Officials at Bürgenstock summit say technical talks will follow to pursue regional peace

A gathering of senior officials at Bürgenstock opened with calls to press forward with technical negotiations intended to reduce tensions across the Middle East.

Meeting participant opened the session by thanking President Donald Trump and by singling out Vice President J.D. Vance for leading the U.S. team. The speaker said they hoped the meeting would produce documents that "promote peace, progress, and prosperity around the globe." The opening remarks also praised the Prime Minister of Qatar and Field Marshal Asim Munir for their roles in bringing parties together.

J.D. Vance, the vice president, told assembled leaders and the media that the U.S. president had empowered participants "to find a diplomatic resolution to a host of issues that matter to the American people, but I think the world." Vance listed recent outcomes he credited to U.S. diplomatic efforts, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and steps toward curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions, and said the goal for the meeting was to "turn over a new leaf" in relations with Iran if Tehran's leadership were willing to give up policies that drive regional instability.

"What the president has asked us to do is turn over a new leaf, to transform our relationship with the people of Iran," Vance said, adding that the political leaders present were setting up the structure for technical teams to "figure out what matters most to the respective parties, to settle those issues, to solve those issues, and get to a better tomorrow." He praised Field Marshal Asim Munir for playing both a military and diplomatic role in creating the space for negotiations.

Sheikh Mohammed, speaking afterward, thanked the vice president, the prime ministers and mediators involved and said Qatar would remain "dedicated to this partnership to support these mediations until the end, until we reach a solution." He named several individuals present or involved in the mediation efforts and framed the meeting as the start of a longer negotiation process rather than a final agreement.

Organizers said the press portion would be brief and that leaders would move on to the working sessions intended to oversee the technical talks. No formal agreements or votes were announced during the media session; officials described the day as setting the political support and structure for follow-on technical negotiations.

The summit's next steps, as described by participants, are the establishment of technical teams to work through specific issues raised during the session and continued diplomatic engagement among the countries represented.