BÜRGENSTOCK, Switzerland: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met with a high-level Iranian delegation on Sunday ahead of the technical-level US-Iran peace talks in Bürgenstock, as Pakistan continued its central mediation role in the historic diplomatic process.
The meeting serves as an immediate follow-up to the implementation framework of the recently signed “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),” aimed at defusing geopolitical and economic volatility in the Middle East.
The Iranian delegation to the talks was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, alongside Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi. Sources noted a highly warm and cordial atmosphere at the start of the session, where Field Marshal Munir and Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi shared a warm embrace before proceeding to formal discussions.
Prime Minister Sharif was accompanied by a senior ministerial delegation, including Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and senior official Tariq Kazmi.
Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance met with Prime Minister Sharif and Field Marshal Munir ahead of the high-stakes technical negotiations. The meeting, held in a cordial atmosphere at the Bürgenstock resort, was also attended by senior US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. According to diplomatic sources, the discussion focused on the implementation matrix of the newly finalised Islamabad MoU, with Vance expressing appreciation for Pakistan’s pivotal mediation.
“We are grateful for what you have done,” Vance told Field Marshal Munir. The US vice president also said, “We love Pakistan,” while acknowledging Islamabad’s role in supporting dialogue efforts. Vance noted that Pakistan’s role in US-Iran negotiations had been “excellent.”
Separately, US envoy Steve Witkoff referred to Field Marshal Munir as “my brother” during an interaction and embraced him, according to officials present at the meeting. The Pakistani leadership is playing a central mediation role at the Swiss mountaintop resort as technical teams from Washington and Tehran attempt to operationalize the 60-day maritime and military truce brokered by Islamabad earlier this week. The technical talks are expected to focus on implementation mechanisms for the MoU, including sanctions relief, maritime security, and nuclear oversight provisions. The Bürgenstock meetings underscore Pakistan’s emergence as a key diplomatic player in facilitating dialogue between the two nations. The international community has widely praised Pakistan’s efforts in achieving this diplomatic breakthrough. The coming days will be critical in determining whether the technical negotiations can translate the framework into a lasting peace agreement. The world watches with cautious optimism as the Bürgenstock talks unfold.
