Washington DC, 21 December 2022 (TDI): The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, participated in a special discussion in Washington DC, on Tuesday.
The event was organized by the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council, a well-known international affairs think tank in the United States. Uzair Younus, Director of Pakistan Initiatives, moderated the discussion.
The topics of discussion included, the Pakistani government’s foreign policy goals, opportunities for deepening the Pakistan-US relationship, and Pakistan’s plan to address the climate crisis and resulting economic challenges.
Remarks by Bilawal Bhutto
While talking about the bilateral relations between both countries, Bilawal stated, “Pakistan’s economic interests are linked with the US. We know what great, great things we’ve managed to achieve together when Pakistan & US have worked together.”
In the conversation, Bilawal also discussed the recent hostage situation by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) at the Counter-Terrorism Department’s (CTD) compound in Bannu.
In this vein, he expressed, “Action against extremists is necessary for the safety and security of the people. Pakistan is serious about eradicating terrorism, adding that the security situation in the country is better than it was in 2007.”
Flood situation
Bilawal noted that dealing with the post-flood situation in Pakistan is the biggest challenge. Along these lines, he added, “The devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022 were the worst since at least the historic floods of 2010.”
“Climate catastrophes around the world are very different now than a decade or more ago. We experience this year what can be only described as a climate catastrophe of biblical proportions.” Bilawal continued.
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The Foreign Minister encouraged the international community to help with flood victims’ rehabilitation. He reiterated, “The international community must engage with Pakistan to combat climate change because it affects many countries.”
Bilawal wrapped up the debate by mentioning Pakistan’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list. The Pakistani government is taking substantial steps to improve economic reforms.
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