26-10-2025

Month: April 2023

PM Shehbaz Sharif shares PDM govt’s scorecard after one year in office

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the completion of the coalition government’s one-year term marked a “successful tenure” that resulted in Pakistan restoring its credibility, and overcoming of the financial and energy challenges.

“I can inform people that over the last year, we have largely succeeded in establishing Pakistan’s credibility as a partner and friend,” he wrote in a Twitter thread.

Sharing the PDM-led government’s scorecard after one year in office, PM Shehbaz said: “Today marks the completion of one year since I took oath as PM of a coalition government. This has been a time of massive challenges and difficulties.

“It was a long journey, but sustained efforts made it possible,” he said.

Recalling the time when a no-confidence motion was passed against former prime minister Imran Khan’s government, the premier said that it was “unprecedented” not because the PDM came into power but because almost all political parties came together to vote out PTI through constitutional means.

“The coming together of political parties with different manifestos for a common national cause represents a major step forward in the country’s political evolution,” said PM Shehbaz, adding that reconciliation and cooperation, instead of confrontation and vendetta marked the new politics post April 2022.

He said despite the economic landmines laid by Imran Khan and the disruptions in global fuel and food supply lines, Pakistan’s economy continued to stay afloat.

“All predictions of default turned out to be false alarms. Sincere efforts are underway to revive the economy,” he said.

PM Shehbaz said the coalition government has been at pains to repair, rebuild and deepen Pakistan’s diplomatic relations that were dealt a severe blow by the “Niazi regime”.

Speaking about the unprecedented floods faced by the country last year, the premier said: “The decisiveness with which the government undertook rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts, provided social protection to millions of people and mobilised international community has been acknowledged by the world as outstanding.”

He mentioned that the government employed climate diplomacy to present Pakistan’s case on the international stage.

“As Chair of G77 plus China, we were instrumental in the establishment of loss and damage fund. Pledges of US$ 9 billion at Geneva moot are evidence of our successful diplomacy,” he said.

The prime minister said that in one year, the coalition government made efforts to diversify the energy mix with the aim to provide relief to the citizens.

“The renewed focus on solar, hydel, and coal power projects is aimed at replacing the costlier sources of power generation with cheaper ones,” he said.

PM Shehbaz pointed out that inflation hit people hard globally, adding that geo-strategic rivalries, increase in prices of fuel and food commodities and historic floods are some of the key factors responsible for inflation.

“Mindful of its impact, the government has expanded the social safety net and provided targeted subsidies,” he said.

He said under the watch of the PDM government, Pakistan managed to exit the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list, thanks to the excellent inter-ministerial coordination as well as support extended by the military leadership.

He said building on the public transport infrastructure, the government, since its inception in April last year, focused on early completion of the development and transport infrastructure projects in Islamabad.

“Idea was to provide ease, comfort and affordable mobility to the people,” he said.

Turkiye launches its first aircraft carrier

The TCG Anadolu can handle only light aircraft, chiefly helicopters and jets that can take off from shorter runways. It is 232 metres long and 32 meters wide, and can carry some 1,400 personnel — one battalion of soldiers — combat vehicles and support units to operate overseas.

“This vessel will allow us to conduct military and humanitarian operations in every corner of the world, when needed,” President Tayyip Erdogan said at the launch ceremony in Istanbul.

“We see this vessel as a symbol that will consolidate Turkiye’s regional leadership position,” he said.

The amphibious assault ship was built in Istanbul’s Sedef Shipyard by a Turkish-Spanish consortium, based on the design of Spanish light aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I. Ankara’s original plan was to deploy F-35 B-model fighter jets, which can take off from shorter runways, on its largest warship.

But its plans had to change after the United States removed Turkiye, a Nato ally, from its F-35 program over Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 defence systems in 2019. Turkiye then

converted TCG Anadolu into a drone carrier.

Leaked Pentagon documents appear to reveal a sensitive conversation between high-level South Korean officials on whether to send weapons to Ukraine.

The secret document, seen by the BBC, suggests that the US has been spying on its decades-old ally South Korea.

