Pakistan, Luxembourg hold inaugural round of bilateral political consultations

LUXEMBOURG, Nov 28 (SABAH): The inaugural session of Pakistan-Luxembourg Bilateral Political Consultations was held on Monday in Luxembourg. The Pakistan side was led by Acting Foreign Secretary Jauhar Saleem while the Luxembourg side was headed by Jean Olinger, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

Welcoming the revival of the bilateral political dialogue coinciding with the 70th anniversary of establishment of the diplomatic relations, the two sides underscored the importance of sustained high level engagements and the exchange of business missions.

The Consultations provided an important opportunity to review and discuss the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including ways to expand trade andinvestment cooperation and fostering partnerships ingreen economy. Both sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of education, health, science and technology and creating start-ups linkages.

The Acting Foreign Secretary thanked the Luxembourg Government for the support to the victims of the unprecedented climate induced floods in Pakistan. He briefed the Luxembourg side about the scale of damage and multilateral cooperation required for building climate resilient infrastructure.

The Acting Foreign Secretary apprised the Luxembourg side on the egregious human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He highlighted that Indian illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 were aimed at undermining the internationally recognized disputes, and altering the demographic structure of the IIOJK was a blatant violation of the UNSC resolutions, 4th Geneva Convention and international law.

It was agreed that instability in Afghanistan could lead to threats with wider geographical implications. The Acting Foreign Secretary stressed the significance of continuing international engagement with the interim Afghan government for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and beyond.

Both sides also expressed concern over the situation in Ukraine. They stressed the need to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, in full respect to the principles of international law and the UN Charter.

Both sides reiterated their support for each other at different multilateral fora including the UN. It was agreed to continue constructive engagement between the two countries within the EU.

Pakistan considers expansion of ties with Luxembourg as an important objective in the region and the European Union. The inaugural round of consultations provided a much-needed opportunity to identify avenues for deepening of bilateral relations. Two sides agreed to hold regular consultations.