ISLAMABAD – Ambassador of the European Union Jean-François Cautain calledon Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad on Tuesday.
The two sides discussed a wide range of regional and bilateral issues ofmutual interest and expressed satisfaction at the positive growth inPakistan-EU relations.
Foreign Minister highlighted the government’s people-centric reform agendato bring improvement in wide range of areas, including health, education,agriculture, tourism, human rights, national security and eliminatingcorruption.
He stressed upon the need for enhancing bilateral trade and economiccooperation, in particular to take full benefit of GSP Plus Scheme, whichwas in positive synergy with the government’s own social agenda.
Foreign Minister also appreciated the role of Pakistani Diaspora in EUcountries in promoting bilateral ties and people-to-people contacts, andhighlighted that the current government had, for the first time, grantedelectronic voting rights to overseas Pakistanis in October 2018by-elections.
On regional situation, the Foreign Minister underscored Pakistan’s effortsin bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.
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The Ambassador informed that the EU High Representative would be lookingforward to interacting with the Foreign Minister during the forthcomingGeneva conference on Afghanistan later this month.
Referring to the findings of the reports of UN High Commissioner for HumanRights and UK’s All Parties Parliamentary Kashmir Group (APPKG) on humanrights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir, the Foreign Minister urgedthe EU to uphold its highest standards of human rights by addressing thesituation.
He commended the recent ruling of the European Court of Human Rights onmaintaining a balance between the right to freedom of expression andinciting of sentiments of others.
The Ambassador assured European Union’s full support to the government inenhancing bilateral relations in all areas of mutual interest.
