Dar responds positively to Egypt's invitation for Shehbaz to visit Cairo
Foreign Office says the two foreign ministers also discussed the R4 and R4+E4 meetings in Europe and agreed to keep consulting on regional issues
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has responded positively to Egypt's invitation for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to visit Cairo, the Foreign Office said on Sunday.
The response came in a telephone call between Dar and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, according to a Foreign Office statement posted on X. Dar thanked his Egyptian counterpart for the invitation, the statement said.
The two ministers exchanged views on regional and international developments, the Foreign Office said, and discussed the forthcoming R4 and R4+E4 meetings in Europe. "Both Ministers underscored the importance of strengthening coordination on regional issues and advancing efforts for peace and stability," the statement said.
They agreed to maintain close contact and to continue consultations on matters of mutual interest.
The Express Tribune reported that Abdelatty's invitation was a reiteration, without saying when it had first been made. The newspaper reported that Pakistan and Egypt have stepped up high-level contacts in recent months, and that during Abdelatty's visit to Islamabad in November 2025 the two countries agreed to establish a Pakistan-Egypt Business Council and Business Forum, facilitate visa access for Pakistani businesses and double the number of scholarships for Pakistani students at Al-Azhar University in Cairo.
According to the Express Tribune, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye last met on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22. The four countries condemned attacks against Saudi Arabia, including recent Houthi attacks, reaffirmed support for the kingdom's sovereignty and territorial integrity, called for the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to be upheld and reiterated support for the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.
The Express Tribune reported that the Istanbul meeting will be the first major R-4 engagement since Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, under which an armed attack against one member is to be treated as an attack against all. Egypt did not sign the pact, though Turkish officials had indicated Cairo could eventually join, the newspaper reported.
Neither report said when a visit to Cairo by Shehbaz Sharif might take place.
How the reports differ
Business Recorder described the exchange as a Foreign Office statement and said Dar thanked his Egyptian counterpart for the invitation, without indicating whether the invitation had been made before. The Express Tribune reported it as a reiterated invitation, quoted the Foreign Office post on X directly, and alone carried background: Abdelatty's November 2025 visit to Islamabad, the business council and Al-Azhar scholarship agreements, the four-country meeting at the UN General Assembly, and Egypt's decision not to sign the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Business Recorder carried none of that context.
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