ISLAMABAD: Days after the Saudi crown prince struck a conciliatory tone towards Iran and sought “good” relations with the kingdom’s arch-nemesis, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday welcomed Riyadh’s “initiative” for peace and said it would strengthen the Muslim world.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while reiterating that Riyadh has a problem with Tehran’s “negative behaviour”, said in an interview aired late on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia wanted a good relationship with Iran.
“We do not want for Iran to be in a difficult situation, on the contrary, we want Iran to prosper and grow. We have interests in Iran and they have interests in the Kingdom to propel the region and the world to growth and prosperity,” he said.
“We welcome the KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] initiative for peace with Iran,” the prime minister said in a tweet posted late on Wednesday.
We welcome the KSA initiative for peace with Iran. Iran is our neighbour and KSA our closest friend. This peace initiative will strengthen the Muslim Ummah. https://t.co/LXj0pRiYFp
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 28, 2021
“Iran is our neighbor and KSA our closest friend. This peace initiative will strengthen the Muslim Ummah.”
Imran’s tweet follows reports of oil-rich Middle Eastern rivals holding secret talks in Baghdad in recent weeks. The official-level meetings, AFP reported, aim to restore relations severed five years ago between the Kingdom and Iran.
The two countries cut ties in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following the kingdom’s execution of a revered Shi’ite scholar, Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.
Pakistan has strong relations with Saudi Arabia, with more than 2.5 million of its nationals living and working in the Kingdom. It also maintains good relations with Iran and represents Tehran’s consular interests in the US.
Imran has repeatedly attempted to defuse tension mediate between regional foes. In 2019, he and Iran President Hassan Rouhani held talks in Tehran to “promote peace and security in the region”, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said at the time.
Islamabad also fears that a possible war between Iran and the Kingdom would spill over into Pakistan, unleashing sectarian violence between the country’s majority Sunni and minority Shia populations and devastating its economy due to a potential oil crisis.
The latest initiative comes at a time of shifting power dynamics, as US President Joe Biden is seeking to revive the tattered 2015 nuclear deal that was abandoned by his predecessor Donald Trump.
Riyadh has officially denied the talks in its state media while Tehran has stayed mum, asserting only that it has “always welcomed” dialogue with Saudi Arabia.
The Baghdad talks, facilitated by Iraq Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, remained secret until the Financial Times reported Sunday that a first meeting had been held on April 9.
PM TO VISIT KINGDOM:
Prime Minister Imran will visit Saudi Arabia either before or immediately after Eidul Fitr in May on the invitation of the crown prince who had invited him to visit the kingdom in March.
According to Saudi ambassador in Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, the visit is confirmed but the dates are yet to be declared.
