GSP Plus was on track & there was strong political commitment in that regard: PM Shehbaz

PARIS, June 23 (SABAH): Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the New Global Financing Pact Summit in Paris on Friday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the President of the Commission for her participation in the Resilient Pakistan Conference held in Geneva on 9 January this year. He conveyed Pakistan’s commitment to continue working in close collaboration with the European institutions for rehabilitation and reconstruction in the flood-affected areas.

The Prime Minister appreciated high-level interactions between Pakistan and the EU and renewed invitation to the Commission President to visit Pakistan.

Recalling the importance of GSP Plus, the Prime Minister noted with satisfaction that it was on track and there was strong political commitment in that regard.

The EU Commission President lauded Pakistan’s efforts to recover from the 2022 floods and assured continued support. She appreciated the level of ongoing cooperation between EU and Pakistan, including GSP Plus.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif met the President of Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact being held in Paris, France on Friday.

The long-standing cooperation and engagement between Pakistan and IsDB was discussed during the meeting. The Prime Minister and President IsDB took stock of the progress on various ongoing projects and exchanged views on new avenues of collaboration.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Dr. Al Jasser on behalf of the Government and people of Pakistan for IsDB’s participation in the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan held in Geneva on 9 January 2023. The Prime Minister lauded IsDB’s announcement at that Conference to provide USD 4.2 billion in support of Pakistan’s post floods recovery. He acknowledged the personal contribution and leadership role of Dr. Al Jasser in galvanising this huge volume of financial support.

The Prime Minister underscores that IsDB’s beneficial partnership with Pakistan will go a long way in helping the people of the country to rebuild their lives and livelihoods, and also support the sustainable development objectives of the Government.

The Prime Minister briefed Dr. Al Jasser on the recently formed Special Investment Facilitation Council to streamline foreign investments in the country and provide a one window solution to address all concerns of foreign investors.

The Prime Minister also renewed the invitation to President IsDB to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.