Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed Pakistan’s continued commitment to play an “honest and sinere” role in advancing dialogue in what were his first remarks after the conclusion of a high-level meeting between the United States and Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ending the Middle East conflict.

In a post on X, PM Shehbaz expressed satisfaction at the “successful conclusion” of the meeting held in Switzerland’s Burgenstock.

The premier stated that the discussions were held in a “positive and constructive atmosphere and yielded encouraging progress,” which included a roadmap towards the final deal within 60 days, the establishment of a high-level committee for political oversight and the commencement of further technical talks.

PM Shehbaz commended the leadership of both the US and Iran for “continued commitment to constructive engagement”. He also expressed thanks for “all brotherly and friendly countries for their valuable support in advancing this historic process,” particularly Qatar.

The premier thanked Qatar for its “critical support” in creating the necessary conditions for the negotiations to move forward.

“A word of thanks to the Swiss Government for their facilitation in hosting these talks,” PM Shehbaz said. He also paid a “special tribute” to Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

PM Shehbaz said that CDF Munir’s “unitiring efforts” ensured the success of the talks.

“His dedication, commitment and perseverance are indeed commendable without which there would have been no progress,” the premier remarked.

He further thanked Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as well as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

“Pakistan will continue to play its honest and sincere role in advancing dialogue and diplomacy towards a peaceful and lasting resolution,” PM Shehbaz concluded.

Meanwhile, DPM Dar “warmly welcomed” the “substantial progress” achieved at the talks. He also congratulated PM Shehbaz and CDF Munir for their “visionary leadership and tireless efforts in achieving this milestone”.

“I would also like to express my deep appreciation for the constructive spirit shown by the United States of America as well as the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the implementation of the Islamabad MoU and commend their continued commitment to dialogue and diplomacy. My deep gratitude also to the State of Qatar for its important role in the mediation process along with Pakistan,” he said.

“A team from our Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to remain engaged with the parties for technical-level talks for the remainder of the week at Burgenstock, Switzerland,” he said.

“Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role for achieving the goal of lasting peace and stability in the region and beyond,” Dar said.

Iran’s senior envoys left talks in Switzerland on Monday after a marathon negotiating session with the United States, state media reported, as mediators claimed progress towards a definitive US-Iran deal.

The host nation said conditions were set for technical talks to immediately follow, with the sides at the beginning of a 60-day period to secure a long-term settlement.

The negotiators aim to tackle some of the most intractable issues that have dogged US-Iranian relations for decades, including Tehran’s nuclear programme and enriched uranium.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that “a very brief discussion took place regarding the nuclear issue, but there was no discussion of details” and that nuclear talks had not begun.

All the while, the war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah has threatened to collapse the ceasefire, though the country has been relatively calm since Sunday.

Tehran and Washington, meanwhile, have set up communication lines to end the fighting in Lebanon and to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open, mediators Pakistan and Qatar said, after the first round of talks.

Additional input from AFP