Pakistan and Iran are set to hold direct bilateral consultations later this week during the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit in Shusha, Azerbaijan.

According to official sources, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will meet his Iranian counterpart, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to hold talks with Iranian President Masoud Peshkeshian on Friday.

The Pakistani delegation is expected to reach Azerbaijan on Thursday, ahead of the ECO summit, which is being held in the historic city of Shusha — a region in Karabakh that Azerbaijan recently reclaimed from Armenia following a military conflict.

During the summit, Ishaq Dar is also slated to meet other key regional leaders, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan. The Pakistani delegation is also scheduled to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkiye and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.

These engagements are part of Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to strengthen economic, strategic, and cultural ties within the ECO bloc, which includes 10 member states from Central and South Asia.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to leave for Azerbaijan on a two-day visit on July 3 where he will attend the Economic Cooperation Organization summit. Moreover, the prime minister will also hold important meetings during the two-day visit.

A day earlier, Iran’s army chief Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi had expressed his gratitude to Pakistan for its support during Iran’s recent war with Israel.

According to Iranian state media, Moosavi conveyed his thanks to Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal General Syed Asim Munir during a telephone conversation. He acknowledged the Pakistani government and public for their backing throughout the conflict.

During the call, both military leaders discussed regional security and mutual defence cooperation.

Moosavi also stated that, throughout the conflict, the United States and several Western countries not only provided extensive support to Israel but also conducted widespread propaganda against Iran.