Web Desk(National times)- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has reached United States on Sunday evening to attend high-level events marking Pakistan’s presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in New York, followed by bilateral engagements in Washington. Upon arrival, the deputy prime minister was received by Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad. Pakistan officially assumed the UNSC presidency on Tuesday for July 2025 within its current two-year tenure as a non-permanent member that began on January 1, 2025. In New York, as part of Pakistan’s Security Council signature events, the foreign minister will chair a high-level open debate on “Promoting international peace and security through multilateralism and peaceful settlement of disputes”. “The high-level debate aims at exploring ways to strengthen multilateralism, and at enhancing diplomacy and mediation for peaceful settlement of disputes,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release on Monday. In addition, the foreign minister will preside over the quarterly open debate of the Security Council on the “Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question” He will also chair a high-level briefing of the UN Security Council that will focus on enhancing cooperation between the UN and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), it added. The meeting is being held as part of Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen collaboration between the OIC and the UN for maintenance of international peace and security. To express Pakistan’s strong commitment, and unwavering support for the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, Dar will also attend the high-level Conference on the “Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the implementation of Two-State Solution”. “Pakistan’s high-level participation in the UN Security Council’s Quarterly Debate on the Middle East as well as the International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of Two-State Solution, is also a testimony to Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to and support for the Palestinian cause,” the press release stated. The conference, sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, was originally planned for June but was postponed due to the Iran-Israel war. During his stay in New York, DPM Dar is expected to have several bilateral engagements with his counterparts, as well as senior UN officials, the FO press release read. “Dar’s visit to New York and Washington exemplifies Pakistan’s growing role and importance in the multilateral arena as well as its expanding multifaceted relations with the US,” it concluded. The visit came weeks after Pakistan had formally recommended US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in defusing tensions between Pakistan and India earlier this year.