Islamabad, 20 April 2023 (TDI): In a Foreign Office weekly press briefing, spokesperson of Pakistan foreign affairs, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, announced that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will lead the Pakistani delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting scheduled to be held on May 4-5, 2023, in Goa, India.
The Foreign Minister was invited to attend the meeting by the current chair of the SCO CFM, Dr. S. Jaishankar, the Indian Minister for External Affairs.
The participation of the Pakistani delegation in the meeting demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO Charter and processes and highlights the region’s importance in Pakistan’s foreign policy priorities.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, attended the 4th Meeting of the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan on April 13th in Samarkand, where she highlighted the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and called for humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan.
Also Read: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister to Attend SCO-CFM in India
She also urged progress towards the goal of promoting greater political inclusivity in Afghanistan, emphasizing the importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan for the region and the interest of the neighboring countries in peace and stability there.
The Minister of Pakistan foreign affairs also participated in the Meeting of the Quadrilateral Group on Afghanistan, which includes China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia, underscoring the importance of coordinated regional approaches to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan.
She highlighted that untapped potential for connectivity could harness unprecedented new opportunities for the region and underscored the importance of practical and constructive engagement with the Interim Afghan Government.
In Samarkand, the minister of state also held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of China, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Pakistan’s head of mission in Afghanistan, Ambassador Ubaid ur Rehman Nizamani, returned to Kabul and resumed his responsibilities after close consultation with the Afghan Interim Government.
In his telephone conversation with Acting Afghan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, on April 15th, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reiterated the necessity and responsibility of the Afghan Interim Government towards the safety and security of Pakistani diplomatic missions and personnel in Afghanistan. Ambassador Nizamani and his team have Pakistan’s best wishes and support.
Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) with Bulgaria and with Portugal were held on April 11th and 13th, 2023, respectively.
Additional Foreign Secretary (Europe) Ambassador Muhammad Saleem led the Pakistani delegation to these consultations, where the entire spectrum of bilateral relations was discussed, and important understandings were reached on enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation.
A broad range of regional and global issues of common interest, including regional security, climate change, and cooperation at the multilateral fora, was also discussed.
Also Read: SCO Students’ Talk with Taikonauts, Strengthening China-Pakistan Friendship
Pakistan continues to participate in SCO meetings in keeping with its long-standing commitment to the SCO. Federal Minister for Climate Change, Ms. Sherry Rehman, represented Pakistan at the 4th SCO Meeting of Heads of Ministries on Environmental Protection held in online format in New Delhi on April 18th, 2023.
On April 19, 2023, the Director of the National Disaster Management Authority virtually attended the SCO Expert Meeting of Heads of Agencies for Prevention and Elimination of Emergency Situations, while today Muhammad Idrees Mahsud, Member Disaster Risk Reduction, is virtually participating in the SCO Meeting of Heads of Agencies for Prevention and Elimination of Emergency Situations.
The government of Pakistan is closely following the situation in Sudan and is monitoring the safety of its citizens there. The Pakistani Embassy in Sudan is in constant contact with the community and is providing assistance. The government of Pakistan considers the well-being of its citizens a top priority.
As Ramadan comes to an end, Pakistan urges the Indian authorities to lift restrictions on the religious freedom of Kashmiris in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) region. The occupation authorities have prevented Kashmiris from freely practicing their religion by imposing curbs and restrictions on their religious activities.
Pakistan will continue to speak out against human rights violations in IIOJK and provide political, diplomatic, and moral support to the Kashmiri people for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.
In other news, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will lead the Pakistan delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Goa, India on May 4-5, 2023.
The participation in the meeting demonstrates its commitment to the SCO Charter and processes and the importance of the region in Pakistan foreign affairs priorities. The Foreign Minister also attended the previous Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Tashkent in July of last year.