It was in a leak that includes information about the war in Ukraine, as well as on China and US allies.

The leak has the potential to upset South Korea’s relationship with both the US and Russia.

South Korea says it is investigating the leak but has insisted that it is impossible to intercept private conversations inside its presidential office, and that this discussion could not have taken place in its private underground bunker.

Washington has been scrambling to trace the source of the leaks, which the Pentagon says is a serious risk to national security.

The document seen by the BBC appears to show that South Korea was torn over whether to sell ammunition that could be used by Ukraine.

Washington has been pushing Seoul to arm Kyiv, but it has so far resisted, citing its policy not to supply weapons to countries at war.

Last year, South Korea agreed it would sell artillery shells to the US, to replenish its stocks, which have been depleted by the war in Ukraine.

As part of the deal, Seoul insisted that the US had to keep the shells for itself, they could not be diverted onto Kyiv. The leaked report shows the government was concerned about the deal and suspected the US might indeed pass the artillery on to Ukraine.

It details a sensitive, high-level conversation from 1 March 2023 between two of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s senior national security advisors.

President Yoon’s foreign affairs secretary Yi Mun-hui reportedly told the then National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han that the government was “mired in concerns that the US would not be the end user” of the ammunition.

They also worried that President Biden could call President Yoon directly about the issue, and that if South Korea were to change its policy on providing weapons to Ukraine, it could look as if it had been pressured by the US.

According to the document, South Korea’s national security advisor, Mr Kim, then suggested they could sell shells to Poland instead, given that “getting the ammunition to Ukraine quickly was the ultimate goal of the United States”.

The leak comes weeks ahead of a visit by President Yoon to Washington

The US has made no secret of the fact that it wants Seoul to arm Ukraine. It believes South Korea, with its ability to build advanced weapons at a breakneck speed, could make a significant contribution to the outcome of the war.

But Seoul has been reluctant to do so, for fear of burning bridges with Russia. This leak suggests Seoul not only understood that South Korean shells could end up in Ukraine, but that they were open to this happening, which could strain its relationship with Russia.

“South Korea always plays this delicate balancing act, with the US on one side, and Russia and China on the other,” said Jenny Town, a Korea analyst from the think tank 38 North. “This leak shows it is the optics they are most concerned about. They’re trying to balance what they’re willing to do to support Ukraine with how it will be perceived.”

The timing of the leak is unfortunate. In a fortnight President Yoon will travel to the White House on a state visit to celebrate 70 years of the alliance between the two countries – an alliance the US is at pains to point out is still “iron-clad”.

This has triggered security concerns in Seoul, with the opposition party questioning how the US was able to intercept such a high-level conversation. “This is a clear violation of our sovereignty by the United States and a super-scale security breach on the South Korean part,” it said in a statement on Monday.

Kim Jong-dae, an advisor for the former liberal government, describes this as an “intelligence disaster” for the South Koreans. “This is the tip of the iceberg. There is no way in hell this is it,” he said.

South Korea’s government is trying to downplay the leak. It says it agrees with a US assessment that some of the documents may have been distorted.

Meanwhile a government source warned that any attempt to “exaggerate or distort this incident, to shake the alliance ahead of the summit, will be resisted”.

The US was expected to use the upcoming summit to further press Mr Yoon to send weapons to Ukraine. That matter is suddenly more delicate.

At least 53 people have been killed, according to survivors, in one of the deadliest airstrikes by the Myanmar military in the ongoing civil war.

The attack targeted a village in Sagaing region, which has opposed the military government.

The military has increasingly used air strikes against their opponents since they seized power in February 2021.

Communities in Sagaing have put up some of the strongest opposition to military rule in Myanmar, forming their own militias and running their own schools and clinics.

One villager told the BBC that a military jet had flown over at around 7:00am and dropped a bomb, followed by a helicopter gunship which strafed the village for twenty minutes.

Residents uploaded video showing scenes of appalling carnage, with dismembered bodies lying on the ground and several buildings on fire. “Please call out if you are still alive, we are coming to help you,” they can he heard shouting as they walked through Pa Zi Gyi looking for victims of the attack. They said that they tried to count the bodies, but that this was difficult because so many were in pieces, scattered among shredded clothing and burned motorbikes.

