ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister and his Egyptian counterpart exchanged views on the ongoing situation in the Middle East, especially the developments in Gaza.
A telephonic conversation was held between the two leaders, according to a statement released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.
Developments in Gaza
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty, it said.
According to the statement, the two leaders exchanged views on the ongoing situation in the Middle East, particularly the developments in Gaza and Palestine.
They also discussed regional diplomatic efforts and coordination ahead of the forthcoming Summit scheduled to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, it said.
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Moreover, the Pakistani foreign minister also spoke with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov on Saturday, said another statement released by the ministry.
They discussed the situation in the Middle East and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The two ministers also exchanged views on the broader efforts by Arab-Islamic countries to promote peace and stability in the region, as well as on the forthcoming summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the statement added.
According to AFP, US President Donald Trump has said he expects to head to the Middle East on Sunday, with stops in Egypt, where the talks took place, and Israel.
New Gaza police force
With Egypt's support, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has scheduled a reconstruction conference to take place a month after the ceasefire, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Updated World Bank estimates put reconstruction costs for Gaza at $80 billion, up from $53 billion last October, he said. That's four times the combined GDP of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2022, according to the multilateral lender.
Arab states including Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar backed the Saudi-French plan, which called for a transitional administrative committee to be formed "under the umbrella of the" PA, and foresaw the deployment of an international stabilization mission at the PA's invitation.
The Trump plan foresees a temporary international stabilization mission deploying to train and support vetted Palestinian police forces, saying it would "consult with Jordan and Egypt", Reuters reported.
Mustafa said the PA had already nominated some 5,500 Palestinians to be part of a new Gaza police force being trained by Egypt. The goal is to train at least 10,000 people.
