Doha: Mohsin Naqvi holds separate meetings with ministers from Spain, Lebanon and Syria

WEB DESK: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held separate meetings with the interior ministers of Spain and Lebanon and Syria’s minister for emergency and disaster management on the sidelines of the Global Security Forum in Doha on Tuesday, with discussions focusing on bilateral ties and cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain was also present during the meetings.

In his meeting with Spain’s interior minister, Naqvi discussed cooperation between the two countries, with particular focus on efforts to curb illegal migration.

The Spanish interior minister praised Pakistan’s measures to prevent irregular migration and commended Islamabad over what he described as a 64 per cent reduction in illegal migration towards Europe. The two sides also discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in areas of shared interest.

Pakistan, Lebanon discuss security cooperation

Naqvi separately met Lebanese Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar, with the two ministers discussing security cooperation between Pakistan and Lebanon.

They agreed to make contacts and coordination between the interior ministries of the two countries more active, with a view to strengthening institutional cooperation.

The meeting formed part of a series of engagements by the Pakistani delegation on the sidelines of the security forum.

Disaster management cooperation with Syria

The interior minister also held talks with Syria’s Minister for Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in disaster management and emergency response, including greater engagement between relevant institutions.

The talks focused on strengthening practical cooperation and sharing experience in responding to emergencies and disasters.

Naqvi’s meetings in Doha come as Pakistan continues efforts to expand security, migration-management and emergency-response cooperation with international partners through bilateral and multilateral engagements.

‘We do not want credit for stopping wars; we want a future where wars do not start’

On Monday, Naqvi said Pakistan will continue to back dialogue, regional stability and international cooperation, pointing to Islamabad’s role in helping keep diplomatic channels open during the US-Iran conflict.

Speaking in Doha, Naqvi said lasting peace required trust, sustained engagement and cooperation among states, arguing that preventing wars was more important than taking credit for ending them. “We do not want credit for stopping wars. We want a future where wars do not start,” he said.

Pakistan initially called for restraint and negotiations as tensions escalated, but its role later expanded into active mediation between Washington and Tehran. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad had helped sustain the diplomatic process and credited Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Asim Munir with supporting the effort.

The White House later described Pakistan as the main intermediary, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to Islamabad as Washington’s “primary interlocutor”.

Pakistan also supported the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping and energy route, while continuing contacts with both sides.

The mediation process later produced the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which set out a framework for de-escalation and further negotiations.

Naqvi said the wider lesson from recent conflicts was that dialogue should never be shut down, trust remained central to negotiations and peace required sincere efforts from all parties. He also called for stronger intelligence sharing and closer international cooperation against terrorism, saying Pakistan’s broader objective was to prevent conflicts from escalating in the first place.