367 stories · Page 11 of 13
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday declared Spain a reliable NATO member following reports that the United States had raised the prospect of expelling Madrid from the alliance over disagreements on defence spending and policy alignment. Sanchez's statement was a direct rebuttal to the reported pressure from Washington.
The European Union's top foreign policy official has called for nuclear experts to be included in ongoing diplomatic talks with Iran, warning that technical precision is essential to any credible and durable agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme. The statement signals EU concern that current discussions may lack sufficient technical grounding to produce a verifiable outcome.
The United Kingdom and France have signed a three-year bilateral agreement aimed at curbing illegal migrant crossings through the English Channel, a route that has caused sustained political friction between the two governments in recent years. The deal commits both nations to enhanced operational cooperation, joint patrols, and shared intelligence on smuggling networks.
Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority nations have issued a joint declaration strongly condemning Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque and rejecting any attempts to alter the historic and legal status quo in Jerusalem and at its holy sites. The statement represents a coordinated diplomatic front among Muslim nations amid escalating tensions over Israeli conduct at one of Islam's most revered sites.
Member states of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation convened a high-level consultation on Monday focused on visa facilitation, signalling renewed commitment among developing Muslim-majority economies to reducing barriers to people and business mobility. The D-8 grouping — comprising Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey — has historically sought to deepen economic cooperation, with travel facilitation being a recurring agenda item given its direct relevance to trade, investment, and people-to-people ties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone call with his UAE counterpart on Monday as Kyiv continues to pursue diplomatic engagement with Gulf states amid the ongoing war with Russia. The call reflects Ukraine's sustained effort to build and maintain international support across non-Western alignments.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has underscored the strategic importance of enhancing regional connectivity, calling it a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign economic policy and a driver of sustainable development across South and Central Asia. Addressing an international gathering, Dar emphasised that improving trade corridors, transportation links, and energy networks among neighbouring states was essential not only for economic growth but for building durable regional stability.
The latest ASEAN summit has concluded with its most tangible outcome being a push to accelerate negotiations on an oil-sharing pact among member states, with broader agenda items failing to produce binding commitments or consensus declarations. The summit's limited deliverables reflect deepening divisions within the bloc over how to collectively respond to US-China trade tensions, regional security flashpoints, and diverging economic interests among member economies ranging from advanced Singapore to developing Myanmar.
Analysts are reading significant meaning into the Vatican's unusually measured official language following a meeting between Pope Leo XIV and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, interpreting the carefully worded communiqué as a signal of underlying friction between the Holy See and the Trump administration. The Vatican typically employs diplomatic language calibrated to reflect the temperature of a meeting, and observers note that the absence of warmth in the post-meeting statement stands in contrast to the tone usually reserved for senior American officials.
Pakistan's interior ministry on Friday categorically denied reports that Pakistani nationals were being subjected to targeted deportations from the United Arab Emirates, stating that no such coordinated expulsion campaign exists. The ministry urged the public to disregard what it described as misleading social media claims.
In a new development from his ongoing visit to Bangladesh, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid his respects at the grave of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in Dhaka. The gesture carries symbolic diplomatic weight, signalling Pakistan's acknowledgement of Zia's historical significance within Bangladesh's political landscape.
The Pakistani government has categorically rejected circulating reports alleging that Pakistani nationals are being subjected to targeted deportations from the United Arab Emirates, dismissing the claims as false and misleading. The official denial comes as social media speculation about a crackdown on Pakistani workers in the UAE gained traction in recent days.
President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday directed Pakistan's newly designated ambassador to Iran to concentrate on expanding bilateral trade and fostering people-to-people contacts, framing economic engagement as the centrepiece of Islamabad's Tehran policy. The instruction was delivered during a meeting with the ambassador-designate at Aiwan-e-Sadar, where the president underscored the importance of leveraging geographic proximity and cultural affinity to deepen Pakistan-Iran economic integration.
A senior Punjab government official has issued a sharp warning to India against any military misadventure, calling on New Delhi to exercise restraint and choose the path of peace and dialogue over confrontation. The statement reflects the heightened state of tension along the Pakistan-India frontier that has marked the current period of strained bilateral relations.
Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf Al-Maliki, accompanied by Sheikh Talal Al-Aqeel, Adviser to the Saudi Minister of Religious Affairs, called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr, where the delegation presented a souvenir to the Pakistani president in a formal courtesy meeting. The meeting reinforces the ongoing high-level bilateral engagement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, with the presence of a senior religious affairs adviser indicating that the discussions likely touched on areas of religious cooperation, Hajj and Umrah services for Pakistani pilgrims, and bilateral institutional ties.
