ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif set off on a four-day diplomatic blitz to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey on Wednesday, his office said, in a feverish round of diplomacy before a possible second round of US-Iran peace talks.
"Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye from 15–18 April 2026," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement, using Turkey's official name.
The visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar will be conducted "in the bilateral context", while Sharif will participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum while in Turkey. He will also hold bilateral meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders on the sidelines of the Antalya forum, the statement said.
Washington and Tehran held their first face-to-face talks in decades in Islamabad at the weekend, with efforts underway to end the war that began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
The war has plunged the Middle East into conflict, with Iran targeting US allies in the Gulf -- including Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- in retaliation and blocking energy exports from the region.
The Islamabad talks ended without an agreement to end the conflict, but US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that negotiations could resume this week in the Pakistani capital. A fragile ceasefire remains in place until next week, despite the US ordering a naval blockade of Iran.
Sharif was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar -- one of the mediators during the US-Iran talks -- and other senior officials on his visits, his office said on Wednesday afternoon.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share close ties, and Islamabad's finance ministry announced on Wednesday that Riyadh would provide Pakistan with $3 billion to help bolster its foreign reserves.
That support came days after Pakistan said it was returning billions in loans to Riyadh's ally-turned-rival the United Arab Emirates.
The finance ministry said an existing $5 billion Saudi deposit would also be extended for an unspecified period.
