Egypt, Pakistan discuss four-nation push to encourage US-Iran talks

CAIRO – 29 March 2026: Egypt and Pakistan held talks on Sunday ahead of a quadrilateral ministerial meeting in Islamabad with Saudi Arabia and Turkey to discuss regional de-escalation efforts amid the war in Iran.

During the talks, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Pakistan discussed quadrilateral efforts to de-escalate tensions and encourage a negotiating track between the United States and Iran, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

These efforts, the ministers said, aim to spare the region from widespread chaos and the dire consequences for the global economy.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed the need for concerted regional and international efforts to contain the conflict.

He emphasized that de-escalation and prioritizing diplomatic solutions constitute the only path to resolving the current crisis, and expressed hope that joint efforts would lead to de-escalation and an end to the war.

Abdelatty and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar agreed to continue joint efforts to prevent the spillover of the conflict.

 

Cooperation Amid Economic Woes

Amid major shifts in the global economy, supply chain disruptions, and volatile energy and commodity markets, Abdelatty affirmed the need to enhance economic cooperation and investment between Egypt and Pakistan.

These challenges require developing countries to adopt more integrated approaches to strengthen economic resilience, he said.

He also stressed the importance of increasing trade volumes between the two countries in line with their significant potential.

To achieve deeper Egypt–Pakistan economic ties, Abdelatty highlighted the need to enhance connectivity between logistics and industrial hubs in both countries, thereby supporting market integration and expanding access to markets in Africa and Asia.

 

He highlighted the importance of leveraging the two countries’ strategic geographic locations as key logistics hubs in global trade, pointing to the need to strengthen trade and economic links between the Suez Canal Economic Zone and Pakistan’s Gwadar Port.

The minister further emphasized opportunities to localize value-added industries within the Suez Canal Economic Zone to support regional supply chains and develop strategic industries.

He reviewed Egypt’s economic reforms in recent years, stressing the importance of activating the joint business council with Pakistan to boost economic ties and encourage greater private sector engagement in bilateral cooperation.