Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that "things are moving in the right direction" on ending the war between the US and Iran.
In his remarks before meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang in Beijing, Sharif said that Islamabad's ongoing mediation to bring a negotiated settlement between the two warring sides has already shown progress and "things are moving in the right direction."
In footage aired by state-run Pakistan TV, he said that Pakistan played a “sincere role to mediate between the US and Iran.”
Sharif hailed the role of Pakistani army chief Field Marshall Asim Munir who, he said, remained in touch with leadership from both sides.
Munir was in Tehran last week to hold talks with the top Iranian leadership as part of Islamabad's mediation to end the Middle East conflict.
“We hope and pray that peace will be restored, and lots of ground has already been covered,” Sharif said, thanking the Chinese leadership for their support of Islamabad’s mediation efforts.
“I think we have to really be together, so that the world at large is at peace and business as usual starts again, because this crisis has hit not only the economy in the region but the global community,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping met the visiting Pakistani prime minister in Beijing on Monday, as Pakistan continues its diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between the United States and Iran, Chinese state media reported.
Sharif is on a four-day official visit to China and was welcomed earlier in the day by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People.
The visit comes as China and Pakistan mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year.
