Islamabad, 24 March 2022 (TDI): The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, met representatives and Ministers of African countries at the culmination of the recent OIC summit.
The Foreign Minister expressed that he was “delighted to host African Ministers to celebrate Pak-Africa fraternity”. He further recalled the historical ties between Pakistan and African countries.
The ties were established during the decolonization of the continent. He said that Pakistan has been “a proud supporter” of various African independence movements.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi also pointed out the fact that Pakistan is one of the top contributors to the peace-keeping missions in Africa.
The Foreign Minister also said that he is looking forward to building economic diplomacy ties under the “Engage Africa” strategy developed by Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
African issues were given priority in the 48th Summit of the OIC foreign ministers held in Islamabad. The session addressed the fragile situation in the Sahel, the Lake Chad region, and Central Africa.
Foreign Ministers of the Gambia, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Somalia, Guinea, Uganda, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Mozambique, Sudan, and Nigeria attended the summit.
Pakistan-Africa ties
Pakistan provided political and diplomatic support to various African movements calling for decolonization and independence, such as in Algeria, Ghana, and other French, Portuguese, and British-held colonies.
Pakistan has contributed to peace-keeping efforts during several conflicts in Africa. These peace-keeping missions include Sudan, Somalia, & the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Likewise, Pakistan aided the Central African Republic, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire. Several of these nations are also part of the OIC.
Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the “Engage Africa” envoy’s conference in 2019 to enhance ties with African countries. The “Engage Africa’ is a pragmatic strategy to develop relations between Pakistan and African countries.
The strategy mostly focuses on developing trade and commercial ties. However, it also has developed relations with many African countries in the fields of culture, education, governance, and military.
The country has expressed its intention to further develop relations in all these fields with the African countries.
