FM Qureshi emphasises on joint cooperation in fight against Covid-19

Foreign minister stresses on expanding cooperation to cover poverty alleviation and disaster relief

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday emphasised on a joint cooperation in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as on expanding its ambit to cover poverty alleviation and disaster relief.

While addressing the Six-Country Foreign Ministers' Video Conference virtually today, FM Qureshi said regional collaboration and multilateral cooperation were required for the revival of economies.

"Pakistan welcomes intensified cooperation between China and South Asian countries in these areas," the foreign minister said.

He added that China-South Asia Emergency Supplies Reserve would help all participating countries to better respond to health emergencies and natural disasters in the future.

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"China-South Asia Poverty Alleviation Cooperative Development Center would provide the opportunity to learn from China's remarkable accomplishment in eradicating poverty from the country and also would help build institutional linkages and people-to-people contacts," he added.

The foreign minister further said that South Asian countries were in dire need of enhanced regional cooperation towards the pandemic, and to lift their people out of poverty through this platform.

"We shifted from geopolitics to geo-economic and want to enhance regional cooperation and integration," the FM said talking about Pakistan Pakistan's economic vision.

In his concluding remarks, FM Qureshi said that Pakistan reaffirmed its resolve to further deepen mutual cooperation through this platform of six regional neighbouring countries, in pursuance of our common developmental goals.

The conference was attended by foreign ministers from China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.