As efforts continue to de-escalate tension between Pakistan and India, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir is arriving today (Saturday) followed by special Chinese envoy to discuss the evolving situation amid heightening tension. The Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, who was earlier scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Friday, changed his schedule as Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a private media channel that his Saudi counterpart will first visit New Delhi before reaching Islamabad today (Saturday).
He said that the Saudi foreign minister wanted to meet him in the UAE on the sidelines of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers. However, Pakistan decided not to attend the meeting in protest against inviting Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to the meeting. "Now I have been informed that the Saudi foreign minister will go to New Delhi from the UAE and then would come to Islamabad on Saturday," he said.
He also stated that a special Chinese envoy will also be visiting Islamabad to discuss the evolving situation with Pakistani leadership. Earlier in the day, Foreign Office said that Foreign Minister Qureshi telephoned his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and thanked him for his offer of providing a platform for dialogue between Pakistan and India. In a statement, the Foreign Office said that Qureshi informed Lavrov that despite baseless allegations from the Indian side, Pakistan had assured complete cooperation in investigation of the Pulwama attack if credible intelligence is provided.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who on Thursday last offered a platform for talks between Pakistan and India "if the two express readiness for the dialogue," stated that Russia desires maintenance of peace in the region and will play a possible role in this regard. The Foreign Office statement further said that Foreign Minster Qureshi also conveyed to his Russian counterpart that he had presented his offer of playing a role in de-escalation of the tension before the joint sitting of the Parliament, which was welcomed by all the members of the Parliament.
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