all direct and indirect parties to the conflict.
Read more: Saudi Arabia struggles to escape Yemen quagmire
The most immediate objective is to simultaneously lift the blockade and agree to a new ceasefire, after which plenty of thought must be put into the South Yemeni dimension of any political solution in order for it to be truly sustainable.
Courtesy: APP