Pa Zi Gyi had been packed with people from nearby communities attending a ceremony to mark the opening of a new People’s Defence Forces (PDF) office.

The PDFs are volunteer anti-coup militias waging an armed campaign against the military in various parts of Myanmar.

Thousands have been killed in the civil war, with an additional 1.4 million displaced. Nearly a third of the country’s population is also in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.

The military government has been increasingly relying on its Russian and Chinese aircraft to bomb opposition-controlled villages, because its ground troops are finding it difficult to move around on roads where they are often ambushed or hit by mines and IEDs. The airstrikes can inflict much higher casualties among non-combatants.

Thousands have been killed in the civil war, with an additional 1.4 million displaced. Nearly a third of the country’s population is also in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.

There were at least 600 air attacks by the military between February 2021 and January 2023, according to a BBC analysis of data from the conflict-monitoring group Acled (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project).

The exiled National Unity Government, which was formed after the coup, says that these attacks killed 155 civilians between October 2021 and September 2022.

In October, at least 50 people were killed after air force jets dropped three bombs on a concert organised by an ethnic insurgent group in Kachin state. In the previous month, an airstrike on a school in the village of Let Yet Kone in central Myanmar killed at least five children and injured several others.

If the death toll at Pa Zi Gyi is confirmed, it will be one of the deadliest single incidents so far in the civil war.

Last month, General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, said the regime would deal decisively with what he described as “acts of terror” by armed resistance groups.

The US and the Philippines are holding their largest-ever joint military drills a day after China concluded large-scale exercises around Taiwan.

Over three days, China’s military rehearsed blockades of Taiwan in response to the island’s leader meeting the US House Speaker last week.

Washington criticised China’s display of firepower as disproportionate, while Taiwan President Tsai said it was “irresponsible” and she had the right to make visits to the US.

The US drills had been earlier planned.

Filipino and US officials say the drills show their commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region that is open and free.

Washington announced last month that their annual Balikatan exercise with the Philippines would be their largest ever – involving more than 17,000 troops, including 12,000 from the US.

The two-week Balikatan operation will also see the militaries execute a drill to blow up a mock target warship in the South China Sea – a move that could incur China’s wrath.

The exercises, however, should not be viewed as a response to developments in Taiwan, US and Filipino military officials said.

In February, Washington secured a new defence deal with Manila where four new naval bases will be established on Philippine islands close to contested waters.

Three of these bases are to the north of Luzon Island, the nearest bit of land to Taiwan besides China.

The waterways around the Philippines and in the South China Sea contain some of the world’s most valuable trade routes, and have been the subject of disputed territorial claims by China in recent years.

On Monday, as China was concluding its own drills where it deployed fighter jets and an aircraft carrier around Taiwan, the US sent a naval destroyer through the South China Sea in what it called a freedom of navigation mission.

The US sent the USS Milius past the Spratly Islands, which lie in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but are claimed by Beijing.

 

That angered Beijing. China on Monday also warned that US-Philippines military cooperation should not interfere with disputes in the hotly contested waters.

“[It] must not interfere in South China Sea disputes, still less harm China’s territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests and security interests,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday.

Beijing’s drills concluded on Monday. Afterwards, Taiwan’s defence ministry said it would keep strengthening its “combat preparedness”.

President Tsai in a Facebook post on Monday night also stated she had the right to represent her island on the world stage, and condemned China’s military response to her US stopovers as “irresponsible actions of a regional power”.

A dozen countries in the region will also participate in the Balikatan exercises, set to run until 26 April. Australia has sent 100 troops.

The focus of the Balikatan drills have evolved in recent years reflecting a shift in geo-security concerns in the region. In the 2000s, it centred on counter terrorism drills after extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda carried out bomb attacks in southern Philippines.

However, China’s rapid military expansion and claims on territory in the disputed South China Sea, particularly on several Philippine islands, has prompted a wider response.

