On 1 September 2005, the foreign ministers of Israel and Pakistan met formally and publicly for the first time — a diplomatic breakthrough arranged by Turkey. Israel's Silvan Shalom called the meeting, which took place in Istanbul "historic" and a "major breakthrough." Pakistan's foreign minister noted that it had decided "to engage" with Israel as a gesture to underscore the importance of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but Pakistan was careful to note that this did not mean recognition and that full diplomatic relations would come only with "progress toward solution of the Palestinian problem." Pakistan's president Perves Musharraf stressed that his country will not recognize Israel before the establishment of a Palestinian state. In mid-January 2008, Israeli officials confirmed media reports about a recent meeting involving Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak and Pakistani president Perves Musharraf.
See also Foreign Policy.
Historical Dictionary of Israel. Bernard Reich David H. Goldberg. Edited by Jon Woronoff..