fm Dar, Australian counterpart discuss regional tensions, stronger bilateral ties

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

Dar, along with his delegation, arrived in Manila on Wednesday and is scheduled to take part 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 Pakistan-Australia bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation through regular high-level engagement.

“The two leaders discussed Pakistan-Australia bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation, including through regular high-level engagement,” the Foreign Office 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 de-escalation”.

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.

Omani foreign minister 

Earlier, Dar met Oman’s 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 strengthening bilateral cooperation.

“They agreed to further strengthen collaboration through high-level exchanges, enhanced trade and investment, people-to-people contacts, stronger business-to-business linkages, and continued coordination at 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 expedite financing for ML-1 railway project

The FO said the Omani foreign minister appreciated Pakistan’s “constructive role in promoting dialogue, de-escalation, and regional peace and security”.

Both sides also expressed concern over recent developments in the region and stressed “the importance of upholding the ceasefire, respecting international law, and working towards 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 Asian Development Bank (ADB) officials 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 Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rehman. During his talks with Lavrov, the two reviewed Pakistan-Russia ties, reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in trade, energy and connectivity. In his meeting with Rehman, the two ministers reviewed what the Foreign Office 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 through July 24, gathers foreign ministers and top diplomats from ASEAN nations and major powers to discuss issues surrounding geopolitical challenges, energy supplies, trade, food, security cooperation, Myanmar 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. Also attending will be ​India, Japan, Australia, South ⁠Korea, Russia, Britain and the European Union, among others.

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