ISLAMABAD : Jalil Abbas Jilani, the foreign minister, is in Belgium for the Third EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum.
The Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, Stefano Sannino; the EU Special Envoy for Religious Freedom, Frans van Daele; the Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra; and the Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the countries of South Asia, Nicola Procaccini, were among the European Union officials with whom the Foreign Minister held bilateral meetings. The talks centered on how Pakistan and the EU could work together on trade, investments, digital technologies, health, connectivity, and climate action. Over the next three days, Foreign Minister Jilani will have more bilateral discussions with EU representatives and ministers from other participating nations.
Tomorrow, the Foreign Minister will take part in the Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum plenary session. He will also take part in a roundtable discussion on “Economic Resilience and Investment” to highlight Pakistan’s investment potential for foreigners.
In order to promote inclusive growth and strengthen the economic resilience of poor nations, the foreign minister will advocate for an equitable international economic order and collaboration during the forum. He would reiterate Pakistan’s dedication to fostering climate resilience, lowering carbon emissions, and promoting sustainable economic growth. He will highlight Pakistan’s vision of a long-term collaboration with the European Union by offering new areas of cooperation and reiterate Pakistan’s commitment to developing a strong and resilient economy.
On January 29, 2024, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, traveled to Pakistan at Jalil Abbas Jilani’s invitation.
He met in-depth with the Chief of Army Staff, Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, and Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. The two parties reiterated their long-term commitment to bilateral cooperation during this significant visit.
Both Pakistan and Iran face the same threat from terrorism, and both sides emphasized the need for joint and cooperative strategies to combat it. We decided to designate liaison officials in Turbat and Zahedan right away and to bolster institutional procedures for security coordination.
Expanding efforts for economic and development cooperation was also decided upon, with early joint border market operationalization being one of the ways to do this. The creation of a Joint Coordination Mechanism amongst foreign ministers to supervise and guide the advancement of a shared agenda for prosperity and growth was another important consensus.
