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Five moments from the Burgenstock summit that got people talking

All eyes were on Burgenstock over the weekend as high-level delegations from the United States, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan descended upon the idyllic Swiss hamlet to iron out the details of the Islamabad Memorandum.

The US team of Vice President JD Vance, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, came face-to-face with the Iranian team comprising chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker, Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a rare meeting outside of Islamabad.

The talks were hosted and mediated by the Pakistani team of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, along with a Qatari delegation led by Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

The media circus unfolding above Lake Lucerne managed to capture moments from the historic talks that would otherwise never have been seen by ordinary observers sitting in their own homes.

Here are the top 5 viral moments that got people talking:

1. Field Marshal Munir one of ‘two very, very important people’ in my life: US VP Vance

In his opening address at the summit, VP Vance took a lighter note, saying: “I have joked that I have two very, very important people in my life — an Indian and a Pakistani. The Indian is my wife and the Pakistani is Field Marshal Munir.”

“I’ve probably talked to Field Marshal Munir more than I’ve talked to anybody else over the last three months,” he added.

2. ‘We love Pakistan’: VP Vance

In the lead-up to the opening of the summit, VP Vance was asked by a member of the press what he thought of Pakistan’s role in the talks.

Vance responded: “Very good.”

“We love Pakistan, thank you,” he grinned, hitting a quick thumbs up before entering the venue.

3. PM Shehbaz shows off his German skills

A little-known fun fact: PM Shehbaz is a polyglot, fluent in German, Arabic, English, Urdu and Punjabi, with a basic hold on Turkish, Chinese, Russian, Pashto and Sindhi.

It comes as no surprise that he took the opportunity to dust off his German for reporters covering the talks.

4. Araghchi seems to avoid Vance in front of the cameras

Iran’s negotiating team refused a planned exchange of handshakes and a group photograph with their US counterparts.

Iranian FM Araghchi briefly walked into the meeting room and embraced PM Shehbaz, but did not interact with Vance, who remained at the back of the room until Araghchi had moved away.

Vance then approached PM Shehbaz and CDF Munir, the former appearing concerned during the exchange.

5. ‘What’s up?’ Vance greets CDF Munir; ‘My brother,’ CDF Munir addresses Witkoff

As the Pakistani and American delegations greeted each other upon arrival at the venue, cameras picked up a cordial exchange as FM Munir met VP Vance and Witkoff.

Vance greeted CDF Munir saying, “What’s up?”

As CDF Munir hugged Witkoff, he was heard addressing him as: “My brother.”

Header image: US Vice President JD Vance (2nd L), US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff (2nd R) and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner (R) meet with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (2nd R) and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir (L) at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026, ahead of high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict. —AFP/File



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