FM Dar and his Australian counterpart discuss regional tensions and stronger bilateral ties

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Australian Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) 2026 in Manila, where both sides expressed concern over the recent escalation in the region and emphasized diplomacy, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.

Dar, along with his delegation, arrived in Manila on Wednesday and is scheduled to participate in the ARF plenary meeting as well as hold a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the forum.

According to the FO, the two foreign ministers reviewed bilateral relations between Pakistan and Australia and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation through regular high-level engagement.

“The two leaders discussed bilateral relations between Pakistan and Australia and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation, including through regular high-level engagement,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X.

Dar and Wong also exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments during their meeting. The FO said Wong appreciated Pakistan’s “constructive role in promoting dialogue and reducing tensions.”

Both sides also expressed concern over the recent escalation in the region and stressed that “dialogue, diplomacy and respect for international law remain essential to achieving lasting peace, stability and security,” according to the statement.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman

Earlier, Dar met with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, where the two sides agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international developments, the FO said.

According to the FO, the two foreign ministers expressed satisfaction over the “positive trajectory” of relations between Pakistan and Oman and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.

“They agreed to further strengthen collaboration through high-level exchanges, increased trade and investment, people-to-people contacts, stronger business-to-business ties and continued coordination in multilateral forums,” the FO said in a post on X.

The two ministers also discussed the latest regional and international developments during their meeting.

Read: Dar urges ADB to accelerate financing of ML-1 railway project

The FO said Oman’s Foreign Minister appreciated Pakistan’s “constructive role in promoting dialogue, reducing tensions and regional peace and security.”

Both sides also expressed concern over recent developments in the region and stressed “the importance of maintaining the ceasefire, respecting international law and working for lasting peace and stability in the region,” according to the FO. The two ministers agreed to remain in close contact, the statement added.

On his first full day in Manila, Dar held a series of diplomatic engagements ahead of the ASEAN Regional Forum ministerial meeting. He met senior officials of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at the bank’s headquarters, where he urged the lender to expedite financing for Pakistan’s Main Line 1 (ML-1) railway project and reaffirmed their more than six-decade partnership, and discussed expanding cooperation in various sectors.

Dar also held separate meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rehman. During his talks with Lavrov, the two reviewed Pakistan-Russia relations and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in trade, energy and connectivity. In their meeting with Rehman, the two ministers reviewed what the Ministry of External Affairs described as the “positive trajectory” of Pakistan-Bangladesh relations and reaffirmed their commitment to building on the momentum generated by Dar’s visit to Bangladesh last year.

The week-long summit, which will run until July 24, brings together foreign ministers and senior diplomats from ASEAN nations and major powers to discuss issues related to geopolitical challenges, energy supply, trade, food, security cooperation, Myanmar’s civil war and the Five Point Consensus, as well as the impacts of the US-Iran conflict.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will join the ASEAN-led meeting in the coming days and could meet on the sidelines. India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Russia, Great Britain and the European Union, among others, will also attend.

Southeast Asia, a major oil importer with a combined gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion, is highly exposed to the supply crisis and has sought to fast-track an ASEAN oil-swapping mechanism to mitigate the impact.