Tarek Abbas, son of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is reportedly moving to carve out a formal political role for himself within Palestinian Authority circles, ending years of deliberate obscurity in a region where dynastic succession carries profound political sensitivity. Tarek Abbas has historically maintained a low public profile despite his father's decades-long dominance of Palestinian political life.
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday called on all parties involved in the escalating US-Iran standoff to pursue diplomatic channels rather than military confrontation, warning that further conflict in the region would have severe consequences for countries across South Asia and the wider Muslim world. Bilawal, speaking in his capacity as a senior opposition leader and former foreign minister, urged both Washington and Tehran to exercise restraint and engage in structured dialogue.
The Grand Mufti and Chief Justice of Palestine arrived in Pakistan on Monday to participate in the International Paigham-e-Islam Conference, a significant gathering of Islamic scholars and religious leaders convened in Islamabad. The arrival of senior Palestinian religious figures carries symbolic weight given the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Pakistan's strong public and official solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik held a meeting with a senior Chinese green finance expert on Monday to discuss avenues for climate collaboration between Pakistan and China, with a focus on mobilising concessional financing for Pakistan's climate adaptation and mitigation programmes. The discussions centred on mechanisms through which Chinese green finance institutions could support Pakistan's transition to a lower-carbon development pathway, including renewable energy expansion and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday claimed what he described as a record electoral performance by the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, a state that has long been a bastion of the Trinamool Congress under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The BJP's gains in West Bengal, if confirmed at the scale Modi suggested, would represent a significant political realignment in one of India's most populous and politically contested states.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held talks with his Jordanian counterpart, with both sides reaffirming the strength of bilateral ties between the two countries. The engagement underscored the longstanding diplomatic and fraternal relationship between Islamabad and Amman.
The United Nations has issued a sharp warning on World Press Freedom Day calling for an immediate end to attacks on journalists worldwide, citing an escalating pattern of violence, detention, and intimidation targeting members of the press in conflict zones and authoritarian states. The UN's message arrives on May 3, the annual date designated to reaffirm press freedom as a foundational element of democratic governance and human rights.
A senior Kashmiri leader identified as Wani has called on the United Nations to intervene and halt what he described as an ongoing Indian crackdown on educational and religious institutions in Kashmir, urging the international community to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law. The appeal was delivered in the context of escalating tensions in the region and adds to a series of representations made to international bodies by Pakistani and Kashmiri representatives regarding the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.
President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in the southern Chinese city of Sanya on Tuesday after concluding engagements in Hunan province, continuing his state visit to China that has taken him across multiple Chinese cities as part of sustained high-level bilateral engagement. The visit to Sanya follows meetings in Hunan, extending a diplomatic tour that underscores the depth and breadth of Pakistan-China relations at the presidential level.
Diplomats representing ASEAN member states and Pakistan have called for a substantive deepening of trade and economic ties between Pakistan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, identifying untapped potential in sectors including textiles, agriculture, and technology services. The calls were made at a diplomatic engagement event in Pakistan.
The government of Sindh and Uzbekistan's Navoiy region have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation across trade, industry, and agriculture, formalising ties through an agreement intended to unlock economic linkages between the two regions. The accord represents a growing trend of sub-national diplomatic and commercial engagement that bypasses traditional bilateral government channels.
President Asif Ali Zardari paid a formal tribute to late Chinese revolutionary leader Chairman Mao Zedong at his birthplace in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, during an ongoing state visit to China. The gesture carries deep diplomatic symbolism and is consistent with the protocol of high-level Pakistani visits to Beijing.
Pakistan's representative at the United Nations delivered a formal warning on Wednesday about the corrosive impact of disinformation and hate speech on international trust, with a specific focus on situations of military occupation. The statement was delivered during a UN session addressing information integrity and its intersection with global security.
Pakistan and the European Union are entering a new phase of investment and economic growth, a senior Pakistani official told reporters on Tuesday, characterising the bilateral relationship as increasingly mature and commercially oriented. The statement by the official identified as Haroon reflects Islamabad's efforts to position Pakistan as a priority investment destination for European capital and institutional engagement.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held bilateral discussions with his Canadian counterpart to review the state of Pakistan-Canada relations, with both sides expressing interest in expanding engagement across trade, diaspora affairs, and diplomatic coordination. The meeting reflects the continued importance of the Pakistani diaspora in Canada as a connector between the two nations.