Daily Times

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday underscored the importance of close cooperation between Pakistan and Iran on matters relating to Afghanistan, including refugee management, regional security, and institutional mechanisms. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful, stable, prosperous and connected Afghanistan.

The foreign minister was talking to Iran’s Special Representative to the President on Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Ghomi, who called on him here, a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. He highlighted Pakistan’s provision of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, including recent relief efforts in wake of the devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan on 22 June 2022.

The foreign minister also reiterated the importance of continued constructive engagement and practical cooperation with the Interim Afghan Government in order to promote the objective of sustainable peace and security in the region. On bilateral ties, he expressed Pakistan’s keen desire to further strengthen relations with Iran, which are rooted deep in common faith, shared history, and cultural affinities.

The foreign minister highlighted the importance of regular exchanges to advance economic and trade relations, energy cooperation, regional security and connectivity.

Special Envoy Hassan Kazemi Ghomi noted that Iran associated high importance to its relations with Pakistan. He appreciated the constructive role played by Pakistan in Afghanistan and underscored that peace and stability in Afghanistan were essential pre-requisites for the region’s long-term stability and prosperity.

Earlier, the Iranian Special Representative met his Pakistani counterpart Ambassador ® Mohammad Sadiq, where both sides discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan, highlighted the importance of pursuing continuous and practical engagement, and reviewed various trade and connectivity initiatives in the region.

Separately, Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) ambassador Zhang Ming called on Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the Foreign Office on Friday and discussed matters of mutual interest. The foreign minister warmly welcomed the secretary general and his delegation to Pakistan and congratulated him on his appointment to this important post, at the helm of the SCO Secretariat.

The foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the purposes and principles of the SCO Charter and the ‘Shanghai spirit.’ He assured the Secretary General of Pakistan’s active support in taking forward SCO’s development cooperation agenda.

The foreign minister highlighted the enormous potential of the SCO region and stated that it was a collective responsibility to work together in harnessing this potential effectively for the sustained progress and prosperity of the SCO region as a whole. While discussing the comprehensive and diverse socio-economic cooperation matrix of SCO, the foreign minister underlined Pakistan’s interest in key priority areas of connectivity and transport; food security; innovation and technology exchange, trade and economy, including e-commerce; start-ups and digital literacy; youth empowerment etc.

He also highlighted Pakistan’s potential as a trans-shipment and trade hub for SCO countries and reiterated Pakistan’s keenness to play an active and constructive role in further strengthening SCO. Views were also exchanged on the modernization of working mechanisms of SCO as well as the further expansion of the organization, which was a testimony to its growing stature as a major multilateral platform.

The foreign minister reassured the secretary general that Pakistan would be supportive of the reform process.

Sharing his perspective on the situation in Afghanistan, he underscored the need to maintain constructive engagement and practical cooperation to promote the shared goals of peace, stability, development and regional connectivity.

He added that the international community must scale up assistance to help address the twin challenges of a dire humanitarian situation and economic crisis. The Afghan interim authorities, on their part, must address the concerns of the international community pertaining to inclusivity; respect for rights of all Afghans, including girls’ education; and continued efforts in counter-terrorism.

The SCO is a trans-regional multilateral organization of eight countries comprising, in addition to Pakistan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and India. The SCO strived to promote multi-faceted and comprehensive cooperation in diverse areas. The visit of the SCO Secretary General to Pakistan was part of customary visits to member states after assumption of office. It is aimed at exchanging views with the leadership on the strategic direction of the Organization in future, as well as our priorities in the SCO development cooperation framework.

The visit provides a valuable opportunity for consultations on Pakistan’s role and participation in SCO, especially in the run up to the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) later this month in Tashkent and the Council of Heads of States (CHS) meeting in Samarkand in September 2022.