The Philippines’ role in security in the region has grown. Many believe increased US access to Philippine bases could provide launchpads for combat operations in the event of armed clashes over flashpoints like Taiwan or the South China Sea.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr reiterated on Monday that the US would not be able to access military sites for offensive moves.

“China’s reaction [around Taiwan] is not surprising, since it has its own concerns. But the Philippines will not allow our bases to be used for any offensive actions. This is only meant to help the Philippines should the need arise,” he said.

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A front row seat to monitor China

The US is seeking access to places where “light and flexible” operations involving supplies and surveillance can be run as and when needed, rather than bases where large numbers of troops will be stationed.

In February, Washington secured access to four additional military bases in the Philippines – a deal that helped the US stitch the gap in the arc of alliances stretching from South Korea and Japan in the north to Australia in the south.

The missing link had been the Philippines, which borders two of the biggest potential flashpoints – Taiwan and the South China Sea.

One of the bases they now have access to faces Taiwan, the second the Scarborough shoal, and the third the Spratly Islands. US troops will come in small groups and on rotation.

The aim, analysts say, will be to deter further territorial expansion by China in the South China Sea, while also providing a place for the US to watch Chinese military movements around Taiwan.

With increasing concern about a conflict over Taiwan, the Philippines could offer a “rear access area” for US military operations, or even a place to evacuate refugees.

Read more from our correspondent on the significance of the US-Philippine alliance here

US President Joe Biden has said he will emphasise his country’s “commitment to preserving peace” in Northern Ireland when he visits Belfast this evening.

He will arrive in the city to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday peace agreement.

The 1998 deal brought an end to the Troubles – the decades-long violent conflict in Northern Ireland in which thousands of people were killed.

Mr Biden said he was looking forward to commemorating the anniversary.

“Twenty-five years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace,” he wrote on Twitter.

“The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability.

“I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the US commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity.”

A White House spokesman said President Biden had been very excited about visiting the island of Ireland for quite some time.

While Mr Biden will praise what politicians did in 1998, his visit is overshadowed by the fact that Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government in not functioning.

It collapsed last year when the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) – one of the biggest parties at Stormont – pulled out as part of a protest against post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland.

A major security operation is in place in Belfast city centre ahead of Mr Biden’s visit.

Police have said their resources will be stretched during the president’s visit.

The trip comes two weeks after MI5 said the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland had increased due to a rise in activity by dissident republicans.

During an illegal parade by dissident republicans in Londonderry on Monday petrol bombs were thrown at a police vehicle but the violence was confined to one area and ended a short time later.

When he arrives in Northern Ireland the president will be greeted by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a brief opportunity to meet Stormont politicians.

The main event will be on Wednesday when Mr Biden gives a key address at the new Ulster University campus in Belfast.

A White House spokesperson said that the president was “very much looking forward to going to Belfast” and, despite recent security concerns, “is more than comfortable making this trip”.

“President Biden cares deeply about Northern Ireland and has a long history of supporting peace and prosperity there,” said John Kirby.

His visit to Northern Ireland is much shorter than was originally expected.

He will leave Belfast on Wednesday to attend events in counties Louth and Mayo and in Dublin.

He will end his visit to the Republic of Ireland on Friday.

It is understood that when Mr Biden speaks at Ulster University he will underscore the readiness of the United States to preserve what he sees as the gains of the Good Friday Agreement.

The president is also expected to talk about how the US administration can support Northern Ireland’s economy.

‘Influencing and pressurising’

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, former Prime Minister Tony Blair said the visit was significant but that American influence on the Northern Ireland political process had to be used with “care and sensitivity”.

“There’s a difference between influencing and pressurising and the one tends to be positive and the other can be negative,” Mr Blair said.

“One thing I learned about the unionists is if you try to pressurise them to do something they are fundamentally in disagreement with it’s usually futile pressure, even if it comes from the US, so you just have to use that influence carefully.

“I had a very close relationship with President Clinton outside of the peace process but I found him immensely helpful.

“He would immediately understand strategically what was important and what wasn’t.”

The police say that no vehicles can access James Street, Franklin Street, Bedford Street and Clarence Street West until Wednesday afternoon.

