Pakistan greatly values its partnership with IsDB & looks forward to continued collaboration & enhanced engagement: PM Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD, Mar 21 (SABAH): Minister of Defence of the Republic Azerbaijan Colonel General Zakir Hasanov called on the Prime Minister on Monday.
Noting the strong and robust defence ties between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, Prime Minister expressed the desire to further expand these brotherly relations with special focus on bilateral trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts.
The Prime Minister lauded Azerbaijan’s contribution in the OIC, especially as an active member of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister congratulated the leadership and people of Azerbaijan on liberation of their occupied territories and appreciated Azerbaijan’s efforts in pursuing the objective of peace and prosperity in South Caucasus.
Minister of Defence Hasanov conveyed the greetings from the President of Azerbaijan to the Prime Minister. He informed that a contingent of Azerbaijan Armed Forces will participate in the National Day Parade of Pakistan on 23rd March 2022.
Meanwhile on Monday Prime Minister Imran Khan received Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al-Jasser, Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, who is in Pakistan to participate in the 48th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.
The Prime Minister recognized IsDB’s long standing and trusted partnership with Pakistan and its support in diverse sectors such as Energy, Finance, Transportation, Education and Health. He also appreciated IsDB’s support to Pakistan for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines which greatly contributed to National Vaccination Campaign for reach out to unvaccinated eligible population.
Dr. Al-Jasser briefed the Prime Minister on IsDB’s programmes including the operationalisation of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund that was established by the Extraordinary session of the OIC-CFM held in Islamabad on 19 December 2022. The Prime Minister appreciated IsDB’s initiative in support of the Afghan people that were in dire need of humanitarian and economic assistance.
The Prime Minister underscored that Pakistan greatly valued its partnership with IsDB and looked forward to continued collaboration and enhanced engagement.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan held a bilateral meeting with the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Monday in Islamabad on the sidelines of 48th Session of OIC-CFM. He expressed satisfaction on growing bilateral cooperation in all spheres of mutual interest.
The Prime Minister felicitated the Foreign Minister on the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Tajikistan. The Prime Minister recalled his official visit to Dushanbe in September 2021 and expressed satisfaction on the implementation of the decisions taken during the visit. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of early conclusion of transit trade agreement between the two countries to enhance trade and economic linkages.
The Prime Minister reiterated his desire to comprehensively upgrade bilateral cooperation including in the fields of economy, trade, energy, connectivity and investment. He also elaborated Pakistan’s enhanced engagement with Central Asia under “Vision Central Asia” policy and reiterated commitment for timely completion of CASA-1000 power project.
The Prime Minister underscored Pakistan’s consistent support for the efforts for sustainable peace and provision of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Emphasizing the importance of lasting peace and stability in the country for regional prosperity, the Prime Minister underscored the key role of neighbouring countries in this respect. The Prime Minister stressed that a peaceful, stable, prosperous and connected Afghanistan was in everyone’s interest.
Meanwhile Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Bisera Turković, called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday. Foreign Minister Turković is visiting Islamabad to participate in the 48th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.
During the meeting, Pakistan’s relations with Bosnia & Herzegovina and regional and international issues of common interest were discussed.
Welcoming the Bosnian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Imran Khan emphasized that Pakistan had fraternal relations with Bosnia & Herzegovina and desired to graduate these ties to abroad-based relationship with focus on socio-economic and education sectors as well as enhanced people-to-people contacts.
Foreign Minister Dr. Bisera Turković shared her perspective on the latest political developments in her country and thanked the Government and people of Pakistan for their support to the people of Bosnia & Herzegovina. The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia & Herzegovina which was critical for peace and stability in the region.
Matters related to security and other regional and international issues, including Afghanistan, Jammu & Kashmir and Islamophobia were also discussed during the meeting.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan received the Foreign Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Sameh Hassan Shoukry on Monday. Foreign Minister Shoukry is visiting Pakistan for bilateral engagements and participation in the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), being held in Islamabad on 22-23 March 2022.
The Prime Minister discussed various issues of mutual interest with Foreign Minister Shoukry. The Prime Minister noted the historic and deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and Egypt. Expressing satisfaction at the close cooperation between the two brotherly countries, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of building upon the solid foundation to further expand the bilateral political relationship into economic and commercial domains.
The Prime Minister fondly recalled his meetings and interactions with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, underscoring the convergence of views between Pakistan and Egypt on a wide range of regional and international issues. He added that there was great scope and potential for enhancing mutually beneficial engagement between the two countries.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also exchanged views with Foreign Minister Shoukry on different regional and global issues as well as the matters of the Islamic Ummah. He highlighted the egregious human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and the threat posed to regional security by India’s irresponsible actions.
The Prime Minister lauded the unanimous adoption of landmark resolution by the UNGA on declaring 15 March as the ‘International Day to Combat Islamophobia.’ The Prime Minister stated that this recognition by the General Assembly would help combat the contemporary challenges of racism, discrimination and violence against Muslims, and promote interfaith harmony.
The Prime Minister emphasized the need to advance the cause of justice for Muslims worldwide, including through the platform of OIC. He emphasized the importance of promoting unity and solidarity among Islamic countries, with a focus on the achievement of prosperity and sustainable development through increased cooperation.