Pakistan-Bangladesh Ties Advancing With Warmth: Ishaq Dar
Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh were “advancing with warmth,” while highlighting Islamabad’s growing diplomatic engagement with China, Turkey, Azerbaijan and other regional partners. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Pakistan, on Thursday (May 21, 2026), said its bilateral relations with Bangladesh were “advancing with warmth”, anchored by a broader trans-regional alignment, including “excellent relations” with China, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.
Speaking at an event, Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar provided a comprehensive overview of Pakistan’s current foreign policy doctrine, emphasising a structural transition towards multilateral diplomacy, strict adherence to international agreements, and high-stakes global conflict mediation.
Dar said Islamabad successfully mediated backchannel peace talks between the US and Iran after a diplomatic freeze of one and a half months.
He claimed that the high-security interventions directly made the ceasefire possible between the US and Iran, pulling the critical energy corridors in West Asia from degenerating into a full-fledged regional war.
He said Pakistan was maintaining its active diplomatic pipelines to ensure a sustainable, long-term resolution to the volatile conflict. He focused on calculated realignments in Pakistan’s traditional and emerging partnerships.
Decoupling from singular geopolitical dependencies, Islamabad was actively cementing an administrative axis spanning East Asia, the Caucasus, and the Mediterranean, he said.
Dar said Pakistan’s doors “will always remain open” for the citizens of friendly nations, framing international agreements as the ultimate guarantee of global peace.
Detailing the long-term evolution of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Dar asserted that the corridor has transcended its original identity as a basic infrastructure and transport layout. Beijing and Islamabad are commemorating 75 years of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2026.
Under the modern CPEC framework, both nations have established an extensive, long-term legal partnership alongside deep economic integration, effectively insulating the strategic corridor against domestic political shifts, he said.
Simultaneously, the inclusion of Dhaka in Pakistan’s tier of premium bilateral partners underscored a significant shift in South Asian diplomacy, he added.
With Bangladesh, Pakistan’s foreign policy apparatus is pushing to move past historical bottlenecks to foster fresh economic, maritime, and youth exchanges.
Furthermore, Dar highlighted that Pakistan’s ties with Azerbaijan remained firmly established on robust bilateral foundations, matching a unified stance on regional trade security with growing defence and energy cooperation.
