FM Qureshi, Swiss counterpart discuss coronavirus pandemic over phone

Foreign Minister appreciates projecting Pakistani flag on Matterhorn mountain a few days ago

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday discussed matters related to Covid-19 pandemic, which has so far infected over three million people and claimed more than 235,000 lives across the world, with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis over telephone.

During the conversation, Qureshi offered condolences over the loss of precious lives and commended efforts made by the Swiss government to contain the pandemic, Aisha Farooqui, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement.



He also appreciated projecting the Pakistani flag on Matterhorn mountain a few days ago, as a special gesture of solidarity.

Underscoring that a global recession was imminent, and the pandemic had seriously impacted the developing world, the foreign minister highlighted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s global initiative for debt relief during the conversation.



He also highlighted ongoing restrictions in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K), which were hampering dissemination of information, and preventing the unfettered supply of medicines and other essentials needed to combat Covid-19.

Qureshi also noted that the Hindutva-inspired BJP government in India was using the pandemic to demonise India’s Muslim minority in the context of Covid-19, an attempt that should be rejected by the international community.

The two foreign ministers agreed to stay closely engaged in this connection.