ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday held separate meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Tianjin, China.
In his meeting with the Russian foreign minister, both sides expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of relations between Islamabad and Moscow, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
They agreed to deepen cooperation in key sectors including trade, energy, agriculture, and defence. Deputy Prime Minister Dar also reiterated his invitation to Foreign Minister Lavrov to visit Pakistan at the earliest.
In a separate meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi, the two leaders reviewed progress on bilateral cooperation across diverse areas. They also discussed the evolving regional situation following the recent “Israeli aggression” against Iran, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry stated.
Deputy PM Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the people and Government of Iran. He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and stability, emphasising that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to de-escalation and lasting peace, the Foreign Ministry stated in a press release.
The meetings reflected Pakistan’s active diplomatic engagement with regional partners and its continued support for cooperative solutions to regional challenges.
Dar meets Chinese President
Earlier today, the Deputy Prime Minister met with Chinese President Xi Jinping as he represented Pakistan in a joint call of the foreign ministers of the SCO member states.
The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping whose members include China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran. The group’s foreign ministers meet as a precursor to the annual summit of its leaders, which will be hosted by China this autumn in Tianjin.
In a post on X, Ishaq Dar said he was “delighted” to meet with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing before the SCO meeting and conveyed the “warm greetings of the leadership, government and people of Pakistan”.
“As iron-clad brothers and all-weather strategic cooperative partners, we remain committed to deepening Pak-China enduring friendship and advancing shared regional goals,” he posted on X.
Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister @MIshaqDar50 arrived in Tianjin from Beijing along with other Foreign Ministers for the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. pic.twitter.com/6spOqRPA94
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 15, 2025
The Chinese president, welcoming the heads of delegations, underlined the “salience of regional cooperation” under the ambit of the SCO, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Shortly later, Dar arrived in Tianjin along with other foreign ministers to lead Pakistan’s delegation to the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
