At a Glance

• Iraqi President Nizar Amedi and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif met at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya.

• Amedi praised Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the United States and Iran to ease regional tensions.

• Both leaders reviewed key COP31 priorities and called for stronger international coordination.

• The two sides agreed to expand cooperation in trade, investment, defense, agriculture, and reconstruction.

Iraqi President Nizar Amedi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya to strengthen bilateral ties and discuss regional diplomacy, including Pakistan's mediation efforts between the United States and Iran.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• The Iraqi Presidency stated that President Amedi “commended Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to mediate between Iran and the United States.”

• Prime Minister Sharif wrote on his X he had “a warm and productive meeting” and “reaffirmed Pakistan's steadfast support for Iraq's sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and stability.”

Attended by Minister of Water Resources Dr. Muthanna Al-Tamimi, the talks focused on strengthening Iraq-Pakistan ties and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

President Amedi praised Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, stressing their vital role in "ending the conflict, easing tensions, and promoting lasting peace and stability across the region."

Climate change also topped the agenda, with both leaders reviewing key COP31 priorities and calling for "stronger international coordination" to tackle environmental challenges.

Prime Minister Sharif reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation "to serve the interests of both countries."

He also welcomed Iraq’s backing for dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution, underscoring the need for "continued coordination and consultations" on shared regional and global concerns.

Meanwhile, Sharif took to X to congratulate Amedi and the Iraqi people on their "successful parliamentary elections and the formation of the new Government," while reaffirming Pakistan’s "steadfast support for Iraq's sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and stability."

He noted that both sides agreed to boost collaboration across "trade, investment, manpower, reconstruction, agriculture and defence," alongside maintaining high-level exchanges and close coordination at international forums.

Sharif also thanked Baghdad for its "generous facilitation of Pakistani Zaireen" and extended an official invitation for President Amedi to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.

FYI

The meeting in Antalya builds on longstanding diplomatic, cultural, and religious ties between Baghdad and Islamabad.

The talks also reflect both nations' active diplomatic roles amid the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which erupted following joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran in February 2026. 

Pakistan has emerged as a primary intermediary between Washington and Tehran, hosting direct diplomatic talks in Islamabad in April and brokering the 14-point Islamabad Memorandum in June, though hostilities later resumed.

Iraq, which shares deep economic and security links with both Iran and the United States, has similarly pursued a policy of de-escalation, recently proposing a regional diplomatic mission to both capitals in an effort to revive negotiations and prevent wider instability. 

For President Nizar Amedi—a former Iraqi environment minister who assumed the presidency in April 2026 following months of political deadlock—the COP31 summit has served as a key platform to pair regional peace diplomacy with urgent appeals for international climate finance to address Iraq's severe water shortages and desertification.

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