Iranian Top Diplomat Araghchi to Visit Pakistan, India to Discuss Ties
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Pakistan and India this week to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.”Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, departed Tehran for Islamabad with the aim of holding talks with senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.The Iranian top diplomat will discuss with Pakistani officials bilateral ties, trade cooperation, border security, and regional and international developments, the ministry added.On the same day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that Araghchi will also pay an official visit to India on Thursday. Baqaei noted that the Iranian foreign minister will participate there in a joint economic commission.WorldIranian President Offers Mediation in Indian-Pakistani Tensions27 April, 03:41 GMTThe visits come after tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following a terrorist attack near Pahalgam on April 22, in which a group of armed Islamist militants killed 26 people. The terrorist-linked Resistance Front insurgent group claimed responsibility for the attack.India blamed the attack on Pakistan and followed up with reducing mutual diplomatic representation, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and closing the only functioning land border crossing between the two countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the army operational freedom to decide on the manner, targets and timing of a response to the attack.Pakistan responded by suspending all trade with India and closing its airspace to Indian flights. Pakistan’s National Security Committee said the country would regard any attempt by India to divert the flow of the Indus River as an act of war. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Sputnik that Pakistan would reciprocate if India attacked.