ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday held a telephonic conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and exchanged views on the current trajectory of bilateral relations, the Afghan peace process, Covid-19 pandemic, and climate change.
He thanked the UK prime minister for his thoughtful video message for the World Environment Day event held in Islamabad on June 5, 2021.
Imran Khan expressed the hope that Pakistan and the United Kingdom (UK) would be able to forge an even stronger partnership going forward, particularly in the domains of trade and investments, a press release issued by the PM Office said.
The two leaders agreed on the importance of high-level exchanges between the two countries.
Prime Minister Imran Khan lauded the efforts of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in effectively combating the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK.
He also briefed his British counterpart on the measures taken by Pakistan to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic while saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating the economy.
Imran Khan impressed upon the UK to revisit the decision of placing Pakistan on the Red List of travel ban countries.
On Afghanistan, he reiterated Pakistan’s support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process.
The prime minister reiterated his longstanding stance that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that a negotiated political solution was the only way forward.
Underscoring the importance of a responsible withdrawal, the prime minister apprised his British counterpart of Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to support the Afghan peace process, as part of shared responsibility.
He apprised Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the progress made by Pakistan to strengthen its AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism) framework.
He urged the members of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to recognize Pakistan’s achievements in complying with the FATF’s benchmarks.
The two sides agreed to continue to work together to further strengthen relations and advance the common objective of regional and global peace, and stability.