Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye pledge to keep talking on regional security

Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have pledged to continue dialogue and cooperation on regional security, according to reports carried by The News International and Turkey's state-run Anadolu Ajansı.

Both outlets reported the same four-country grouping, but neither account, as available to this desk, said where or when the commitment was made, at what level (heads of state, ministers or officials) or what precisely was agreed. The News described it as "continued dialogue on regional security"; Anadolu used the phrase "continued cooperation on regional security". Neither report quoted a named official, and no text of a joint statement or communiqué was available.

Skardu Times could not independently confirm any detail beyond the two published headlines.

Pakistan shares a long border with Iran that runs through Balochistan, and maintains close diplomatic and defence ties with both Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Border security on the Pakistan-Iran frontier, maritime security in the Gulf and Arabian Sea, and the wider regional situation have repeatedly figured in the four capitals' contacts.

Without the venue, the date or the level at which the pledge was made, it was not possible to establish whether it followed a specific meeting, restated an existing arrangement, or was issued through separate statements in each capital. It was also not clear whether any follow-up meeting was scheduled, or whether the four countries intend to formalise the contacts.

Officials in Islamabad had not issued their own account of the understanding at the time of filing, and the Foreign Office's position on the reported pledge could not be obtained.

This report will be updated if the outlets publish fuller accounts or if the Foreign Office issues a statement.