European Council President Antonio Costa on Monday reaffirmed diplomatic support for Pakistan’s peace efforts in the Middle East to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stating that only dialogue and diplomacy could bring peace to the region.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated sharply after US and Israeli air strikes last month assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials, triggering a wave of retaliation from Tehran and widening the conflict across the region. In response to the strikes, Iran launched retaliatory attacks on US military bases in several Gulf countries, significantly expanding the scope of the confrontation.
Pakistan has since ramped up its diplomatic efforts to play its part in easing the tensions and emerged as a key mediator between the US and Iran in their ongoing conflict, which had spread across the Gulf region.