Daily Times

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a new Pakistani embassy in Baghdad.

The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fawad Hussain also accompanied him during the ceremony. Pakistani Ambassador to Iraq Ahmed Amjad Ali and Iraqi Ambassador to Pakistan Hamid Abbas Lafta were also present on the occasion. Bilawal welcomed the construction of the Pakistan Embassy Complex in Baghdad as a positive step. The foreign minister is in Iraq on an official visit. Earlier this week, Bilawal and the Iraqi President Dr Abdul Latif Jamal had appreciated the trajectory of bilateral relations between the two countries and agreed to expand mutually beneficial cooperation.

Separately, the foreign minister also called on Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani and conveyed best wishes to the leadership and the people of Iraq. They agreed to further strengthen the multidimensional cooperation and to cement the brotherly ties between the two countries. Later, Bilawal also met several senior Iraqi officials and discussed with them the ways to enhance bilateral relations in various fields. Meanwhile, Bilawal met with Governor of Karbala Nassif Al-Khattabi in Karbala, Iraq and discussed ways to facilitate Pakistani zaireen during pilgrimage as well as to enhance collaboration in all areas of mutual interest. During the meeting, the foreign minister offered to dispatch a medical team comprising Pakistani doctors and paramedics to Iraq during Arbaeen and Ashoora events in the city. Bilawal said the Pakistan government was also establishing a facilitation center for Pakistani pilgrims in Iraq.