UK’s Hunt, Qureshi agree to expand trade

Qureshi expresses satisfaction over ties with Saudi Arabia


APP September 28, 2018
Shah Mehmood Qureshi. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi met with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and discussed enhancing cooperation in diverse areas such as trade, investment, education and development. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

During the meeting, Hunt congratulated Qureshi on his appointment as Pakistan’s foreign minister. The foreign minister also briefed his British counterpart on relations with Afghanistan and the grave human rights violations being committed by Indian occupation forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

Qureshi leaves for UNGA session in New York

He said peace and stability in Afghanistan was a shared responsibility and Pakistan would continue to support the structured bilateral engagement plan through five working groups of Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) to address all matters of mutual interest.

Secretary Hunt extended an invitation to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to visit UK, according to an official statement to APP.  Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday expressed satisfaction at the expanding relations between the two countries.

Qureshi and his Saudi counterpart Adel bin Ahmed Al Jubeir met on the side lines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York. Referring to the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “highly successful” visit to Saudi Arabia last week, the two took note of the complete convergence of views between the leadership of the two countries on regional and global issues and agreed to maintain the momentum generated by the visit to achieve tangible results on mutually agreed areas of cooperation, according to an official statement.

Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed deep appreciation for the “gracious invitation and warm hospitality”, extended by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, to the prime minister and his entourage.

The two foreign ministers agreed to remain closely engaged to chart out a road map for enhancing bilateral trade, business and investment relations. They also agreed to convene the next round of Bilateral Political Consultation between the two foreign ministries at an early date to take their discussions forward.

High-level Tuberculosis meeting at the UN

Meanwhile, Qureshi told the first-ever High-Level Tuberculosis (TB) Meeting at the UN on Wednesday that Pakistan remained fully committed to rooting out the endemic by 2030. The event was held on the side lines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly being held in New York.

Saudi participation 'to provide new trade route’

Speaking on the occasion, he appreciated the efforts and progress made by the World Health Organisation. He stressed the importance of fighting the epidemic of Tuberculosis, which still accounts for over four and a half thousand deaths worldwide every day. He said that this epidemic was pervasive in lower income and middle-income countries. Pakistan, he said, was among the seven countries most affected by TB.

By implementing Multiple Drug Resistant TB strategy, positive results have been achieved with a success rate of 65%, which is higher than average global success rate. Qureshi expressed Pakistan’s commitment to earnestly work with members of the international community to prevent unnecessary deaths, lift people out of poverty, and make progress towards achieving other sustainable development goals.

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