Public transport provider Translink says passengers are advised to expect some service disruption, diversions and delays in Belfast city centre and they advise passengers leave extra time for their journeys.

They have also warned travellers to allow extra time when going to or from Belfast International Airport ahead of today’s visit.

In the Republic, gardaí (Irish police) have said Mr Biden will arrive at and depart Dublin Airport at various times over the course of his visit.

They advised travellers to allow additional time for arrival at the airport “due to possible rolling road closures, particularly late Wednesday and early Friday”.

National Assembly set to celebrate golden jubilee of 1973 Constitution

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA), under the leadership of Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, is all set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973.

The month-long celebrations are set to commemorate the country’s charter with a series of events that will commence on April 10 — the day the NA unanimously passed the resolution half a century ago.

These activities have been chalked out by a Parliamentary Advisory Committee — comprising the speaker, members from both houses of parliament and headed by Senator Raza Rabbani.

The speaker will inaugurate the celebrations by laying the foundation stone of the Constitution Monument at the site approved by the Advisory Committee, opposite Parliamentary Lodges, D-Chowk, Islamabad.

The monument will serve as a permanent reminder of the importance of the Constitution in the nation’s history.

This will be followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Memorial of the Unsung Heroes of Democracy in the Parliament House to homage to those who fought for democracy in Pakistan.

The speaker will also inaugurate an exhibition showcasing rare pictures of the Constitution’s framers, inspect a commemorative stamp, and then head to the second floor of the Parliament to inspect the original Constitution and other manuscripts.

The celebrations will culminate in the National Assembly Session (National Constitution Convention) in the main assembly hall, attended by parliamentarians and people from all walks of life.

The Convention will be chaired by the Speaker. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Advisory Committee Senator Raza Rabbani and other attendees will pay tribute to the framers of the Constitution.

The session will also pass a number of resolutions related to the Constitution’s recognition as a binding document, its incorporation into the national curriculum, an homage to the Constitution’s framers, and declaring the State Bank building (old National Assembly Hall) as a national monument.

The celebrations will be followed by a joint session of the Parliament, scheduled for 2pm.

The month-long activities include speech contests in educational institutions, quiz competitions, exhibitions, special programmes by electronic media, newspaper supplements and an international constitution convention on May 10.

US lawmaker says Pakistanis being deprived of basic rights of democracy

MICHIGAN: As Pakistan continues to reel from the repercussions of an unprecedented economic and political crisis, US Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin highlighted the alleged violations of human rights in the nation of 220 million people.

The US congresswoman, addressing Pakistani doctors in Michigan, talked in length and breadth regarding the issue stating that the people in Pakistan have been passing through a tough time, and they are being “deprived of the basic rights of democracy”.

“They have lost several basic, fundamental rights, such as the right to speech, the right to assemble, and the right to choose their future,” she said.

Slotkin further stated that she has been trying to get the support of 100 Congressmen to write to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to improve the deteriorating situation in Pakistan and restore “democratic” values in the country.

‘Pakistani political parties should obey rule of law’

Last week, a US representative of California’s 32nd congressional district, Brad Sherman, had also urged the political parties of Pakistan to abide by the rulings of the Supreme Court.

The political crisis in Pakistan deepened with the ruling alliance refusing to implement the top court’s verdict on provincial elections.

The US lawmaker discussed the SC’s order to conduct the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on a phone call.

He reportedly encouraged the PTI chief to obey the rule of law and the verdict of the Supreme Court.

Taking to Twitter, Sherman shared some details of his conversation with the ousted prime minister. He said that he was surprised to know that Khan was working in the wee hours of the morning.

“For democracies to function, the parties must adhere to the rule of law and rulings of the Supreme Court,” Sherman wrote on Twitter.

It was a victory for PTI when the top court gave the verdict in the election delay case favouring the party, which has been demanding new polls in the country for almost a year.

The US congressmen and influential figures have lately been speaking in the favour of Khan, especially since his party has engaged another lobbying firm in Washington.

