Daily Times

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that Pakistan is not supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. The FM made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Islamabad. Answering a query at the conference, Bilawal said that Pakistan was not supplying arms to the Eastern European nation amid the Ukraine-Russia conflict. He stressed that Islamabad continues to take a non-partisan position on the matter.

Ukrainian FM Dmytro Kuleba arrived in Pakistan earlier in the day on a two-day official visit. During the presser, Bilawal said “Pakistan-Ukraine relationship has a long history and has covered trade and investment, agricultural and defence cooperation, [and] cultural exchanges in deep people-to-people context.”

He added that Pakistan wishes to further expand cooperation in all areas of mutual benefit with trade and economic ties being priorities for Pakistan. “We aspire to build a mutually beneficial relationship that contributes to the prosperity and well-being of our nations,” he said, adding that this was discussed during a meeting with Kuleba . “We discussed the situation in Ukraine. I shared with the foreign minister our deep concern at the prevailing situation and offered our condolences on the loss of precious lives and immense human suffering,” said Bilawal.

“In a gesture of solidarity with the people of Ukraine and despite our own economic challenges we have sent humanitarian assistance,” he added. “We believe that prolonged conflict brings immense hardship and suffering to [the] civilian population. We hope that peace will prevail so that the people of Ukraine and Russia can enjoy peace dividends,” said Bilawal. He emphasised on Pakistan’s readiness to support peace initiatives, saying that as a country in a volatile region Islamabad understands how long-standing regional conflicts can endanger collective security.

The war in Ukraine has also brought difficulties for developing countries in the global arena, particularly in terms of fuel, food, and fertiliser shortages and Pakistan is no exception, said the FM. He expressed appreciation for the Ukrainian government’s principled stance in supporting a resolution to counter religious hatred, discrimination, hostilities and violence at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Meanwhile, his Ukrainian counterpart Kuleba said that his country would be looking forward to economic cooperation with Pakistan, including boosting trade and digitisation of state services.

On arrival at the Foreign Office, the visiting foreign minister was received by FM Bilawal, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and other high-ranking officials of the FO. Delegation-level talks between Pakistan and Ukraine were held at the office in Islamabad with the Pakistani side being led by FM Bilawal. The two sides discussed cooperation in diverse fields.

The Ukrainian foreign minister is in Islamabad on a visit that will certainly be closely watched both by the Western capitals and Moscow amid the ongoing conflict. Pakistan has however maintained that it will not abandon its policy of “neutrality” on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Earlier the Foreign Office had said that during his visit, FM Kuleba will call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and also hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart. “Pakistan and Ukraine enjoy close and cordial relations, particularly in the fields of trade, investment, agriculture and higher education.” Kuleba’s visit is the first-ever ministerial visit from Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Ukraine in 1993. The visit is expected to contribute to further strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries, according to the Foreign Office.