FM calls for concerted efforts to fight Covid pandemic

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi called on Friday for a concerted international efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and to develop a vaccine that was accessible to all as a global public good.

Addressing the 28th Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF), the foreign minister urged the forum members to raise voice against the rise of “Islamophobia” and extremist tendencies in the region and around the globe.

The meeting was chaired by Brunei and attended by foreign ministers and senior government officials of the ASEAN Regional Forum. In his video remarks, the foreign minister apprised the forum of the progress made by Pakistan in the field of counter-terrorism.

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“Pakistan remains opposed to any politicisation of the issue,” Qureshi said while addressing the Forum online. In his speech via a video link, Qureshi underscored that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was central to regional peace.

The foreign minister condemned moves by states to alter the demographics of disputed territories under their illegal occupation and stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes according to relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

On the issue of South China Sea, the foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the ongoing negotiations of Code of Conduct and underlined that the concerned parties might find solution through consensus.

He also announced that Pakistan would co-host the 24th ARF Heads of Defence Universities/Colleges/Institutions meeting with Malaysia later this year.