China rehearses ‘sealing off’ Taiwan, US deploys naval destroyer

China launched the exercises in response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen last week meeting US House speaker Kevin McCarthy, an encounter it had warned would provoke a furious response.

After two days of exercises that included simulating targeted strikes on Taiwan and encirclement of the island, the Chinese military said the wargames also included “sealing” it off.

 

One of China’s two aircraft carriers also “participated in today’s exercise,” the military said.

The United States, which had repeatedly called for China to show restraint, on Monday sent the guided-missile destroyer the USS Milius through contested parts of the South China Sea.

“This freedom of navigation operation upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea,” the US Navy said in a statement. It added the vessel had passed near the Spratly Islands — an archipelago claimed by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. It is about 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) from Taiwan.

The deployment of the Milius immediately triggered more anger from China, which said the vessel had “illegally intruded” into its territorial waters.

‘No war’

On Beigan island, part of Taiwan’s Matsu archipelago that is within eyesight of China’s mainland, 60-year-old chef Lin Ke-qiang told AFP he simply did not want war.

“We, common people, just want to live peaceful and stable lives,” Lin said, adding Taiwan’s military was no match for China’s. “If any war happens, now that their missiles are so advanced, there’s no way our side could resist. This side will be levelled to the ground.”

China and Taiwan split at the end of a civil war in 1949. China views democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take it one day.

The United States has been deliberately ambiguous on whether it would defend Taiwan militarily.

But for decades it has sold weapons to Taipei to help ensure its self-defence, and offered political support.

Tsai met McCarthy outside Los Angeles on her way home from a visit with two allied countries in Central America.

In August last year, China deployed warships, missiles and fighter jets around Taiwan in its largest show of force in years following a trip to the island by McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi.

Tsai met with McCarthy last week in the United States, rather than in Taiwan. This was viewed as a compromise that would underscore support for Taiwan but avoid inflaming tensions with Beijing.

But China had repeatedly warned against any meeting, and began the latest wargames soon after Tsai returned to Taiwan.

“These operations serve as a stern warning against the collusion between separatist forces seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ and external forces and against their provocative activities,” said Shi Yin, a PLA spokesman, said about “Joint Sword”.

Tsai responded to the drills by pledging to work with “the US and other like-minded countries” in the face of “continued authoritarian expansionism”.

Live-fire exercises

Exercises on Monday were set to include live-fire drills off the rocky coast of China’s Fujian province, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of the Matsu islands and 190 kilometres from Taipei.

The local maritime authority said the exercises would be held between 7:00 am and 8pm around Pingtan, a southeastern island that is China’s nearest point to Taiwan.

A video published Monday to the Eastern Theatre Command’s official WeChat account showed a pilot saying he had “arrived near the northern part of Taiwan Island”, with missiles “locked into place”.

In another video with dramatic orchestral accompaniment, the pierce of an officer’s whistle sends military personnel running into position as a simulated barrage on Taiwan unfolds on screen.

Iranian delegation set to visit Saudi Arabia this week

The announcement comes a day after a Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran on a similar diplomatic trip, and follows a historic meeting between the two Gulf countries’ foreign ministers in China.

“We are expecting a foreign ministry delegation to visit Saudi Arabia” by Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Enayati said in an interview with state television.

“Two separate delegations will go to Riyadh and Jeddah”, ahead of reopening Iran’s embassy and consulate respectively.

 

Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in January 2016, after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the north-western city of Mashhad were attacked by protesters demonstrating over Riyadh’s execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan met in the Chinese capital on Thursday after Tehran and Riyadh agreed last month to restore diplomatic ties.

In a joint statement, the ministers pledged to bring back security and stability to the turbulent Gulf.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have backed rival sides in conflict zones across the region, including in Yemen.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been invited by Saudi King Salman to Riyadh, a trip planned to take place after Ramazan.

Riyadh leads a military coalition that supports the internationally recognised government in the Arabian Peninsula country, while Tehran backs the Houthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and large areas of the north.

The two Middle East powerhouses had held several rounds of dialogue in Iraq and Oman before reaching the agreement in Beijing, negotiated over five days between Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and his Saudi counterpart Musaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban.

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